By GARY VAN CLEAVE
Special to Great Bend Post
CLAFLIN - Football players at Central Plains are in Hog Heaven these days.
Anchored by a three-man offensive line, the Oilers average 260 pounds each on an 8-man front in which the average line with most teams is around 200.
“Our O-line is huge this year so as a running back you actually feel safe,” senior running back Eli Hurley said. “They are also a bunch of dudes that just want to roll some people and just get to moving.”
“They’re really good and they go 100% all the time,” sophomore receiver Camden Stiles said. “They get off the ball fast, and they block to a whistle. They always know who they need to block on every play we run.”
Meet 250-pound junior right guard Landon Daniels, an all-state honorable mention choice as a freshman. He’s flanked on his left by senior center Devin Davison, who brings 295 pounds of force when blocking. At left guard is Logan Stroede, the lightweight at 230 pounds.
To get to quarterback Brodie Crites or one of the running backs, teams must plow through 775 pounds of Oiler mass dawgness.
“It means a lot to block for guys like Brodie Crites and Eli Hurley back there,” Daniels said. “I know that if we can do our job up front and get a helmet on a helmet, great things are gonna happen in the backfield.”
“I think our O-line stood out the most. They kept all their blocks up and they made huge holes for Eli, Richard (Stroud) and Joel (Schreiber) to get through,” Crites said.
Stroede likes the dual-threat combination the Oilers possess in the backfield.
“Eli and Brodie are the reasons we can be considered a dual-threat team,” Stroede said. “As long as the O-line does our job, between those two we can get yards however we want whether that’s on the ground or in the air.”
“Our O-line put in the work and made some holes, but I'd say my favorite was when I got a toss play to the outside and I cut up and put a kid on skates in the secondary and broke for a touchdown,” senior running back Joel Schreiber said.
The Oiler front-end dawgs take pride in their work.
“I take a lot of pride in making sure I do my job right,” Daniels said. “I’m always making sure us three up front are all on the same page and know who to go block.”
“We take a lot of pride in playing football and getting our blocks, as well as protecting our QB,” Davison said. “We are all connected and all share a love for the sport. We have a special bond which makes Brodie and Eli’s jobs much easier.”
Crites threw two touchdown passes in the Oilers’ 48-0 season-opening win over Macksville.
“When we passed they (line) gave plenty of time,” Crites said. “Overall I felt like I did a good job but still have a lot to improve and work on.”
“They were really good,” Hurley said. “They didn’t just make a hole they got up field and made it to where I only had to beat a couple people. It feels great because one, I’m not getting hit by other people and two, it gives me a lot more room to work so we can go score.”
Central Plains plays Friday at 1-0 Victoria, which bested Ness City 48-0 last week.
“This offense can do great things throughout the season,” Daniels said. “Having a O-line averaging 260 pounds is crazy. If everyone does their jobs right there’s gonna be no one that can stop us.”
“They all improved a lot,” Schreiber said. “They put in a lot more work to get better to help us out. They have gotten stronger and quicker and better at remembering their assignments on blocks.”
Schreiber and Hurley combined for five touchdowns last week and over 80 yards rushing each. Hurley went to the House on three occasions.
“It’s pretty awesome and they’re really good at protecting our quarterback and making big holes for our backs to run through,” Stiles said.
“I’ve personally never had a line that big and so I love it,” Hurley said.
The Oilers also love the experience of playing on Friday nights.
“The rush in the locker room (before the game) is crazy, the energy is very, very high,” Davison said. “The adrenaline is pumping and I would say almost everyone is bouncing off the walls ready to go lay the wood. We are very locked in and the words our coach gives us before the game just gives us that umph to go play our hardest and give it our all.”