BUFORD -- When Buford High football coach Jess Simpson says he has more sophomores on his roster than seniors and juniors combined, he's not kidding, and it's not "coach-speak."
"This is a young football team, one of the youngest we've put out in years, and we're going to make mistakes," said Simpson, whose 2009 Wolves include 16 seniors, 18 juniors and 35 sophomores.
Luckily for Buford, seven of those seniors are manning some of the most important positions on the squad: the line of scrimmage.
"When you have seniors your team, it doesn't matter where they are, you lean on them," Simpson said. "And this year it happens to be there is a group of lineman there."
That group includes Kolton Houston, a University of Georgia commitment, and 6-foot-5, 333-pound Duvon Milsap, two key members of a unit that is ready and willing to uphold the Wolves' trend of dominating offensive and defensive lines. And while Simpson isn't ready to place them among the pantheon yet, he feels this year's class has the ability to dominate.
"As they go our offense will go, and they certainly have the potential to be a very good offensive line -- though you know what they say about potential," Simpson said. "But they do have an edge to them; there is a swagger about them, and they play physical. They get after it."
Houston says that's simply what is expected -- especially from 13-year assistant and offensive line coach Christian Hunnicutt.
"A lot of people say we have a great tradition here, which is definitely true," Houston said. "I put a lot of that down to our offensive line coach, coach Hunnicutt. He's a great coach, and he teaches really good fundamentals. We really preach fundamentals here at Buford, and we work really hard."
The Wolves (1-0) expect they're going to have to battle for every inch on Friday night, when they travel to take on North Hall (1-0) at The Brickyard. But that's nothing new for program the values play in the trenches like few others.
"I think every game is won or lost on the line of scrimmage," Simpson said.
Buford has claimed more than its share of battles up front, which is a big reason the Wolves have won five state titles in the past eight seasons, including the last two Class AA crowns. Over that period, Buford has also produced a number of big-time offensive and defensive linemen, including current University of Georgia freshman Dallas Lee and University of Florida redshirt freshman Omar Hunter. And the Wolves never seem at a loss for big men, yet, as Buford players will quickly tell you, it takes more than just size to make a good lineman.
"We've always been blessed with size, but what we really stress here is fundamentals, toughness and speed of play," senior Nolan Alexander said. "You can have big guys who just lounge around and ooze off the ball, and that doesn't really get you anywhere. But when you have big guys that move, guys who may not even be the biggest, but they are playing their hardest and giving it their all, that really makes for a great offensive line and offense."
Buford players and coaches say that approach -- that lineman should work just as hard on strength and quickness as overall size -- makes a big difference.
"We have some hard-nosed kids here who are willing to work hard and be coached. We've had a bunch of kids willing to play at a tempo and speed maybe some other kids aren't willing to play at," Simpson said. "I always tell these guys that big guys are a dime a dozen, but big guys who can run and bend and are athletic and can play at the speed we ask them to play at are an exception.
"More than any other position on the field, offensive and defensive lineman can be developed -- to what degree depends on their skill level, toughness and willingness to work. We've been blessed to have some really talented kids who really want to be developed and work."
Buford's current men in the trenches say they know what it takes to play at the highest level.
"Foot-work and hands make a great offensive lineman," Milsap said. "You've got to be quick, fast, violent with your hands... punch hard, very hard."
"Being a good offensive lineman means having a good motor and not giving up," senior Wright Gazaway, added. "Our coaches preach having a good motor. If you get beat off the ball, don't give up; make your heart and effort outdo his."
There is also the cerebral facet of the position, which some players say is the hardest aspect to grasp.
"This being the first year I've played a lot, I really realized how mental offensive line is," senior Mitchell Dewalt said. "You have to remember rules, what gap you have, what man you have to block, what foot to step with, what hand to load, what foot to load. It's overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, everything starts to roll."
Simpson certainly hopes the Wolves can get rolling again Friday, following an uneven opening game on Aug. 21 (a 51-0 defeat of Grovetown) in which Buford started slowly thanks to numerous penalties.
"We did some good things and some bad things. We were probably middle-of-the-road up front. It was the first game, the whole thing was middle-of-the-road," Simpson said.
With the trip to The Brickyard looming â
Saturday
April 20th, 2024
12:22AM
