Line paves way for Flathead's potent offense

The Flathead Braves had just turned Missoula Sentinel away at the goal line.

To clinch a much-needed Class AA victory, they needed to eat up the clock and prevent a seemingly revived Spartan offense from getting on the field.

The Flathead Braves did both, grinding the ball forward on run-after-run to collect a half-dozen first downs and cement the win.

The Braves' stable of running backs got the yardage on that Sept. 23 night.

But it could be argued that the Flathead offensive line gave it to them, pushing Sentinel defenders backward on each snap.

"They knew we were running the ball at the end of the game and they had eight or nine guys in the box and we just ran it right down their throat, play after play after play," said Flathead's offensive line coach Josh Leigh.

There's no reason to question why the game is the unanimous favorite for Flathead's boys up front.

Eight linemen - Travis Oakason, Nick Riley, Randy Holmquist, Terry Reynolds, Austin Jones, Tanner Thiel, Gage Marcum and Brandon Beland - answered in near unison Thursday when asked what game they considered to be their finest.

The Braves racked up 350 rushing yards that game, a statistic that can be as valuable to linemen as it can be for running backs and offensive coordinators.

It wasn't the only time this season the line has provided a push.

For much of the year, the Braves had the top rushing offense in Class AA. After a four-game skid, the team is now ranked third.

But the numbers are still somewhat staggering. Flathead has rushed for 1,821 yards while averaging 5.5 yards per carry and scoring 14 rushing touchdowns.

The team also leads the state in first downs and has given up fewer than five sacks.

"We get a lot of compliments from our running backs," Oakason said.

Oakason, Holmquist and Riley are the experienced core of the unit, all returning after becoming starters in their junior seasons. In practice they can execute plays and explain them.

Leigh doesn't mince words when explaining what he thinks of Riley's performance at left guard where he plays along Oakason, the left tackle.

"I expect Nick to be a first-team, all-state player," Leigh said. "He's played tremendously this year."

He and Oakason create a formidable force.

"They're both mature, they both come to practice every day, they practice hard every day," Leigh said.

"They've done everything we've asked of them. If you've ever watched us play, we run the ball heavily up the left hand side because those two are road-graters."

The key to becoming a good offensive lineman is not a mystery for Flathead coach Russell McCarvel.

It's not about blazing speed or freakish strength, he says.

In fact, it's pretty simple.

"A lot of those guys, especially Gage and Nick and Travis, came to a lot of spring workouts in the morning in the weightroom and they're really a great example of how to become a good offensive lineman," McCarvel said.

"There's no secret, it's all hard work."

Riley agrees.

He's put on about 40 pounds since his days playing junior varsity, and most of it appears to be muscle.

"It's just that we work super hard," he said. "We do the workouts in the offseason just for the o-lineman."

The entire group agrees that speed is more important than strength, but McCarvel and Leigh say the offensive line has some smarts as well.

This week the Braves are short on defensive lineman. The entire offensive line has been notified that they could be expected to play a role on both sides of the ball in the team's final game against Missoula Hellgate.

"They'll all play and they'll all be fine," Leigh said. "Because they're all hard-working smart kids."

McCarvel doesn't hesitate in giving the offensive line much of the credit for the team's successful running game. Next season, he'll have to replace all but Marcum, the only junior on the starting line at center.

"They've done a great job this year," he said. "I think they've worked hard in all phases ... It's not a group that wants to do a lot of talking. They're what I would call a typical offensive line. Generally speaking, they don't get a lot of glory outside of our team. But our team knows their value."