How three Section 1 offensive lines paved the way to the state football finals

The road to Syracuse University's JMA Dome is long, but no matter what the GPS says, you don't get there without solid play in the trenches.

Offensive linemen don't necessarily garner the spotlight or experience the euphoria of scoring touchdowns on game days, but their value to a team is unquestioned.

"A lot of teams do a lot of different things, but you can't do anything without the line," Rye coach Dino Garr said. "It really comes down to blocking odd or even fronts, or goal line.  Those are the three things they have to look strong at, figure out what they're doing, and just constantly communicate what the other team's tendencies tend to be and what they want to do against us."

It's especially important when you have state championship aspirations. Linemen pave the road ahead and get a forward push so their teammates behind them can get to work.

"We take our jobs pretty seriously," Carmel two-way senior Liam Forster said. "Tensions were a bit high last game when one of our running backs, Leo (Venables), had to go out for a moment. We were just mad, we wanted to keep all them safe. We have a good relationship with the people behind us and we just want to protect them, be consistent and make sure we get all the little details right."

Section 1 state finalists Carmel (Class AA), Somers (A) and Rye (B) are all in the hunt for state titles this weekend. They've been able to push past their foes thanks to their players upfront.

All three teams have had solid line play this year, but they've also had to restructure and fill in gaps after various player graduations last year.

No departure was bigger than Somers' Jake Polito, who was one of the section's top linemen in recent history. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound lineman now plays at Navy and was a key ingredient in the Tuskers' state championship victory last season.

However, all three teams had to replenish their lines. The Rams, Tuskers and Garnets each had three or more starting offensive linemen to replace.

"Obviously, he's a generational type of kid in our area, so things were going to change," Somers coach Anthony DeMatteo said. "Whenever we had a problem, our answer was let Jake block them, and we were never wrong. I wasn't worried about this year, though. I knew what we had coming up. Guys like (Nick) Crecco and (Matthew) Klee, put so much time in the weight room and they were going to be ready.

"We knew we had guys coming up and if we all had a great summer, we were going to be able to do this again. They gave us that great summer and that's how it kind of shook out."

Front-line reinforcements

With all three teams dealing with roster turnover and needing to break in new starters up front, there were definitely some growing pains early on.

Past program experience and prior snaps as a reserve certainly helped when it came to knowing the playbook, but establishing consistency up front took some time.

"After we went 2-2 to start the season, we thought at this point, there's only one way to redeem ourselves and it's to get to the state championship," said Rye co-captain Jason Gonzalez, who was the Garnets' lone returning starter on the line. "After we lost to Pleasantville, we were completely destroyed, but we came back the next week and had one of the hardest weeks of practice we've had all year. Just knowing we had to step up our game, practice way harder and just get on each other for mistakes and try to be the best team we could possibly be."

Teams like Carmel and Somers, who have made recent trips to Syracuse, know that establishing continuity and consistency is crucial to go all the way.

When there's been a precedent established, returners and newcomers are fired up to uphold tradition.

"Over the last three years, we've had some great offensive line units and each year we had holes to fill, but the three new guys who weren't returning starters, it didn't even feel like they were missing," Somers senior Nick Crecco said. "Those guys were rotating in years prior and even if they weren't rotating, they've been getting the same work as everyone else."

Their team records and deep playoff runs are indicative of the success and progress they've made.

Although they don't get the touchdown glory, each state finalist's offensive line has made long-lasting impressions at various points of the season.

For Carmel, its smash-mouth, power-running style has been tough to stop. The Rams pride themselves on physicality and their best display came in the section finals against Arlington, as they pushed around a beefy Admiral front and bulldozed their way to a high-scoring win.

Somers punched its ticket back to Syracuse after a 21-7 victory over Niskayuna in the Class A state semifinals. The Tuskers had an impressive drive to start the second half where they used 12 straight rushing plays to go 64 yards in a crucial touchdown drive that ate up more than seven minutes of clock. Niskayuna had no answer.

Rye's offensive line gained more and more confidence each week and wowed with a jumbo Wildcat package that included two linemen in the backfield acting as lead blockers during the Section 1 Class B finals. The Garnets ran to a 35-21 victory behind the unique formation, while running back Chris Iuliano got to enjoy a 226-yard, three-touchdown performance on 38 carries.

"We always take a lot of pride in ourselves and we always feel happy if we give Chris a lot of rushing yards or A.J. (Miller) a lot of passing yards," Gonzalez said. "That's usually our reward. I think (people overlook) how complicated some of the plays can be and how hard it actually is to be a lineman, and the grit it takes."

A final push

The countdown is on, with less than a week to go until the state finals and for seniors' last high school football games.

The three participating teams hope to make their communities and the section proud.

Somers will take on Section 3's Whitesboro in the Class A state championship game at 3:00 Saturday afternoon.

Rye and Carmel will play in Sunday's doubleheader. The Garnets open up in the Class B state finals against reigning two-time state champion, Section 4's Maine-Endwell at noon. The Rams will face Section 3's Christian Brothers Academy-Syracuse in the Class AA finale at 3 p.m.

For a unit that normally doesn't get the spotlight, it might not matter who scores the touchdowns or picks up yards, if they get to raise up the state championship plaque with the rest of their teammates.

"(The line) has been the anchor of our team all year long on both sides of the line of scrimmage," Carmel coach Tom Donahoe said. "We've had a motto all year about playing together as a team. It doesn't matter who gets the credit, we get a lot of success that way."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.

New York State football championships

Saturday

Class A: Somers (Section 1) vs. Whitesboro (Section 3), JMA Dome, Syracuse, 3 p.m.

Sunday

Class B: Rye (Section 1) vs. Maine-Endwell (Section 4), JMA Dome, Syracuse, noon

Class AA: Carmel (Section 1) vs. Christian Brothers Academy-Syracuse , JMA Dome, Syracuse, 3 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud football: Carmel, Somers, Rye offensive lines pave way to finals