Brandon Mowry remembers the days.

The 2002 Knoch graduate played football for the Knights when the team used a power running game to move the ball.

“That was (then head coach) Mike King's game,” Mowry said. “We had a lot of big guys up front. It was hammer-jammer all the way.”

Knoch doesn't have a lot of big, overpowering linemen these days. The Knights' offensive front relies more on quickness and athleticism.

Enter the triple option.

Frank Whalen brought that offense to Knoch when he took over as head coach in 2017. Mowry, an assistant on the staff, became a student of that system.

Now Mowry is the head coach and the triple option is in its third year of operation with a roster that has 15 seniors, eight of whom are returning starters on offense.

“It is a complicated system,” Mowry allowed. “It's all about reps, going over it again and again. The quarterback has to be very intelligent because there's no time to think. He has to react.

“Give it to the tailback, pull it back out, pitch it back ... There's a lot going on and his decisions have a lot to do with the success of the play.”

So does the read of the A-back, who almost serves as a second quarterback each play.

“The A-back has to know every play,” senior Kam Grassi said. “You have to know when to shoot in and block or whether to hang back.”

Grassi was the A-back in Knoch's offense last year. He is the quarterback this year. Last year's quarterback, Chase Mullen, also played A-back during his junior year.

Knoch has gotten off to 1-4 and 0-3 starts the past two years while trying to get the triple option schemes down.

Mowry wasn't surprised by the early struggles.

“Indiana ran that offense and we played them every year,” he said. “When the schedules came out, we'd always look to see whether we played them early or played them late.

“You always want to play a triple option team early. But this is our third year using it and we're way ahead of where we've been with it at this point in the season, compared to the past two years.”

James Johnston, a senior slotback, believes the offense is operating much smoother in camp this season.

“When you're first trying to learn it, there's so much to take in,” Johnston said. “It's all hot reads and nobody can ever give up on the play.

“I'm the pitch man. If the quarterback keeps the ball, even when he crosses the line of scrimmage. I have to keep following him. You never know when the ball is coming.”

Tailback Matt Goodlin has to recognize when to take the ball from the quarterback and when to let him keep it.

“Chase and I developed a feel for that last year,” Goodlin said. “A lot of it is familiarity. I can almost read what the quarterback's thinking.”

Knoch worked on its offense throughout the offseason.

“No thinking, all reacting,” Mowry said. “This offense has to become second nature to these kids and I believe we've reached that point. The line has to adjust to the quarterback's read as well and it's all done in a split second.

“It plays to our advantage that no one else around here runs it. Most high school defenses have two days to really prepare for it and that's tough. They're forced to think and that puts them on their heels a little bit.

“Kids tend to go scooby-do anyway, especially when you throw something different at them. There's a reason why the service academies — Army, Air orce, Navy — use the triple option against bigger opponents. It works,” Mowry added.