TACOMA — Defensive line coach Mike Knowles deemed them the Swamp Hogs.
Given what the injury-plagued Port Angeles football team has been forced to resort to the past two weeks, however, the Roughrider offensive line might just be the most important unit on the field Saturday night.
After scrapping its wide-open spread attack for a straight forward power I-formation set, there’s little mystery to the Port Angeles offense.
And the only way it’s going to move the ball in Saturday night’s Class 2A preliminary state playoff game at Franklin Pierce at 7 p.m. is if the hogs up front keep opening up holes.
“We’ve told them that we expect those guys to step up and make it happen,” Port Angeles head coach Tom Wahl said.
“The offense that we’re running right now is all about the line.
“It’s all about those guys executing, and so if they are getting it done, that offense is unstoppable.”
Of course, it didn’t used to be this way for the Riders (7-3 overall).
Before losing their two top receivers to injuries — Cameron Braithwaite and Eli Fiscalini — and seeing quarterback Keenen Walker break his throwing arm in Week 8, it wasn’t uncommon to see the Riders throw the ball more than 20 times a game.
With so many skill position players out, the coaches have been forced to come up with something that utilizes the one part of the team not decimated by injuries: the offensive line.
Enter the I-formation offense, a power-running, hit-you-in-the-mouth attack that features a whole lot of off-tackle runs, dives and counters and little else.
“It’s simplified,” Port Angeles offensive line coach Dave Uranich said.
A strong line
It’s also something that has showcased how strong the Rider line is during its last two games against Sequim and Renton.
Port Angeles rumbled for 269 and 288 rushing yards, respectively, in those two contests featuring senior Dylan Brewer and Walker (wearing a hard cast) at the two running back positions.
While the Riders weren’t able to hold on to a 7-0 halftime lead at Sequim last Friday, they rebounded on Tuesday night with a 23-6 win in Renton that put them one victory away from their second straight 2A state playoff appearance.
“I was real excited [about switching to the power I],” 6-foot-2, 260-pound tackle Tyler Rixon said. “This is more smash-mouth football, and that’s what I love.
“You got each team battling it out on the line of scrimmage, and I really enjoy that.
“It’s a lot of fun. I love my running backs, and I love my linemen. We work well together as a team and I think that’s perfect for this offense. I think we all have really equipped it well and done a good job transitioning.”
At the center of that is the line, which has adjusted on the fly to the new offense with relative ease.
While blocking assignments are relatively straight forward man-on-man keys, it’s still a different scheme than the one they used for the first two months of the season.
And they’ve had to learn it without being able to hit in practice — lest the Riders lose even more players to injury — during the course of a three-games-in-eight-days gauntlet.
Rixon went from being a left tackle in the spread to strong-side tackle in the Power-I, lining up on either side of the ball depending upon the play.
The Riders’ other tackle, Brian Cristion, had to move from right tackle to fullback to help make it work.
Right guard William Gordon has filled for injured all-league performer Nick Ioffrida, while Mike Myers has taken over the other tackle position and Frank Hansen (RG) and Eric Wahl (C) have held down their respective spots.
Corey Roblan has also stepped up as a sub.
“We like to think that [we’re the most critical part of the offense], but when everyone comes together it works well,” Rixon said.
“It’s not just one group, it’s everyone. As long as everyone does their job, it’s going to click.”
In Tuesday’s must-win game against Renton, that certainly was the case.
With the line opening up holes, and Walker and Brewer busting through them, the Riders controlled the ball for 17 minutes, 30 seconds in the first half.
By the end of the game, they finished with 288 total yards, all of which came on the ground with sophomore quarterback Larsson Chapman not attempting one pass all game.
It’s just the sort of ball-control offense Tom Wahl and the rest of the Rider coaches are looking for, especially against explosive teams like Saturday’s opponent, 2A SPSL champion Franklin Pierce (7-2).
The Cardinals feature a spread offense with a dual threat quarterback in Reily Peirce and an big-play runner in Iopu Ignacio.
The more the Riders can keep it out of their hands the better.
“What we were running earlier in the spread is, to be quite honest, it’s really not that dependent on the line to perform exceptionally well,” Tom Wahl said.
“But in a running game it’s very much dependent upon the line.
“We’ve told them that and we’ve challenged them and they seem to be a pretty tight-knit group.
“They understand their job and what we’re doing really does depend on them.”
Forks at Toledo
TOLEDO — After surviving a three-team Kansas Plan tie-breaker earlier this week, the Spartans are faced with the daunting task of taking on the SWL-Trico Division champions.
With the amount of momentum Forks (3-6) has built up during the last week — winning at Elma last Friday, then winning Monday’s playoff — this might be the perfect time to do so.
At this point, according to first-year Spartan head coach Mark Feasel, it’s all about his team doing what it does best rather than adjusting to Toledo (8-1).
Going from one playoff game to another in a matter of four days dictates that.
“I think preparation-wise we just need to go and everybody needs to take are of their job the best they know how,” Feasel said.
“There’s not a whole lot of scheming on this one.”
Toledo runs the same sort of wing-T offense that Forks does and likes to control the clock with halfback Teran Gregson and quarterback Jesse Wallace.
It’s a gameplan that has worked to the tune of four straight wins. The team’s only loss came at Kalama on Sept. 30.
“We got to run the clock with our offense, chug it down the field and keep the ball out of their hands,” Toledo coach Terry Holmes told the Centralia Chronicle.
Forks shut down Elma and Rainier in winning Monday’s three-way playoff in Aberdeen while also utilizing its own power run game.
Feasel hopes to do more of the same and get his Spartans to state for the first time since 2008.
“We feel pretty darn ready to get after these guys,” Feasel said.
“Toledo is a really good team, but they are not a Monte. We just need to take care of what we do and not lose the turnover battle.
“Just take care of it and we should be fine.”
Eatonville vs. Sequim
POUSLBO — The Wolves find themselves in a familiar spot as the calendar flips to November.
Beat Eatonville (4-5) in Saturday night’s 2A preliminary state playoff at North Kitsap High School, and Olympic League champion Sequim (8-1) will qualify for state for the sixth straight season.
But that may be easier said than done with the Cruiser’s forte, a power run game, exactly what Wolves struggle to stop on defense.
“They are kind of dangerous in a way,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said.
“I hope if we jump up on them early they will kind of lose hope.”
It will certainly help that the Wolves will have Jack Wiker, the coach’s son, available for the entire game.
The junior sat out the first half of the Port Angeles game last Friday, and the Wolves went down 7-0 after two quarters.
As soon as he entered the contest in the second half, however, the Wolves took over and raced to a 27-14 league championship clinching win.
Unfortunately for Sequim, it will still be without star two-way player and Air Force Academy recruit Frank Catelli.
The senior quarterback/linebacker remains hobbled by a groin injury.
The big test for the Wolves will be how they deal with the multiple unbalanced, run-first sets of Eatonville.
Sequim has struggled some against power run teams this fall, but coach Wiker said he thinks his team is improving in that aspect.
“I think we did a little more bend but don’t break against PA,” coach Wiker said. “We didn’t let a lot of big plays happen.
“I think we’re getting better at stopping them, but it’s tough when people run at you every single play.
“They are bound to get yards.”