Unsung heroes: Wolves offensive line
Offensive line has thankless job
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth story in a series previewing Saturday’s Class 6A state championship game between Lake Hamilton and Greenwood at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
PEARCY — As Lake Hamilton steps on the field Saturday to face Greenwood for the Class 6A state football finals, the five members of the offensive line will be key for every offensive play that the team runs.
Junior left tackle Dylan Horton, junior left guard Chase Jessup, senior center Jeffrey Cable, senior right guard Bradley Rieman and senior right tackle Luke Dodd fulfill the almost thankless role of the offensive line for Lake Hamilton (11-1) for their rematch against the Bulldogs (13-0). The Wolves met the Bulldogs in Week 10, a 38-28 loss — their only defeat of the season.
“For Chase and Bradley, they both started all last year,” head coach Tommy Gilleran said. “So they played a full season doing what we do. The other ones have really grown this year. We knew Dylan could be a good football player, and he’s actually grown into a big, old boy. His body’s gotten bigger and his intensity and his block have really grown.
“Luke played a lot for us on defense last year, and he’s moved over to offense this year, and he’s done a good job. He uses his hands well, moves his feet well — he does a great job of staying and maintaining blocks. Jeffrey’s one of those kids that just worked really hard to get to the point where he could start, and he’s done a good job for us because of it. He’s stuck with it, kept working and working and now he’s one of the lineman that’s helped push over 4,000 yards rushing.”
The 2020 season has seen the Wolves pick up 576 carries for 4,319 yards, averaging 359.9 rushing yards per game.
“They’re good every week,” Gilleran said of the five. “They come to work. They don’t get any glory. All they get is from me and coach (Cito) Davenport and all the other people on offensive staff to encourage them. … This is a big deal for them.”
Cable said it was their own mistakes that caused them to come away with the loss in Week 10, but he believes this time around will be different for the Wolves at War Memorial Stadi-
um. Even when those mistakes happen, the team is able to rally and support one another.
“On the on field experience, in the huddle, sometimes we hold hands together and we’re like ‘C’mon boys, we’ve got it,’” he explained. “Always trying to pick each other up. If somebody misses a block, we say ‘It’s okay. Fix it next play. Keep going.’ It’s a really good family mentality.”
Rieman said reaching state finals has been a goal since day one, noting that the Wolves’ chemistry as a team is a vital reason to why they have been able to reach this point.
“It’s what we’ve been working to all year,” he said. “Getting there and achieving that goal is special to all of us. I lost my grandma a couple of years ago, and she was my best friend and my everything, so I know she’s up there watching. I know she’s watching, so I don’t really care about my name in the paper. … I think we have the best family and chemistry out of any team in Arkansas. We’d do anything for each other — always have and always will whether it’s 20 years down the road or now. I think all of us pushing each other to be the best we can be is what has gotten us this far.”
At the start of the season, the Wolves encountered a slight hiccup as senior Layne Warrick suffered a broken collarbone leading junior Grant Bearden to step into the quarterback position.
“We brought up Grant Bearden — he’s a junior — and he’s done real great and we’ve got a good team chemistry,” Dodd said. “All of us get along real good. It’s a big deal. Last year, the juniors and seniors — we all got along, but left the sophomores out. This year, the sophomores and everyone really gets along well.”
For Jessup, seeing his teammates names in lights is an aspect that continues to motivates him each game.
“It’s all about winning for me,” he said. “Especially with the O-line. We don’t get our name in the paper, but we get ‘Wolves won’ in the paper, so that’s good enough for me. Even with COVID, we didn’t have any team camps or anything, but we at least have a group of guys that come to work every day, and we just keep getting better and better.”
To Horton, the Wolves have continued to grow closer as a family, allowing them to reach their full potential as a team and as a family while the encouragement he receives from teammates and knowing that he’s had a successful night on the field drives him to give his all.
“All of our hard work for the year has finally paid off,” Horton said. “It feels good to be able to accomplish something like this and hopefully win the state championship. My teammates, they’re always pumping us up, pumping each other up, letting each other know how good we’re doing even if we’re not getting the recognition that other people get. If we do good, we know we do good, and we don’t really need anybody else knowing. Throughout the year, we’ve grown closer and closer knowing we’re doing better and better as we get closer. The family and friendships I’ve made — it’s just great. I think we’ve come together very well.”
• Tickets for Saturday’s Class 6A state final are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at https:// www.aractivities.org/tickets.
All tickets for the state finals will be sold online, and no paper tickets will be sold at the gate. You must show your digital ticket at the gate.
Arkansas Activities Association passes will be accepted until stadium capacity has been reached. AAA passes do not guarantee access.