Armon Harvey (right) plots the next offensive play
with fellow coach Chris Forcier (center)
in Vikings' 7-on-7 drills May 30.
(Photo by Ed Piper, Jr.)
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Armon Harvey remembers his last time playing on the Edwards Stadium field.
"The final score was 12-0, La Jolla beat us (Mission Bay)," reminisced Harvey, the Vikings' new wide receivers coach. "All the scoring was on field goals."
But the coaching veteran, who has served on staffs in the European Football League (EFL), formerly NFL Europe, as well as at local high schools, promises a whole different type of offense by La Jolla this fall.
"We're definitely going to be electrifying, fast-paced," says the likable and outgoing former Buccaneer linebacker and fullback. "I like to say 'to be quick, fast, and in a hurry.'"
Is this the typical preseason coaches' positive chatter, or does he have a basis for what he claims? We will see beginning in August, but Harvey does point out the two quarterbacks, Trevor Scully and Carsten Fehlan, working out a short distance away, and mentions Kenny Hayden, presently rehabbing his injured right knee.
Scully, in 7-on-7 drills during spring workouts Tues., May 30, consistently made medium-range passes with snap and speed, maintaining a pretty tight spiral on each pass. Many were complete, some too difficult for the receivers taking part in the workout to grab under pressure. Phelan, last year's quarterback on a 9-0 junior varsity squad, was working more on sending a consistent spiral while a reporter watched.
Hayden, the only returner from last year's varsity of the three, won't be back in active drills until August, he said last week on the sidelines of workouts May 24. He was walking on crutches, before visiting Matt Bridges' trainer's room for a treatment.
Scully's eligibility at La Jolla began that day, May 24, according to new Vikings head coach Tyler Roach, returning after a year starting for Mission Bay's football team under former La Jolla coach Jason Carter as his offensive coordinator. So Scully would seem to have an edge that way.
Back to Harvey, he ran an impromptu mini-clinic for a sideline observer on how the quarterbacks and receivers read the placement of the safeties and middle linebacker when they come up to the line, then both respond in an practiced but improvised kind of ballet to connect on passes. The coach, Del Norte's receivers coach last year as well as JV head coach there, was clear, thorough, dynamic--can we say articulate?
Roach and Harvey said that at this point, head coach Roach will serve as the Vikings' offensive coordinator, in collaboration with Harvey and Chris Forcier, a former St. Augustine star quarterback, the middle brother of the Forcier family.
"We found that we were totally on the same page when we sat down and talked," said Harvey of his interview with Roach to join the new Vikings' staff. "He (Roach) also wanted to see if I was compatible with the other coaches." The answer was yes.
"We agreed on every detail," said Harvey of his tete-a-tete with Roach. The atmosphere on the practice field seemed to reflect that, with a lot of energy, the three coaches interacting, deciding what kind of play to call next, their active exchanges with Scully, Phelan, and the other players energetic, on task--taking care of the business at hand.
With the third head coach of the program in the past 16 months, no one seemed to be sitting around wondering what to do next.
Back to Harvey, he ran an impromptu mini-clinic for a sideline observer on how the quarterbacks and receivers read the placement of the safeties and middle linebacker when they come up to the line, then both respond in an practiced but improvised kind of ballet to connect on passes. The coach, Del Norte's receivers coach last year as well as JV head coach there, was clear, thorough, dynamic--can we say articulate?
Roach and Harvey said that at this point, head coach Roach will serve as the Vikings' offensive coordinator, in collaboration with Harvey and Chris Forcier, a former St. Augustine star quarterback, the middle brother of the Forcier family.
"We found that we were totally on the same page when we sat down and talked," said Harvey of his interview with Roach to join the new Vikings' staff. "He (Roach) also wanted to see if I was compatible with the other coaches." The answer was yes.
"We agreed on every detail," said Harvey of his tete-a-tete with Roach. The atmosphere on the practice field seemed to reflect that, with a lot of energy, the three coaches interacting, deciding what kind of play to call next, their active exchanges with Scully, Phelan, and the other players energetic, on task--taking care of the business at hand.
With the third head coach of the program in the past 16 months, no one seemed to be sitting around wondering what to do next.
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