How an Arkansas coach inspired Cincinnati's best high school offense

ANDERSON, Twp − Lucas Callahan is a senior leading the Anderson boys soccer team in goals this season.

He’s also the loneliest high school football player in Cincinnati.

Throughout the week, Callahan is juggling a busy after-school schedule of soccer and football practices. On Fridays, he’s found out that being involved with Anderson’s special teams comes with plenty of downtime as he masters his routine of kicking into a practice net.

“I don’t punt,” said Callahan, who has hit 15 extra points this season. “Evan Dreyer doesn’t punt.”

Callahan has mastered the art of going with the flow. His main duties on game day are to win the field position battle with kickoffs. Anderson opts for a point-after attempt about half the time and never settles for field goals.

“The offense does its job. It makes me happy when we win games,” Callahan said. “I’ll do my job whenever the time comes.”

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‘It’s been good for us.’

In Week 5 against Kings, Anderson led 7-0 before his defense got a key red-zone stop inside his own 5-yard line. After a third-down incompletion, the Raptors faced fourth down from inside their own 10. If you’re not familiar with how things operate along Forest Road, you may have been surprised when the offense stayed on the field and moved the chains.

“If we would’ve punted in that situation, the percentage of them scoring was about the same (as a turnover on downs),” said Dreyer, Anderson’s ninth-year head coach. “If you’re a math person, it’s a non-emotional decision. If you’re a football person, it’s an emotional decision. I’m happy our kids executed, and our coaches and community believe in what we do and how we must.

“It’s been good for us.”

There’s a method to Dreyer’s madness. It’s all gas, no brakes. All the time.

It’s an approach that didn’t come to Dreyer overnight. When he took over as a first-time head coach at Western Brown in 2009, he was a 24-year-old looking to be innovative.

That’s when he heard of Kevin Kelley and his no-punts perspective that led to nine state championships in 18 seasons at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“He (Kelley) did the analytics behind it. From there, it kind of grew,” Dreyer said. “I know some people worry about it. The less we practice punting, the more we get to practice offense, defense and other special teams. I know it’s evolved over the last eight years of being here. If you’re an Anderson football fan , you’re still a little surprised when it happens.”

‘We have all the talent in the world.’

If you’re still questioning the aggressive offense, the proof is in the numbers. Anderson has led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in scoring in six of Dreyer’s eight seasons and is averaging 49.8 points per game this year.

When you have players buying into the system, a lot of good things can happen.

“We have all the talent in the world,” quarterback Justice Burnam said.

Burnam, a second-year starter, waited in the wings behind 4,600-yard pass Griffin Scalf as a sophomore before taking over last season and leading Anderson to his first regional championship in 15 years.

Anderson’s offense is like a constant shot of espresso and Burnam is the perfect barista. He leads the ECC in passing yards (1,481) and touchdown passes (16) at the halfway point of the regular season. He’s also run for five scores.

“This is his (Burnam) last go-around and he’s understanding how special it is to be a senior quarterback at Anderson,” Dreyer said.

With the weapons around him, Burnam plays a weekly game of pick your poison with opposing defenses. On the ground, Simon Kenton transfer Durrell Turner leads the ECC in rushing touchdowns (9) while averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Wide receiver Trace Jallick has an overwhelming lead for the ECC receiving title with 716 yards. Aidan McClanahan and Cooper Kathman each caught three touchdowns and tight end Caden Piening is a 6-foot-5, 250-pound wrecking ball.

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Modeling his game after Rob Gronkowski, Piening had six catches for a career-high 128 yards in the win over Kings. The UCF commit has developed mightily in three varsity seasons and has quickly become another nightmare to fuel insomnia from defensive coordinators across the city.

“He’s lost some baby fat and has grown into a man this season,” Dreyer said. “He is a really special athlete and I’m excited to watch his growth.”

‘They keep doubting us.’

The common conception around Anderson was that they would score a lot of points and give up just as many. If you haven’t been paying attention, that’s changed in a big way. Upperclassmen on the defense have two to three years of varsity experience this season and that development is paying off.

Anderson’s defense allowed just 170 total yards, recovered a fumble and turned Kings over on downs four times in Friday’s 41-0 win. It was the first time Kings had been shut out since Sept. 27, 2013.

“They keep doubting us and we’re coming out here and proving everyone wrong,” junior linebacker Reid Baker said. “We’re just ballin’ out here.”