By Brant Daughtry
Great Bend Post Sports
Offensive linemen rarely get the spotlight, and are usually the first ones blamed when something goes wrong. But as any football coach will tell you, they're one of the most important factors in any team's success. At Ellinwood, the new head coach David Kempke knows that well.
"I have a huge offensive line, Anchored by a couple of seniors... I put up posters all the time in the weight room all summer and in the locker room, how the line is the group that leads from the front. And they're the ones that get the least publicity, but they're the ones that makes things happen."
Kempke is a long time line coach, and a former lineman himself, coaching at programs such as Claflin and Ness City. Now he wants to bring his brand of toughness and intensity to the Eagles.
"We want to get kids excited. I've subbed at Ellinwood for years and years, and I talk to kids in school, and sometimes their just not real excited about it. And I want to get that excitement rolling, have some passion for the sport."
"I can remember when Ellinwood was tough. We're hoping to bring that back a little bit and go into the playoffs a little bit this year."
Ellinwood opens the season at Southwestern Heights on September 4th.