This Savannah Christian football position unit has paved the way to state title berth

They rarely hear their names called over the public address system during games, or get much credit in media reports on the Savannah Christian football team, but the Raider offensive line has been at the foundation of the team's successful run this year.

The unit has paved the way for a ground attack averaging 254 yards per game, featuring a pair of 1,000 yard rushers in juniors Zo Smalls (1,808 yards and 30 rushing touchdowns) and Kenry Wall (1,036 yards and 15 rushing scores). The group provides protection for first-year quarterback Blaise Thomas, who has thrown for 1,897 yards and 14 touchdowns in an offense averaging 43 points per game.

The line combines youth with upperclassmen, with the younger players having impressive size, compared to their teammates, who are often giving up a lot of weight in battles in the trenches.

The Raider o-line will look to make a big impression in the Class 3A state championship game as SCPS (12-2) will be facing Cedar Grove (9-4) on Wednesday, Dec. 13, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Senior Tyson Gross (6-foot-1, 230 pounds) is the left tackle, lining up alongside his classmate Noah Lewis (6-1, 210). Junior Luke Gunn (5-10, 200) is at center, with sophomore JT Howell (6-2, 290) at right guard, with standout freshman Jordan Dillon (6-3, 295) at right tackle. Senior Landon Brown has also been a starter and gets a lot of playing time.

Junior tight end and Clemson commit Logan Brooking (6-5, 230) spends a lot of time with the line, and 5-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin (6-5, 285) enters the fray in short-yardage situations.

"This group has learned to work together and keeps getting better with every game we play," said offensive line coach Kempie Womble, a former standout in his college days on the line for South Carolina. "We don't have a lot of size in on the left side. Gross and Lewis were little skinny guys when we started working with them a few years back, but they have learned the game and they know how to fight.

"We've got some size on the other side with Howell and Dillon. Those kids are developing their skills and are going to be great players who will be playing at the next level."

Womble, who coaches the unit with his son Caleb, said the line had a turning point after a 21-7 loss at Marist in the third week of the season, when the Raiders had -1 yards rushing, according to Maxpreps.com.

"We were starting with a new zone offense and that was our first big test," Gunn said of the game against Marist, which reached the Class 6A state semifinals. "I think we had zero yards rushing in that game, but we've really improved. We've been listening to what our coaches tell us about getting off the ball quick and staying low. There are simple rules for the line that they have been teaching us since Day 1, and those techniques have helped us get a lot better.

"We're all super tight on the line," Gunn said. "Coach Womble and Caleb teach us about family, and they are family, so they know what they are talking about. It's helped bring us closer together."

Smalls is in the midst of another stellar season, and the junior running back credited his line after a 51-26 state semifinal win over Carver-Columbus, where he rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns.

"There were a lot of people doubting us, and that gave us motivation," Smalls said over the weekend. "And I think our o-line is better than anyone's. They might go against lines that are bigger and faster, but they use great technique and know how to stay on their blocks and that's a key in our run game."

Gross is looking forward to closing out his high school career on the big stage at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"I think they key to our success has been our compatibility," Gross said. "Early on there was some miscommunication, but we started working together better and we feed off each other. The most satisfying thing for us is coming together to make that perfect block, and then seeing everything unfold for a big play."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Christian football OL at the heart of team's playoff run