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Thursday,
November 28, 2002
Line on BHS? Stability up front
By Randy Kindred
Assistant sports editor
BLOOMINGTON -- When Bloomington High School football coach
Rigo Schmelzer looked ahead to this season, he enjoyed the view.
There was a lot to like, even in the wary eyes of a coach.
"We thought our skill was very good, our leadership at
quarterback and in the backfield was outstanding, our defensive quickness
and speed was very good, and our receivers were as good as we'd
had," Schmelzer said.
Only one problem.
For skill players to be effective, someone has to block. And while
three starters returned on the offensive line, two big holes clouded an
otherwise pretty picture.
"We felt, 'We're only going to go as far as this line takes
us,'" Schmelzer said.
Saturday, the Purple Raiders will be in Champaign, battling Chicago
Mount Carmel at 10 a.m. in the Class 6A state championship game.
That worrisome line?
Never looked better.
Schmelzer said the all-senior unit has become "a stability"
in light of season-long injuries to the receiving corps.
"We've only had all of our starters out there one time in 13
games," Schmelzer said. "It's true with any offense that whenever
everything else is falling apart, that line better be a rock and
something you can build around. That's where it all starts."
Tackle Andrew Kernes, guard Tyler Noonan and center David Witt started
on last year's 12-1 semifinal squad.
The three have started together on each level since arriving at BHS.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Kernes and 6-3, 240-pound Noonan go back even
further.
"We've been playing together for 10 years," Kernes said.
"We started out in the bantam league. We played against Witt."
While Kernes and Noonan were on the Twin City Tigers, Witt was on the
Bloomington Knockers. He remembers Kernes as "the big guy everybody
tried to take down."
"It's a lot better working with them than against them,"
Witt said.
This year, the 5-10, 241-pound Witt also has worked with Schmelzer's
"pleasant surprises" -- tackle Brett Sides and guard Dan Higby.
While Sides is 6-4 and 240 pounds, Higby is listed at 5-11 and 197.
The truth?
"He tips the scales at 189," Schmelzer said. "He was a question
mark, but he has done an outstanding job. He's very quick. He takes pride
in being the small kid out there."
"Everybody's bigger than me," Higby confirmed. "It's
just a matter of being smarter than them and finding ways to beat them. I
also trust in my linemen around me."
Therein lies the key to amassing nearly 5,000 yards of offense, a
trust up front that each player will do his part.
Noonan said the linemen often "play as one person," adding,
"We have good communication. Probably the most important thing is
just knowing what everyone around you is going to do."
"We've become pretty close," Sides said. "No one is
really that fast. We have one real big guy (Kernes), but we just play
well together."
Well enough for junior tailback James Wade to rush for 1,814 yards and
senior fullback Damon Mehlberg for 765. Each has run for 15 touchdowns,
while senior quarterback Andre Brown has had time to throw for 1,875
yards and 25 TDs.
Kernes said the line took a major step in the season's second game.
The Raiders beat rival Normal Community 13-0 after a scoreless first
half.
"They stalemated us that first half and the linemen took it
personally," Kernes said. "We came out in the second half and
got into our guys and the backs opened it up."
BHS has averaged 36 points per game since that contest, scoring fewer
than 20 only once.
The linemen take pride in the Raiders' 4,930 yards of offense, which
includes 3,055 on the ground. Yet, Kernes said Wade and Mehlberg deserve
much of the credit.
"They run extremely hard," he said. "We open a hole,
but they break one or two tackles every run."
"If we didn't open the holes, they wouldn't get there," Witt
said. "But they make us look good, too."
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