A Pennsylvania high school coach implemented Sideline and Assist last season and reaped the benefits.
Patrick Clark knew time was going to be in short supply coming into the 2016 season. Unionville High School’s offensive coordinator got married and the defensive coordinator had twins, leaving the team very short on free time.
As the head coach, Clark knew he needed to buy as much time as he could for his staff. He turned to Hudl Assist and was immediately impressed by the results. With Hudl’s analysts breaking down his opponent scout film, he had detailed reports on his opponents by Sunday morning. Clark estimates Assist saved him three to four hours every weekend.
“We at the high school level don’t have graduate assistants to do the legwork,” Clark said. “It allows my staff more time to spend with their families. We can all jump on Hudl and put together our reports for our players and be ready to go on Monday morning.”
Some of that free time was devoted to even deeper breakdowns of Unionville’s opponents, and the Indians reaped the rewards. Unionville went 7-4 in 2016, including a perfect 6-0 record in conference play.
But Assist wasn’t the only new process Clark added last year. He also got Unionville hooked up with Hudl Sideline, providing the coaching staff with instant replay mere moments after each down. The assistant coaches met with their position groups between drives, showing them adjustments that could be made. The staff also spent the first five minutes of halftime reviewing critical plays from the opening two quarters before meeting with the team.
“We used it every series,” Clark said. “We had an iPad with one coach who worked just with the quarterback. My offensive line coach had an iPad. On the defensive side of the ball, we could get together after every series. The coaches in the press box had iPads, one for offense and one for defense. They would review every series as well and tagging things for halftime.”
Some coaches might be hesitant to add so many new aspects to their plate in one offseason, but Clark said it wasn’t an issue at all. Assist simply gifted time back to the staff, and after getting comfortable with Sideline during Unionville’s preseason scrimmage, the staff felt more than comfortable using it once the campaign began.
“It was really pretty seamless,” Clark said. “I’d highly recommend both. Assist just absolutely gives you time back. And Sideline is a worthwhile change. The technology is right out of the box in terms of setup. It integrates pretty seamlessly. I think it’s worth the investment.”