Academy Chargers bolt to 5-0 start

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Despite only having 23 players on their roster, the Albuquerque Academy Chargers football team is riding the 'spin' of a unique offense to a successful season.

The Chargers run the Spinner Offense. Chargers Head Coach Kevin Carroll has been coaching at Academy for 21 years, and the Spinner combines several elements of former offenses.

"It's really combination. It’s a little Single Wing, it's a little bit of Wing-T. We just experimented with it over the years and it's what we've come up with this year," Carroll said.

Cassidy West-Santos is a T-Back in the offense. While it's not an entirely new position, he does carry out a considerable number of ball fakes.

"What helps with it is you can go three different ways with the ball and it kind of keeps the defense guessing," West-Santos said.

Even though most of Academy Athletics falls into the 4A classification, Football there is 3A. The team only has 23 on the roster, but injuries have shrunk that number.

"It's difficult we started out with 23, but with injuries we're down to 20. Sometimes we suit up less than 20," Quarterback Kevin Clauss said. "So every single player has to contribute."

Clauss said he greatly enjoys the environment Carroll created for the program.

"It's a tradition unlike any other. We do things differently than everybody else. We're not about the attitudes, we're just about putting the ball in the end zone," Clauss said.