Play selection

MIDLINE - still a very effective play to a "3" on the open side when facing an under front - I'd probably also give your QB a "follow/FB lead" play to check to in case they do get a 1 or 2i to the call side
ISV - can be a great play at youth level if your QB can make good decisions as well as be a good athlete, should be good for you out of a balanced look if you see a lot of double eagle - this is the only triple option we try to run
ISO - at the youth level, numbers in the box defensively make it hard to pass up
POWER - a "C" gap play for us, run as a complement to our sweep and toss plays
COUNTER - has been a terrific play for us, most successful using our FB (I form) pulling the backside G and T (if uncovered) - we always run our counter to the open side of the formation
TRAP - same as counter but run to tightside rather than open
TOSS/SWEEP - we run from an offset I, "pro" set or out of the gun - we block our sweep plays as a stretch and ask our back to look for a cutback opportunity if the edge is not there - although we don't do anything similar to the Rocket you mentioned, I could see this as being a good change up as well to utilize.

That's 95% of what we try to install as far as our running/option game goes at the 10-12 year old level. By far the best "play-action" we utilize is to BOOT out of a couple of your base running plays.

We do teach a "double-up" form of zone blocking to our kids. It usually takes a lot of reps before they really begin to understand the concept of getting to that second level, but I've found that getting movement on a double team initially and ensuring that the down defenders on the line of scrimmage are being blocked is the best way to succeed at the youth level anyway.

Would love to discuss further if you want - hope this helps you in some small way with planning your installation.

Dave Hartman
CYFL Coach