Dalton lays it on line for WCAL, postseason success
Dalton’s offensive front including tight end Kaden Russell, left, tackle Trenton Hurtt, guard Collin Jones, center Cohen Riggenbach, guard Grayson Lehman, tackle Matthew Heatwole and tackle Talan Greegor has helped lead the way to a 6-1 record entering the Bulldogs' Oct. 13 clash for the Wayne County Athletic League title at Norwayne.
Take one look at the Wayne County Athletic League football standings and schedule and even a novice would realize what's at stake when Dalton (6-1, 5-0) visits Norwayne (8-0, 5-0) on Oct. 13.
It's for the WCAL lead, and most likely for the outright championship.
It’s easy to hype Dalton vs. Norwayne as the area’s “game of the year,” or something like that, but a visit to the Bulldogs’ practice on the Monday night before the clash found them going about their business much the same as the first eight weeks of the season.
“We’ve talked a lot about how you handle success is really the same habit, same process you’ve been doing. You just do it a little bit better each week,” said Dalton coach Broc Dial, whose team has won two straight over the Bobcats and is trying to win three straight WCAL titles for the first time since 1991-93. “We don’t focus on who we’re playing or being in the ‘big game,’ but playing our best football every week.”
Dalton has a team-first mentality that all starts with Dial. No one said a word after practice as Dial spoke about everyone being important to the team and fulfilling their roles, even the JV players. All eyes were on Dial, and the players answered “yes coach” in unison each time he asked if they understood what he was telling them.
The Bulldogs’ workmanlike, team-oriented approach starts up front with an offensive line that’s once again among the area’s best.
Despite graduating WCAL MVP and two-way tackle Quentin Lehman, who’s now the starting center for Ohio Northern, through seven games Dalton is averaging 309 yards rushing per game and 131 through the air. The Bulldogs are outscoring opponents by a 42-8 margin.
Senior guards Grayson Lehman, Quentin’s brother, and Colin Jones, along with junior center Cohen Riggenbach, are returning starters and anchor the line. Junior Matthew Heatwole has stepped in at left tackle while senior Talan Greegor and junior Trenton Hurtt split time at right tackle and junior Kaden Russell is the tight end.
“I think our tackles have picked it up here toward the end of the year, and we’re where we were at last year, if not further ahead,” said Grayson Lehman, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound player who also plays defensive end.
Jones, a 6-0, 210-pound player who’s also a defensive end, said he expected it to be a “dog fight” against the Bobcats.
“It’s just going to be which team comes out and wants it more,” Jones said. “I think we’ve just got to come out and execute our game plan and get after it.
“We’re all really excited for it, and we’ve been looking forward to this for a while now. We try to take every week the same, go into it like you’re playing the best team ever. So we’re taking this week the same and going into it with a strong mentality.”
For Greegor (6-1, 195), the Bulldogs’ success boils down to hard work and great team chemistry.
“We all get along,” Greegor said. “We all do stuff together. We’ve all bonded as a team.”
Dial appreciated the leadership shown by his seniors.
“Talan played some for us last year and has played a lot this year,” Dial said. “He’s a great young man and has been one of the players who’s helped us take that next step as a team.
“Jones and Grayson both have played three years for us and are big, strong football players. We’ve seen them take that next step this year in really leading our players.”
The biggest benefactors of the line’s strong play are running backs Greyson Siders and Sammy Tomlinson, who have a chance to both record back-to-back, 1,000-yard rushing seasons. No team in Wayne County history is believed to have had a tandem accomplish that feat.
“That’s a great accomplishment to possibly have, and it’s reflective of our O-line, but really we’re just focused on what we need to do to win that battle each snap,” Dial said. “We’ve talked a lot about how little things add up to big things.”
Siders, a senior, leads the team with 79 carries for 974 yards and 16 touchdowns while the junior Tomlinson is close behind with 62 rushes for 550 yards and 12 scores.
Senior quarterback Colin Pearson has kept defenses honest by completing 59 of 92 passes for 914 yards, six TDs and four interceptions. Junior Brady Hignight is the leading target with 19 catches for 289 yards and two TDs.
Since opening the season with a 14-7 loss against perennial state power Kirtland (now 7-1), the Bulldogs rattled off six straight wins. Dalton entered the week ranked No. 2 in Division VII by Fantastic50.net while Norwayne was No. 8 in Div. V.
The Bulldogs’ linemen continue to try to perfect their craft, getting an assist from Dial and assistant coach JD Murphy, both former linemen themselves.
“We ask a lot of our linemen,” Dial said. “We can line up under center or shotgun. We run block, inside/outside, pull, screen block, pass block, roll out or run (bootlegs) in games. Then we go over the films with the players and work with them out on the field, trying to get better week to week.”
Playing the line takes a lot more smarts in spread offenses than some fans might think.
“It definitely involves a lot of technique and fundamentals, but communicating (who to block) based on how the defense is lined up and getting off the ball is a big part of it too,” Dial said.
With lots of hard work behind them, the Bulldogs appear ready to lay it on the “line” for the huge matchup at Norwayne, and then for what they’re hoping will be a long postseason run.
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com.