Knights’ offensive line key to another strong season
West Holmes’ offensive line doesn’t get the same attention as the skill players but has been just as important to the team’s success this season.
Heading into this season, one of the biggest question marks surrounding the West Holmes football team involved its offensive line.
The Knights returned just two starters up front from last year’s Div. III state semifinalist team, so people wondered how well the new-look line would perform this season.
The answer?
Quite well.
With the big guys paving the way up front, West Holmes finished the regular season undefeated for the second consecutive season and is in the middle of what has the potential to be another long postseason run. The Knights won their postseason opener by 42 points and played St. Marys Memorial in a Div. IV, Region 14 quarterfinal at Knights Stadium on Nov. 4.
“The big knock coming into the year was, ‘Oh my gosh, how is your offensive line going to be?’” West Holmes coach Zach Gardner. “I think the guys on our offensive line have gone above and beyond with their play this year.”
Seniors Collin Gardner (left guard) and Landyn Dye (right guard) are the returning starters. They’ve been joined on the line this season by senior center Korben Felton, junior right tackle Gage Brown, sophomore left tackle Morgan Eastep and senior Brandon Strouse, who has seen time at the tackle positions.
They call themselves “The Hogs” because it’s “better than fat men or fat people,” Felton said.
“I think senior Matthew Weaver started (the nickname) last year,” Dye said. “We’re some big boys, and we like blocking people and putting them in the dirt.”
They’ve had plenty of success doing just that.
The offensive linemen have imposed their will in each game this season, setting the tone from the first whistle. Coach Gardner has preached to his linemen to start fast and not relent the rest of the game.
West Holmes routinely scores on its opening possession, a direct result of the linemen establishing the line of scrimmage and putting their opponent on notice that it’s going to be a long game for them.
“Our offensive line, we try to set the tone as soon as the ball snaps, and as soon as we do that, we can tell if (our opponent) is going to try at the end of the game or not,” Collin Gardner said.
West Holmes’ offense is averaging 50.7 points and roughly 450 yards. Those numbers could be much higher if the Knights didn’t have a running clock during the second half of all 11 of their games.
Coach Gardner understands just how important the big guys have been to his team’s success this season.
“We put those kids under a lot for them to grow,” he said. “They don’t get a lot of recognition. They don’t get their names said on the radio or put in the newspaper. For those kids to just be selfless and keep fighting and working to get better every week, it’s a great thing. They’re a very tight unit.”
The linemen hang out most days with each other and spend time together on the weekends too. They go with each other to get food at Buffalo Wild Wings after Thursday practices.
They constantly mess with one another, which might make outsiders think they don’t like each other. To them, though, it’s a sign of affection. It lets the others know they care about them.
“We just mess with each other, and we’re always picking at each other,” Collin Gardner said. “You would think we hate each other because of how much we pick at each other, but it’s all love.”
The bond they share off the field helps them when things get challenging during games.
“The bond off the field really helps with our personalities,” Felton said. “During the games we can make jokes. We’re a laid-back team, especially up front, but when we need to get serious, we will.”
And sometimes that includes reining in each other.
“As soon as somebody gets mad, we’re always like, ‘Calm down. Calm down,’” Collin Gardner said. “Usually, if you’re not tight with the person, you’ll get mad at them telling you to calm down, but we don’t get mad at each other.”
The offensive line struggled some during two-a-days, according to Dye, but that only made them stronger in the long run. Dye and Gardner, the two returning starters, have done everything they can to bring along the newbies this season.
“We motivate them as much as we can,” Dye said. “From our past experiences, we help them. If they do something wrong, we get on them.”
It’s that type of openness with each other that has West Holmes a legitimate contender to win a state title this season.
If the Knights end up reaching the mountaintop of Div. IV, it’s safe to assume their offensive line will have led the way.