Pioneer Position Previews: OL

As the 2026 football season approaches, the Warren County Way will be breaking down the Pioneer roster position-by-position. We’ll take a closer look at the quarterbacks, running backs/B-backs, offensive line, wide receivers/tight ends, defensive line, linebackers, secondary and special teams before Warren County kicks off the season at DeKalb County.

Offensive Line

A year ago, Warren County entered the season hoping a young offensive line could grow up quickly enough to give a new offense a chance. Now coach Eric Belew wants his guys up front to finish games.

Experience has completely changed the expectations for the Pioneer offensive line entering 2026. Four seniors are expected to be fixtures in the rotation, several younger linemen are pushing for significant snaps and Warren County has enough depth that Belew believes his team can impose its will instead of simply trying to survive in the trenches.

Senior Ethan Holder anchors the group at left tackle, Ryan Romzek returns at center, Jonny Garcia is at right guard and Canaan Curtis has settled in at right tackle. Junior Nate Luviano, sophomore Alex Ayana and sophomore Zack McCormick are also expected to see significant action.

It's a far cry from where Warren County stood entering Belew's first season.

Holder was still developing into a dependable varsity lineman, while Romzek was a junior taking on the responsibility of playing center in his first year as a Pioneer. Depth was a constant concern and the Pioneers were trying to eliminate the free rushers and negative plays that had plagued the offense in previous seasons.

Now Holder isn't just dependable - he’s something completely different.

“Ethan Holder has turned into a mauler,” said Belew. “He understands how to finish blocks, but doing it with the right technique is where he has taken his biggest stride this offseason.”

Romzek may be just as important in the middle.

“I say all the time that Ryan Romzek is the most athletic center I have coached,” said Belew. “When you pair that with a 6-2 frame, he can really turn some heads this year.”

The depth continues behind the experienced core. Freshman Walter Boon was showing enough promise to push his way into the conversation before being sidelined by a knee injury. While the injury will slow his immediate rise, Belew believes Boon has a bright future in the program.

Warren County can also add even more muscle when it wants to get heavy. Tight ends Camron Holder and Braxton Jordan are expected to play major roles this season and both give the Pioneers extra blockers on the edge. Holder has impressed with his footwork and ability to create movement, while Jordan added 40 pounds of muscle during the offseason entering his junior year.

3-2-1 Breakdown - Three Questions

Can the line become the identity of the offense?

Warren County has plenty of weapons - AJ Whitman is a dual-threat QB, Dylan Aguilar is an experience back and Colton Gater highlights a backfield that can cause problems when given the chance.

None of it works without the guys up front though.

The Pioneers have made no secret about wanting to establish a physical running game and this year's line appears much better equipped to make that an identity rather than simply a goal. Summer workouts have packed on pounds and muscle for a group that made the weight room a daily routine.

With depth to sub and keep the line fresh, Belew isn’t looking for his guys to pace themselves this fall - He wants them to set the pace.

How valuable will the depth become?

At times last year, especially when injuries crept in, there were questions if the Pioneers could get a trusted five on the field every Friday. This year, there may be legitimate competition for snaps beyond the starting five.

Luviano, Ayana and McCormick are all expected to play significant roles, which gives the Pioneers something every offensive line coach wants and very few high school programs truly possess: options.

Instead of being one injury away from completely reshuffling the front, Warren County may be able to plug in another player without dramatically changing what it wants to do.

Can the Pioneers finish games on the ground?

“We want our linemen to finish football games for us,” said Belew. “We are going to have some ball games that are going to come down to the last series or two this year and we want to have sustaining and punishing drives.”

Belew can almost write up the situation right now: Warren County has the lead in the fourth quarter, Aguilar is in the backfield with Gater and Whitman is making the reads to move the chains. Holder, Romzek, Garcia and Curtis are pacing a front five leaning on a defense that has already spent three quarters dealing with them.

Everybody knows Warren County wants to run the clock, but the question will be: Can anybody stop it?

Those are the moments Belew is building this group to win.

Two Observations

Holder and Romzek have gone from promising to proven

Last summer, both were players Warren County hoped would develop. Holder had already flashed enough potential to earn an offer from Sewanee, while Romzek was learning on the fly at one of the most demanding positions on the field.

A year of experience has changed both. They're no longer young guys Warren County hopes can handle the job - They're two of the reasons the Pioneers believe they can dictate how games are played.

Camping at UTC earlier this summer only strengthened their games. While Romzek is dealing with some minor knee issues that have him on a snap count right now, when the Pioneers head out against Smithville, it wouldn’t be a shock if the first play is designed to funnel a runner behind these two dynamic linemen.

Belew wants opponents playing in quicksand

“If you can minimize the amount of possessions in a game and pair that with our emphasis on creating turnovers on defense, you can really apply pressure on teams to execute early in games or it can feel like playing in quicksand,” said Belew.

Or, another way Belew calls it is “taking the air out” of an opponent.

That's the bigger picture. Warren County's running-game philosophy isn't necessarily how many yards the Pioneers want to pile up - It's what Belew wants those yards to do to the opponent.

A six-yard run in the first quarter may mean something different in the fourth quarter, especially when it keeps the clock moving. A third-and-2 conversion before halftime isn't simply another first down - it can be the difference in the opponent ever touching the ball again in the half.

To do it, Warren County needs an offensive line capable of sustaining drives instead of relying exclusively on explosive plays. This group hopes to be built for exactly that.

One Simmons says Prediction

Last year's prediction was modest: Warren County wouldn't have a single negative-yardage offensive night and would produce at least 100 yards in every game. With this line, the bar needs to be higher now.

So here we go: Warren County will rush for 200 yards in more than half its games this season. I’d almost go as far as say the Pioneers will eclipse 200 yards in 10 games this fall, but inevitably if the running game is that lethal, the boxes will load up and Whitman will be able to scorch a defense or two late in October through the air.

Still, if Warren County reaches that mark repeatedly, the reason will start with the big fellas creating room in front of them. It’s just nine days before the Pioneers can start taking the air out of opponents.