By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
You have to wonder what defensive linemen think when they see the Byrd offensive line break the huddle before the first play of the game.
Right tackle Mason Coenen (6-2, 202) is built like a wide receiver. To his left are two players who are built more like a wide receiver’s little brothers — Ayden Boutee (5-9, 171) and center Elijah Chembles (5-8, 178).
“When we go up against a team – and you can pick any team that we play – we are undersized sometimes by a hundred pounds,” Byrd offensive line coach Craig Harris said. “It’s pretty gratifying to come away from that with some real success by moving the football.”
How’s this for real success? At a school where running the ball has long been a way of football life, the Yellow Jackets have rushed for a school record 3,946 yards this year.
“Running for 300 yards (in a game) is a big deal for us,” Harris said.
The Yellow Jackets have had more than their share of “big deals.” Eight times this season they have rushed for more 300 yards in a game. (Last week, they missed that goal by two yards.)
“When we rush for 300 plus yards, that makes me feel proud,” Coenen said.
Asked what gives him the most gratification, Chembles said, “Just moving people and getting them out of the way and creating holes for the running backs.”
Coenen, Boutee and Chembles will be joined on the left side of the offensive line by “regular lineman sized” starters Jacob Martin (6-5, 272) and Josh Hutson (6-4, 214) as the Yellow Jackets will be on the road for a second straight week to take on No. 2 seed Alexandria in the Select Division I quarterfinals Friday night.
There’s also top reserve Evan Hayes (6-5, 326) and tight end Braylen Buckingham (6-0, 177), who is definitely more of a lineman than a receiver since he hasn’t caught a pass this year. “I don’t think he’s even been out on a pass route all season,” Harris said.
When Harris took over as Byrd’s offensive line coach this season, he wasn’t really sure what to expect.
Same goes for the offensive linemen.
But during the summer, some of the Yellow Jackets offensive players took a trip to do a little team building as well as some team bonding.
It was no vacation. “We were at a camp out in the middle of nowhere Mississippi,” Harris said.
But nowhere turned into something.
“It was good to get them to work together and be together away from any distractions they might have,” Harris said of his position group. “They really came together.”
The Jackets were 4-7 a year ago but have turned it around this season and are 9-3 and have won two playoff games for only the second time in 10 years.
“When a new coach comes in, there are no pre-conceived ideas of who is going to be good and who is going to play,” Harris said. “There are probably a couple of guys who are playing this year who are surprises and they’ve really done a good job.”
“The (defensive) lineman we go against very big, but we’ve played size a lot,” Coenen said. “Mostly every team is bigger than us.”
That’s where geometry comes into play.
“They are constantly getting on to me because I am always telling them they are not strong or big,” Harris said. “But we are able to move people around. They are very intelligent. We try our best to not have one-on-one matchups. Ever. We are either going to read somebody or double team or just do something to get an angle on somebody.”
While their classmates have the week off for Thanksgiving, the Jackets hit the practice field each morning in preparation for another challenge against another much larger defensive line.
“It’s way awesome,” Coenen said. “The weather is great and I like practicing in the morning, too. We get to play the day after Thanksgiving and only eight teams in our bracket get to do that. It’s pretty fulfilling.”
To Chembles, this week offers the best of both. While his classmates may be lounging around at home waiting for Thanksgiving, being at school for an 8 a.m. workout is not a problem.
“You get to have a full stomach (on Thursday) and then the next day, you get to play in a football game,” he said. “I can sleep when I get home.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com