Hixson Wildcats

Hixson head football coach Dan Duff watches from the sidelines during their prep football game against Central on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, at Hixson High School in Hixson, Tenn.

Pedal to the metal

Dan Duff is entering his second decade of being a high school football head coach.

Some coaches with his experience and success try to force their teams to adapt to the coaching system, but Duff is adaptable even from the book he could could write about coaching. So he's making alterations from his traditional plan of success for the 2015 season.

"There are years that I've had to do it," he said. "This is not the first, and probably not the last."

His first change from tradition is that the Wildcats will use two quarterbacks, with senior Justin Nicholson and junior Ladquis Word, a transfer from Brainerd, sharing snaps.

The second change is a little more radical to his traditional approach of keeping quarterbacks on the sideline when the defense is on the field. This year, both quarterbacks will also start on defense.

A potential book editor would find the closest shredder because of the contradiction Duff faces this year. He doesn't want a quarterback - let alone his two quarterbacks - playing defense, but he also wants his 11 best players defending instead of attacking.

"My theory is to put your best 11 out there on defense, then we'll try to spell them on offense," Duff said. "It's difficult because our quarterback makes a lot of decisions in what we do. They're in the process of reading and making those decisions."

Capsule by David Uchiyama; contact at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or follow on Twitter: @UchiyamaCTFP