Lining up and winning
Lake City High offensive line coach Henry Hamill often explains to his linemen their place in the football chain of life.
Ultimately, it dawns on them that it’s a significant ranking.
Hamill tells them they’re always going to look a little disheveled because their clothes don’t fit properly. That they’re going to frequently be teased about being a little chubby. It’s unlikely, too, that they’re going to date a cheerleader.
“I tell them that a million times,” said Hamill, a former lineman. “I remind them that they’re not going to get any press and people aren’t going to talk about them. But in the fourth quarter when people say that the game’s on the line, what they’re really saying is the game is on the offensive line. Up to that point no one pays any attention to them.”
At Lake City (8-1) these days, though, they’re paying a lot of attention to the offensive line. With the Timberwolves’ option offense, everything begins up front. Sure, there’s a standout running back and quarterback, but the specific reason they stand out is because of the teammates forging the holes ahead of them.
“This group is on the verge of really taking over and becoming the best group that’s ever been here,” LC head coach Van Troxel said.
They already have their handprints on LC’s record book. The T-Wolves gained 476 yards rushing in their 59-41 win over Coeur d’Alene last week, pushing the season total to 2,822 yards for nine games and blowing away the previous mark (2,605) set in 1997.
Lining up from left to right are: Mike Vickhammer (tackle) and Nolan Hout (guard), both seniors; Thomas Mayo (center), a sophomore; and Kanan Silvas (guard), a senior, and Carson York (tackle), a junior.
Vickhammer (6-foot-2, 250 pounds), a second-team all-state pick last year, and Hout (6-2, 255), are both being recruited. They took a recruiting trip last weekend to Montana State University. They’ve consistently graded out as LC’s most efficient blockers.
Mayo (6-0, 230) is the first sophomore to start on the line. Silvas (5-7, 225), a first-year starter, is what Troxel calls a typical program player, one who makes himself a starter through grit and hard work. York (6-5, 255) could end up being the best player LC has had, Troxel said.
“He will be a legitimate Pac-10 (Conference) offensive lineman,” Troxel said of York. “He’s still growing and getting stronger. He could be 6-6 and 270 next year. And he can flat run. He runs close to a 5.2 right now.”
Vickhammer and Hout started alongside each other as freshmen before Hout moved to Colorado. A starter the past two years at Arvada, a suburb near Denver, Hout decided to return to LC this year so he could play one year with his younger brother, Byron, a sophomore starter at defensive end.
So what do the records mean to Vickhammer?
“It means we’ve done our job,” Vickhammer said. “We never get the glory. People only seem to notice us when we do something bad.”
Said Hout: “None of it means anything unless we make it to the state title game. It’s nice that we’ve helped with the record, but you play football to win – not to get records.”
Hamill is usually reserved when it comes to praising his linemen. But he’s known since summer camp that he had the makings of something special.
“It’s an unusual group in the fact that we’re pretty good at every position,” he said. “In high school football, you’re usually trying to hide somebody at some place. You’ve usually got a hole or two. This group has been pretty solid since the beginning. We took a step back against Meridian. But since then they’ve been solid.”
Of all the linemen, Silvas is the one player Hamill has taken particular pleasure in coaching. Perhaps it’s because he sees a little of himself in Silvas.
Silvas moved from Riverside, Calif., the summer going into his junior year. He was a backup last year, seeing limited time late in games. He was slow and lacked strength. But he spent the off-season working with Troxel – “he’s lived in the weightroom the last 500 days,” Troxel said – and increasing his speed.
“He likes contact,” Hamill said. “And he’s smart, pretty cerebral. He’s not the most (athletically) gifted kid, but he’s always had the ability to strike people.
“Football players come in all sizes and shapes. Kanan is an example of it. You never know sometimes until you hike it what you’ve got. But he’s an example of what football’s all about at the high school level.”
Silvas appreciates Hamill’s coaching.
“He’s on me more than anybody, but it’s all good,” Silvas said. “It’s all with the good intention to make me get better.”
Hout said the line has to share the credit for the records.
“Our quarterback and running backs make us look a lot better than we are sometimes,” Hout said. “The nice thing is you can miss a block and they’re still running down the field.”
The T-Wolves, who wrapped up the 5A league and “mythical” overall conference titles last week, didn’t miss many blocks against Coeur d’Alene.
“They certainly took care of us,” CdA coach Shawn Amos said. “They have good players and it’s (the option) a good system for them. They know what they’re doing. They’re very aggressive. They got off the ball much quicker than we did.”
Silvas said LC must play better Friday than it did last week when it meets CdA (7-2) in a State 5A playoff opener Friday at LC.
“We had a good week last week, but we need to finish better,” Silvas said.