It’s a line I’ll never forget from the Warren County Sports Authority show. When the legendary Gary Rankin was in studio, he hit on all manners of topics, but one that has resonated to over one million people was about the offensive line.
“I don't treat all kids the same. I treat our offensive linemen better.”
There are probably some coaches who would never admit that. Rankin has no problem saying it.
Of course, when you've won more high school football games than anybody in Tennessee history, you probably don't have to spend much time worrying about whether everybody agrees with your methods.
Rankin's reasoning is pretty simple: Everybody notices the quarterback and everybody knows who scored the touchdowns. Skill guys get their pictures in the paper and their names announced over the loudspeaker.
The five guys standing in front of them usually don't. That's why Rankin lets the offensive linemen eat first. That's why he treats them a little differently. And whenever somebody complained about not getting the football enough, Rankin offered a solution.
“He’s got two choices in our program. He can play left guard or he can play right guard,” Rankin said.
Funny enough, he said nobody took him up on it.
“We'll take all the linemen we can get. Any day you want to, just say, ‘Coach, I want to be a lineman.’ But, you know, in 40 years, I never heard that. Never heard that.”
After yet another night where the Pioneers churned out yards to secure a win, I thought back to Rankin’s comments and how he knows where wins come from.
Eric Belew understands it too.
Warren County has plenty of players who will get their names called this season. AJ Whitman is trending toward a potential 2,000-yard season and is building up a nice passing resume too. Dylan Aguilar, fresh off a 100-yard night, and the Pioneer backs will have rushing yards and touchdowns beside their names. Receivers will make catches and get picked up in the endzone after scores.
But before almost any of that can happen, somebody has to move a defensive lineman who doesn't particularly want to be moved.
For Warren County, that job has belonged to a group led by seniors Ethan Holder, Ryan Romzek, Jonny Garcia and Canaan Curtis. And Belew believes what we're seeing now started long before the first Friday night this season in Smithville.
“I think this group of OL made a decision back in November at the conclusion of last season that they wanted to be special,” Belew said. “They absolutely got after it in the weight room all offseason. They put on good weight. They really bought in to the scheme. They didn't do anything complicated. They just showed up to work every day and improved.”
That last part may be the perfect description of an offensive lineman: Just show up and work.
There aren't many statistics that tell you how well an offensive guard played. Nobody is keeping track of how many times a tackle sealed the edge or a center made the right call. Sometimes the best evidence that an offensive lineman did his job is watching somebody else celebrate in the end zone.
Belew sees it, though. His staff does too. He also sees what the four seniors are leaving behind.
“What is also exciting is the youth in that group too,” Belew said. “You've got Alex Ayana who is starting at guard as a sophomore. Nate Luviano who is a junior. Zack McCormick is coming along as well as a sophomore. And Walter Boon who will be a great player for us as well. They have really bought into the senior leadership. We hope that this group will be what establishes this culture for years to come.”
Boon is only a freshman. Ayana and McCormick are sophomores. Luviano is a junior.
That's what makes this more than recognition for a core group of guys having a good season. Holder, Romzek, Garcia and Curtis have a chance to leave Warren County football with something still standing after they're gone - A true standard of excellence on the O-Line.
So this week's Pioneer of the Week isn't going to the guy carrying the football, it's going to the guys making sure he has somewhere to run. The Warren County offensive line will share the honors of being the R3 Logistics Pioneers of the Week.
Rankin would probably approve - as long as everybody makes sure they get to eat first too.
Editor’s Note: I should also mention that the Pioneers have some special tight ends - Braxton Jordan and Camron Holder - and a trio of B-Backs (Colton Wood, Colton Gater and Cameron Redmore) who do some major heavy lifting in the run game too. Let’s just say I can see a day in the future where they get their chance to wear the chain and get some game balls too!
