When North Allegheny football coach Art Walker Jr. wants to scout an upcoming opponent, he doesn't have to worry about a film exchange.
That's because many of the high school football conferences in the WPIAL are connected to Hudl, an online video analysis system that stores all the game films from the season. Coaches can use the system to scout upcoming opponents and review their own games. Players can use it to make recruiting tapes and highlight clips.
Hudl purchased Apex Sports Software Co., which was located in Lower Burrell, in July. The Class AAAA conferences and some Class AAA conferences used Apex last season. Hudl is located in Lincoln, Neb., and provides 24-hour support for teams.
Gone are the days when coaches would exchange films on Sundays. In fact, Walker doesn't even need to send coaches to scout North Allegheny's next opponent, but he still does.
“I'm still old school in that way,” he said. “I want someone from the staff to see the team in person. There are times that I might even go, if we're not playing. I learned that from my dad. There are still things you can learn about an opponent that way.”
But not every staff can do that. Jeannette coach Roy Hall and Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta will pick and choose when they'll send coaches to a game.
“One of the things you can get by attending games are rosters with numbers, and see the personnel on special teams,” Hall said. “Sometimes, it's hard to see on film. But I like it so far.”
So does Botta, who is using the system for the first time this season. Botta said he learns something new every day.
“It's a powerful new tool,” he said. “I'm just starting to scratch the surface. This thing is so detailed.
“If you just want to watch the offense, that's what it will show you. If you want to see a team's tendencies, and down and distance, it will break it down for you. We used to break down things before with pen and paper.”
Botta said, one day at practice, he wondered what path the fullback from Kiski Area took on certain pass play. One of his coaches, from his cell phone, called the play up and showed Botta on the field within minutes.
Coaches download the film into the system, which takes about the same time as in the past. But once it's there, it's a time saver.
“High schools are starting to catch up to the college and the NFL teams in terms of technology,” said Hempfield athletic director Greg Meisner, who also served as the school's football coach until this season. “Hudl is a cost-saver and more of a convenience. Hudl is also a little more in-depth than Apex.”
Walker likes it because his players have access to it. Players can make their own highlight tapes for recruiters and can view games themselves.
“I can send my quarterback certain coverages that an upcoming opponent uses,” Walker said. “I can also see how much time he's spent studying the video or not. Then if he hasn't, and I ask him what he thought, he better tell me the truth.”
Walker also likes Hudl because his coaches can prepare a game plan quicker over the weekend and have more to spend with their families, such as Wednesday, when he took his sons to fall baseball practice after football practice.
Paul Schofield is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at pschofield@tribweb.com or 724-836-5095.
