Years ago it used to be the norm in football at all levels.
However, in today's pass-happy game the wing-T offensive formation takes extra practice time to prepare for because it's not seen all that much.
It will continue to be seen in Eldon despite a coaching change.
Eldon opens the 2018 campaign tonight by hosting Bolivar in non-conference action. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Shannon Jolley resigned as Eldon's head coach to take an assistant coaching post at Jefferson City High School. Jolley had his finest season at Eldon in 2017, as the Mustangs' wing-T galloped through the opposition to the tune of a 47.6 point-per-game average, including single-game outbursts of 82, 72, 72, 70 and 69 points.
That offensive output triggered a 11-2 overall record, the only losses coming to two of the Class 3 state semifinalists - Blair Oaks in Tri-County Conference play and Mount Vernon in the quarterfinals.
Eldon stayed in-house to replace Jolley, as Chad Hult was elevated to head coach. Hult had been an assistant under Jolley the previous five seasons, including the last two as offensive coordinator. So he knows the offense well and is keeping it in place.
Hult, in his first head coaching stint, has five offensive and six defensive returning starters to build around.
"I'm excited about the opportunity," Hult said. "Being a head coach is a career aspiration. Working under coach Jolley you really learn a lot. He has left the program in a really good place."
The biggest graduation losses are a pair of all-staters in offensive lineman Riley Pope and running back Isaiah Merida. Merida led the squad in rushing with 1,800 yards and scored 24 touchdowns.
Returning to bolster the ground game are senior quarterback Dawson Brandt and senior fullback Isaiah Parsons.
Parsons rambled for 1,350 yards and 23 touchdowns a year ago and has been in the Mustang backfield for three seasons, as has Brandt. Brandt rushed for nearly 900 yards and 12 TDs in 2017. Highly effective in play-action, he also threw for 800 yards, averaging nearly 30 yards per completion.
Joining Brandt and Parsons in the Mustang backfield will be junior Logan Hall at tailback and junior Xander Strickland at wingback.
The wideout is slated to be senior Parker Dunham and the tight end senior Charlie Mays.
Senior Jakob Krantz is at left tackle while senior Kaden Dillon is at left guard, senior Caleb Wood at center, junior Jonathon Schoenfeld at right guard and freshman Sam Coppock at right tackle.
"We needed a couple of kids to step up in Parsons and Brandt, running the ball and being a power, physical team," Hult said.
Hult is looking to clamp down on defense after the Mustangs allowed an average of 34.3 points per game last season. Eldon will play out of a 3-4 base defense this fall.
Across the defensive front Wood is at end, Schoenfeld at nose guard and Krantz at tackle.
Strickland and sophomore P.J. Bledsoe are at outside linebacker with Parsons and Mays at inside linebacker.
In the secondary Eldon lines up Dunham and junior Nathaniel Wardenburg at cornerback; Hall at strong safety and Brandt at free safety.
"Our defensive line, as well as the offensive line, are ahead of where we expected them to be," Hult said. "It's been pretty impressive for all of us. The line play looks to be the strength of our defense; we feel it will be a much-improved area. Defense has been an emphasis for us, mainly tackling. We didn't tackle well last year."
Bolivar is a new non-conference foe on the Mustangs' schedule.
Everything is non-conference this year for the Liberators, who are an independent after their former league, the Central Ozark Conference Small Division, disbanded at the end of last season.
The Liberators are coming off a 3-7 season.
"We're not very familiar with them at all," Hult said. "They're kind of an unknown coming in. All we really have on them is Jamboree film."
Junior quarterback Hayden Burks is back for Bolivar after throwing for 838 yards last season. Junior Eathen Dinwiddie is the leading rusher returning with 610 yards. Pacing the Liberator defense is senior linebacker Seth Smith, who had 83 tackles, including 17 for loss, a year ago.