Author: Coach Alercio

After over 20 years of coaching college football, I’ve seen talented teams stumble in season openers—not from lack of skill, but from never experiencing game-speed decision making under pressure. Unlike high school programs, college teams often face their first opponent with everything on the line, having never tested their preparation against live competition.

As I’ve mentioned before, football serves as a powerful tool to inoculate student athletes against the fears and setbacks they’ll encounter on and off the field. Pre-season scrimmages are where this conditioning begins.

Why Scrimmages Matter

Scrimmages bridge the gap between practice and competition, simulating game pace and pressure while preserving crucial teaching moments. They force players to think on their feet, communicate line and coverage calls, check in and out of blitzes, and make split-second reads—skills impossible to replicate in drills alone.

Scrimmages also reveal team chemistry under fire and provide coaches invaluable evaluation opportunities. We can assess what’s working, identify problems, and evaluate second and third-string players who may not see regular season action, helping finalize lineups and personnel packages.

PESOS in Action

Our coaching philosophy follows the PESOS model: Prepare, Explain, Show, Observe, Supervise. While we prepare continuously and explain/show concepts in practice, scrimmages are where observe and supervise components shine.

Scrimmages let us observe how well players understand not just the mechanics, but the “why” behind each concept. When situations change rapidly, players who grasp the rationale can adapt instinctively. The supervise element provides real-time feedback, creating immediate learning opportunities players can apply on the next snap rather than waiting for film review.

We structure pre-season around two scrimmages: a controlled scrimmage ending training camp week two, and a game-condition scrimmage in week three before our September 5th opener. The controlled scrimmage emphasizes execution with frequent teaching stops. The game-condition scrimmage simulates the real experience—officials, crowd noise, minimal coaching intervention.

Scrimmages don’t count in the win-loss column, but their impact on player development, team chemistry, and championship preparation is tremendous. They transform talented individuals into a cohesive unit ready to compete from day one.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

When a state championship coach who is also an Ivy League grad reads your post about the OLine Challenge, you get the following educational and inspirational email.  

“It moved me to share with you one of my favorite etymologies. I flippin’ love etymologies — every word we speak has a biography, a life story, of its own. And there is richness in their heritage.

“Competition.” From the Latin, competere, “com” meaning together, “petere” meaning to strive. Competition literally, at its heart, means “we strive together.”

In the earliest Latin, it was a contractual word implying an agreement. Only in Late Latin did it come to mean “rivalry.”

What’s the mission of every practice rep and every play? To become better than we were the rep or play before. This is true whether we’re wearing mesh practice jerseys of our school colors on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

We strive to get better together.

It is a broader application of the notion of #Ubuntu (I am because we are) that has been our team-building mantra for some six or seven years now. “Competition,” understood in this way, expands Ubuntu, that sense of “we,” to include — each and every game — the athletes in different colored shirts and helmets.

I know you know all this, Coach. But it’s been a central concept to my team (and individual) building “curriculum” for as long as I’ve been blessed to coach Redhawk Football. And those Strongman Challenge O-Linemen, as is their want, opened a lane just wide enough for me to share it with you.

As a follow up, we include some type of competition in every practice session. We value competitions of speed, strength, and athleticism, but oftentimes include competitions of luck or chance so that those who usually win can experience losing and those who usually lose have an equal chance of victory. There is growth and development in both winning and losing as we strive together.

Thank you, Coach Rahn Fleming.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

As I recently shared with Coach Keith Grabowski on his Coach & Coordinator Champion Series Podcast, the first week of the season sets the tone, not just for the opening game, but for everything that follows. A successful start begins with a clear team identity. Players need to understand who we are, what we stand for, and how we expect to play. That identity and our culture form the foundation upon which everything else—our schemes, our preparation, and our decisions—is built.

A critical part of this process is evaluating the roster with honesty and precision. Every year brings a different mix of returning starters and young players who are still learning the game. Our job as coaches is to assess where they are, using evidence-based decisions rather than assumptions, and to meet them there with the right level of instruction and expectation.

When it comes to playbooks, I’ve learned over four decades that simplicity often wins. At the high school level, trying to do too much too soon can set players up for mistakes. Instead, we focus on installing what we can execute with confidence and building from there. The same applies to our practice structure—controlled scrimmages and situational drills allow us to sharpen fundamentals without risking unnecessary wear and tear on our athletes.

Energy management is another key component. The first game brings its own excitement, but it’s up to us as coaches to pace the week so that our team peaks at kickoff, not on Wednesday afternoon. From the way we schedule practices to how we handle film sessions, everything is geared toward being mentally and physically ready when it matters most.

Ultimately, coaching is about leadership. It’s about giving players clarity, purpose, and the tools to succeed. Week One isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about setting the right trajectory. By focusing on identity, preparation, and fundamentals, we put our players in the best position to perform—not just on opening night, but throughout the season.

