
‘They’re the rock of the team’ Coaches, players share views on linemen’s duties

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Window Rock’s Layne Phillips pulls on the rope during the tug-of-war competition Saturday at the Wingate High hosted Bigman Challenge.
WINGATE, N.M.
It starts with the line.
That was message that was shared over and over during the Bigman Challenge hosted by the Wingate football team on Saturday afternoon. The Bears hosted the Window Rock Scouts, the Hózhó Academy Wolves, and the Cuba Rams during the one-day event.
“I feel like we get overshadowed,” Bears right guard Landon Tyler said. “You know, the backs can have their moments with their flashy catches, and their drips, but without us they won’t be able to make those plays.
“Most of the time we’re stopping the linebackers from getting through,” he added. “We’re giving our quarterback some time to make plays.”
Wingate linemen coach Aaron Jim and Cuba assistant coach BJ Montoya agreed.
“The linemen are the foundation of the team,” Jim said. “They’re the rock of the team. Nothing happens without the line because you can have the best quarterback in the world, but if he can’t get three, four seconds of blocking then he’s not able to have time to get to his wide receivers.”

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Wingate Bear Landon Tyler lifts the bar in the squat competition during the Bigman Challenge on Saturday. Tyler completed 51 reps lifting 185 pounds.
“If you don’t have a good line, you’re not gonna develop the plays for your skills guys,” Montoya added. “The linemen is that wall that every team needs. They keep the team moving along.”
Incoming Cuba senior Elias Alonzo stressed the importance of solidifying that wall. He says every time they can hold the line, it improves the team’s chances of moving the chain gain.
“It’s pretty big to have a good line because if don’t have that it’s hard to run your plays,” Alonzo said. “How are the skills players going to run the plays without the line? If you’re not blocking, they’ll get to your quarterback and the play won’t go well.”
Jim believes a lineman can change the complexion of the game, especially on the defensive end. He cited former Ohio State player Jack Sawyer, who stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers near the goal line and ran it back for 83 yards in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. 10 as the Buckeyes advanced to the CFP national title game with a 28-14 win.
“Against Texas, it was do-or-die for them and he caused a fumble and picked it up and ran it back, which sealed the game,” Jim said. “Those are the points of emphasis that I shared with all the guys that were here. You know, you’re not going to get all the glory, but it’s the grit they have that makes a difference. They bring a lot to the table because ultimately, they have to go through between 120 to 150 plays in a game.
“Not only that, but they’re also the ones that are taking the most contact day-in and day-out,” he added.
Window Rock Dyron Thompson shared that sentiment while adding that the linemen don’t get enough credit like the skills players do.
“I call my linemen the big eaters simply because of who they are and what they do,” said Thompson, who has over 30-plus years of experience with coaching stints at Duke City schools La Cueva, Rio Grande and Albuquerque High. “They’re the animals, they’re the dogs of the team. They’re on the line for every play and they take those hits every time.
“For any team, it starts with the linemen,” he added. “They are the first ones to touch the ball and it’s all about fundamentals for linemen. If they get the fundamentals down, they’re going to be fine.”
Thompson said its vital for every lineman to get the fundamentals down, which includes footwork, hand placement and hip placement.
“The fundamentals are important,” he said. “That way they know what to look for when a play starts to develop. As coaches, we have to get them fundamentally sound because if you throw these guys in gametime situations it’s going to be a disaster. It’s not going to work, and they are subject to fail.”
The Scouts finished Saturday’s lineman challenge in second place with 20 points behind a bevy of underclassmen.
“The basketball tournaments this weekend took most of our talents,” Thompson said. “We’re working with a young class, but we’re excited about having them. We’re trying to build that cohesiveness within the group.”
The host Bears won the competition with 39 points while Cuba placed third with 18 points. The Wingate JV team took fourth with 14 points.
In Saturday’s competition, Wingate dominated the squats competition, headed by Tyler.
“It’s a metaphoric thing, but I just put my teammates on my shoulder because I really care about them,” Tyler said of his will to lift the 185-pound bar 51 times. “I may yell at them, but when I yell at them it not done in hate, but it’s done with love. So, I put them on my back and I wanted to win this for them.”
Jim said it’s players like Tyler who went the extra mile to put the Bears over the top as Wingate came off a tie for first during the Window Rock Bigman Challenge two weeks ago.
“We set the bar high in Window Rock, so I wanted to challenge them,” he said. “You know, I have respect for Window Rock, and I have respect for Cuba and the one thing I shared with the guys is those teams are wanting to come back and try harder.”
Jim liked the effort he saw and he’s hoping that will carry over to lineman challenge at Bloomfield High School next week.
“We’re going to be in Bloomfield, and they have a dynamite program,” Jim said. “They won back-to-back state championships, so we want to try and compete at their level. It’s going to be a tall task, but I want to get our guys ready for Bloomfield.”
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