After three weeks of speculation, the highly controversial A-11 offense made its debut Friday night in Kern County by not one, but two teams.

What was thought to be a chance to see offensive fireworks, turned out to be a complete dud for both East High and Bakersfield High. In the four offensive series, the teams combined to pick up 24 yards and just one first down.

The formation is a cross between a spread formation and a backyard free-for-all with any of the team’s 11 players could become eligible to catch a pass. A pair of coaches from tiny Piedmont High School in Northern California devised the offense using a loophole found in the National Federation of State High School Assocations. The NFSHSA ruled the A-11 legal because it uses a scrimmage-kick formation.

The offense has already been outlawed in Texas, draws a penalty in North Carolina and Louisiana, and if Bakersfield High coach Paul Golla has his way, it would be outlawed by the Central Section.

"I think the Central Section should ban it," he said. "... It takes away from the big guys. There aren't too many sports that they can play and the A-11 takes away a chance for them to play."

But Golla then followed with "we looked scary running it (in practice)," which leads me to believe it won't be the last time the Drillers spread out the offense regardless of his beliefs.

East High was the first to use the "Joker" package after its pro-style offense failed to move the ball on its first three possessions, but Bakersfield quickly switched in a defensive unit with linebackers and secondary players to counteract the A-11.

The Drillers ran the A-11 on one series but BHS couldn’t overcome two false start penalties.

“We had to put it in in order to learn to defend it,” Golla said after the Drillers’ 41-7 victory.

I talked with East High coach Jerald Pierucci before the season started about the A-11 offense. In his first year at the school, Pierucci was sharing his thoughts on the innovation and even said he might consider using it at some point in the season.

“It would be a great way to get a team to burn up a timeout early in the game,” Pierucci said. “Who knows what we’ll do with it?”

Now we know and despite it’s underwhelming debut, I don’t think it’ll be the last time we see it.
 

A few weeks back, managing general partner and minority owner Dave Higdon admitted the Jam made a number of mistakes in the first two years in Bakersfield. A wrong hire at head coach, the belief that fans would fill Rabobank Arena only for the basketball and the wrong approach to marketing the team to the community.

Don't construe Hidgon's statement as a "mia culpa," but it was the first time an owner came clean on the fledgling D-League team. Higdon would prefer this be treated as the Jam's inaugural season. A do-over, if you will.

Higdon, along with majority owner Stan Ellis, are in the midst of an extensive public relations make-over. Offering affordable  season and mini-plan tickets, and the introduction of Swish's Kids Club, which allows kids to get in free for 23 games if a parent buys a ticket for the season opener.

Given the lack of fan support in the team's first two seasons, the Jam organization has its work cut out in its third season. But the change could mean the difference in whether the Jam thrive or become just another minor league team failure in Bakesfield.