Coach Grabowski touted this episode as “a blueprint for coaches who want to start strong, stay strong, and build a team that competes with confidence every single week.” That’s certainly our goal, and I’m privileged to share some of the thoughts and philosophies so many others have shared with me. Programs like Coach Grabowski’s podcast are just another example of collaboration and education so willingly shared by members of the coaching fraternity.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

Last Saturday was a very good day for the Hilltoppers at the North East Kingdom 7v7, Strongman, and OLine Challenge, but the best part of the day was when Chris Cadorette, Head Football Coach at Union 32 High School, came up to me on the game field and showed me a photo on his phone.  It was one of his players struggling to complete an event surrounded by all of our offensive linemen cheering him on.  He said, “It gave him goosebumps, and he had to share it with me.”  

That is the true spirit of competition we discussed in last week’s blog. That is an example of another level of sportsmanship.  It shows respect for their effort and elevates the whole atmosphere of the competition.  Instead of the competition being purely about beating each other, it becomes about pushing each other to be better. 

Healthy competition can bring out the best in us, because we know there’s someone both challenging us and encouraging us to improve, give great effort, and be our very best.  Last Saturday, we all got better through spirited competition.  Now, we have 2 weeks off between OTAs and the start of Training Camp.  Time to enjoy some well-deserved downtime.  

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

We conclude our 7 weeks of OTAs and begin our 2-week dead period before training camp this Saturday with our 7v7 tournament, Strongman Competition, and O-Line Challenge.  There are a lot of 7v7 tournaments, and I obviously believe ours is a pretty good one, but what makes ours so special is the Strongman and OLine Challenge.  I just do not understand why more 7v7s don’t do something for the “Big Guys.” 

We host four events in our Strongman competition:  Log Press, Farmers Carry, Hexbar Deadlift, Seated Sled Pull.  And have 5 events in our OLine Challenge: Slam Ball Thruster Toss, Sled Drive Relay, Tire Flip Relay, Sandbag Relay, and Tug-of-war.  Strongman competitors compete as individuals in either the over 220lbs or under 220lbs division.  OLine Challenge teams are made up of a group of five players competing as a team.

While 7v7 games can sometimes be contentious, the Strongman and OLine Challenge competitions are always spirited.  There is rivalry and fierce competition, but it is rooted in mutual respect and encouragement. Competitors cheer each other on to achieve one more rep or one more step, then celebrate each other’s successes, inspiring everyone to do even better.  The success of one does not spark jealousy in others.  It sparks belief that they can do the same or better.  As we often say in our blog, iron sharpens iron.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

“Hey Coach, today seems like a good team lake day…”  This was the text I received from one of our senior team leaders on a hot afternoon prior to our evening OTA (Organized Team Activity).  

After 4 weeks of OTAs with 3 more to go, it was perfect timing for a team building activity.  By 7:30pm a dozen cars and trucks driven by veterans and filled with rookies pulled up to our lake house.  Fortunately, we had bags of chips and a cooler of water left over from our staff 4th of July party to get them started.   Within minutes, the “Big Guys” gravitated to the swim platform for a King of the Hill type battle.  Others swam to the neighbor’s swim platforms and water trampoline.  Another crew headed out on kayaks and stand up paddleboards.

When they all returned to the dock, another senior leader asked if he could light the grill.  When I informed them I had no time to pick up anything, he said that’s OK, we grabbed enough burgers for everyone.  As the sun set, our yard was filled with players laughing, sharing stories like brothers, and having a chance to connect as more than athletes. 

I think about the teams I’ve both coached and played on… The best of those found opportunities for shared experiences of fun. Time together, where other aspects of interdependence could show them selves. Upperclassmen providing rides and burgers, including underclassmen as equally as their peers. Big Guys playing “King of the Hill,” but taking care not to injure the “little guys,” all while everyone laughs… While out of the context of the football field or locker room, our players demonstrated those same artifacts of culture, shared belief in who we are, shared vision of what we could accomplish together, and the shared values elevating the good of the team above any individual.

These are some of the experiences accumulated, one at a time over years (and in some cases decades) that create such an affinity for this game, our tribe, and the character that underpins it. No pads, no plays.  Just fun.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

Competition is important. It elevates performance, creates accountability, and builds resilience. However, without proper guidance and shepherding, competition can breed resentment and division, adding jealousy and friction to what should be a unified effort. Unchecked, teams may sacrifice character and develop “win at all costs” mentalities that poison the very foundation they’re built upon.

On our team, competition isn’t about tearing each other down—it’s about building each other up. Every sprint, every lift, every drill, every rep, and every challenge pushes us to be better, not just for ourselves but for the guy next to us.

This past weekend, we drove down Interstate 93 to Concord, New Hampshire, to compete in a 7v7 tournament and experienced tremendous success. No, we did not win the tournament. We made it out of pool play and into the playoffs but lost a close game in the semifinals. Our success came in finding camaraderie and reinforcing unity through competition.

“Iron sharpens iron,” so the saying goes. The more we compete, the more we grow—not just as individual players but as a team. As coaches, we channel that competitive energy, fanning the flames that burn brightest in the direction we want our team to progress while dousing any signs of negative impact.

We battled against our opponents, we fought for spots on the depth chart, we played through pain, and we left everything on the field. In doing so, we learned to value the effort and work required. We built trust, earned respect, and discovered what it means to play for something bigger than ourselves.

Through competition, we become brothers and grow together as a team. The scoreboard may not have reflected a tournament championship, but it captured something far more valuable—the forging of character and the strengthening of bonds that will serve these young men long after their playing days are over.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!