Hawk Football Three Part Series Offense: Line of Scrimmage
Offensive Center #77 John Fugate Opens Gate for Gram Simpson last year.
(photo by Daniel Clifton)
OFFENSIVE LINE
Let’s Go Lake!
The ReSporter will start a series of articles highlighting this year’s upcoming football season.
Starting with the Offense starting with the Offensive Line~Skill Positions~Quarterback.
How this year’s Offensive Line goes should be a good starting point for this group and what might be in store after losing two starters the previous season.
An Offensive Lineman is the top group of players that act as a unit in communicating and meshing in performing in each game for a garnering a decent result.
Three years ago Coach Sam Parker stated there would be a separate group of lineman performing on offense or defense but not both.
That concept had not been the case at The Lake especially those campaigns when injuries were a problem, but after two successful campains this concept has shown success.
Plug those Leaks Fast Lake!
Keeping players fresher when the defense takes the field has allowed rest and teaching and those benefits have been brought to light with proof for an offensive unit that has had some eye catching numbers.
Seven times The Lake has amassed more than 4000 yards of offense and Coach Parker’s offense has two of those seasons. (4388 ’24) & (4457 ’25)
This scenario has allowed players to work and perfect their trade which has produced young men that can concentrate exclusively on either side of the ball.
“Our success up front really is going to dictate what the success of our team really is,” Offensive Line Coach Clarence Lewis stated. “We have a really good group of guys this year with some returning starters and some young guy who are going to have to step up and play.”
Go Hawks!
Canyon Lake lost Cayden Toon and Donovan Menchaca on the line but returns 4 with Center John Fugate anchoring the line at center. Fugate finished last season with right at 40 pancake blocks and looks to increase that total.
When asked about his 40 pancake blocks last season….Fugate was quick with his reply, “Yeah…I want to double that this year.”
Fugate continued, “We have big expectations coming into this year and we just have to prove…to come back at it. This is probably one of the stronger O-Lines that Canyon Lake has had.”
On how last year went and what to expect, “There’s a few games that we didn’t play together and we were more selfish last year and it showed like Somerset (game) and we didn’t have a good running game at all and then we have games like Taylor….that was a beautiful O-Line game.”
Sr. Parker Gordon also chimed in on how this unit has jelled during these past few months, “I think as a whole that we are a lot better and this year we have been working on our communication by being more vocal on the line.” On goals for this season? “We want to make it into December and we have a couple of big games at the beginning of the season and I’m looking forward to it.”
GO LAKE!
Inside Offensive Lineman Anthony ‘Chuy’ Mata opined, “Our goal is to do our best….we have to just ‘impose our will on opponents’ this year.”
Canyon Lake has certainly stocked a good group of players on offense and that most important facet will come from how these Linemen can protect the quarterback and forge holes for the running game!
Next Part II: Skill Players
Let’s Go Lake!
