Offensive Line Leading Bemidji Football to Best Start Since 2019

When it comes to football, it’s been said that the game goes as the offensive line goes. If they’re having a bad day, then everyone is having a bad day.

Luckily for Bemidji football, they haven’t had many bad days, and despite maybe not receiving as much credit as some of the higher profile positions, they have been vitally important to the team’s success.

Offensive linemen go by many names: big uglies, hogmales, even fat nasties. But there is something you’ll never hear them called at Bemidji: lazy.

“They’re the group of kids that I could set my watch to about being at the weight room and being ready to go,” said head coach Bryan Stoffel. “And there’s a certain aspect that comes with playing triple option offensive line that you really have to fall in love with the type and style of play that we do. And these guys have bought in.”

For the Lumberjacks, the o-line has been playing low so the team can stand tall. They’ve acted like a wall, impenetrable by opposing defenses, and are leading the charge for the Jacks’ 4-1 start, their best since 2019.

“It’s a big team effort, but we work hard on the o-line and we do pride ourselves on how hard we work,” explained senior offensive lineman Jared Cherney. “We come in as a big group. We all trust each other, we all know [everyone will do their] jobs and we come out knowing that we’re solid, we’re low off the ball, and we feel that we can beat up on anybody out there.”

But they don’t just beat others up – they also lift others up. When starting quarterback Kobe Brown went down against Moorhead in week 3, the Jack’s o-line stepped up to help carry the load for sophomore QB Owen Vandermeer.

“They put the team on their back, especially the offense, and we were able to win some games with just handing the football off and letting them do the dirty work,” said Stoffel.

“I’m making my reads and they do a good job of blocking and letting the read guy through, and it’s really easy with them in front of me,” added Vandermeer.

That feeling goes beyond the man under center. The boys in the running back room have noticed an increase in their rushing yards as well.

“Not going to say it’s easy to run, but they make it a lot less hard to run the ball,” senior running back Ephram Boucher said with a laugh. “They’ve been in the weight room all summer and you can tell. They’re pushing guys back 4-yards every time, so you can get 4-yards every single play guaranteed.”

That type of offensive line play doesn’t just happen overnight nor when current the season starts. No, it begins when the previous season ends.

“They paid the price in the offseason,” said Stoffel. “Each one of those guys has been in the weight room and sacrificed and put themselves in a position to physically be able to handle what we’re asking them to do on Friday nights.”

And Friday night is when o-linemen get to do what they love best, according to senior offensive lineman Tanner Whipple.

“Hitting people! That’s probably my favorite thing,” said Whipple with a grin. “And you get to hit people every single play. Especially when you hit a dude that’s bigger than you and you absolutely destroy them. That’s the best thing. It’s a big ego boost.”

“But honestly, one of the best parts about football is just hitting the person in front of you,” he continued. “I want them to think that we’re the best o-line in the state and we’re the toughest that they’re ever going to play.”

Bemidji will have a chance to do just that on Friday, October 4th at 7 p.m. when they host undefeated Alexandria.