Front Five

Front Five

by Arthur Anderson

Reporter, Flyer Flash

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This years Football team is full of talent, evident by their high ranking and playoff berth.

So much talent beginning with Quarterback Blake Barney leading the league in passing yards and most rushing yards by a quarterback.
 
Drew Batchelor one of the leagues most electric receivers and Barneys favorite target, leading the league in receiving yards and tying Pine View running back Prentiss Miller for points scored this season.
 
Tanner Webster, fourth in the league in rushing yards.
 
The Flyers have more than enough talent this year.
 
But, have you ever thought about how these players became successful?
 

Dixie vs Desert Hills Football.
Photo by Kirra Wilkinson, Flyer Flash

Sure you might say these players worked hard and are incredibly talented, and that is true, but where would any of those guys be without the front five?

Front Five? While attending a Dixie High School football game, everyone is focused on the star players, everyone wants to see Blake Barney break a big run, or throw a touchdown pass, or see Taylor Berry pound a touchdown run into the end zone.
 
All of these plays people want to see couldn’t be possible without Dixies offensive line.
Though smaller by most Region 9 standards, these Offensive linemen no doubt are some of the best in region, Right Guard Kolten Hunter put it best saying, “It’s not the size of the line, it’s the size of the Heart.”
 
Lead by Jesse Lambert at Center, Gavin Graff at Left Tackle, Jaxon Davis at Left Guard, Kolten Hunter at Right Guard, and David Teaupa at Right Tackle, these players have allowed Barney and company to climb their ways up the Rankings and Stats.
 
This Offensive line has to be one of the best that Dixie has seen over the years, none of these players have ever backed down from a challenge, Defenses can’t seem to penetrate the solid Dixie front five, one of their best performances being against Pine View, where the Panther three man defensive line weighed more than four of the five Dixie offensive linemen put together, they held the Panthers pass rush to one sack, while the Pine View pass rush leads the league with an average four sacks a game.

Unlike many Offensive lines in High School the Flyers front five almost never makes mistakes, they’re not only physically tough, evident by David Teaupas season performance with a partially torn ACL, but they are Mentally tough.

Many football players, especially on the offensive front, might be physically tough, but they struggle mentally, being afraid of the players breathing down their neck across from them.
 
The Flyer front five has never showed a sign of at all being afraid of the players across from them, in fact, they seem to scare and frustrate Defensive players, after two Defensive linemen (both separate teams and events) have been ejected from games due to the frustration caused by the talented and rock solid Flyer offensive line.
 
Earlier in the season teams didn’t account for how good the Flyer offensive line would be, resulting in high rushing and passing numbers by the Dixie offense, now however, they are a force to be feared, as “getting after the quarterback” for the defense isn’t so easy when facing the Dixie Offensive front.
 
Other teams now have more fear of the Quarterback, due to the great deal of success that the Dixie Front Five have had throughout the season, not only is Blake Barney having the best season that a quarterback can have in Region 9, but they can’t get to him to stop him either.
 

Dixie vs Desert Hills High School
Photo by Kirra Wilkinson, Flyer Flash

“This line is better than everybody else, now go out and prove it!” often said before a game by Offensive Line Coach Andy Stokes. Dixie has no doubt put together one of the finest offensive lines in Region 9. Some may not agree, some might say Hurricane, or Pine View.

However, Dixie is in a category of their own, one of the only passing teams in the division and allowing the least sacks in the region as well puts them high above everybody else.

To add to the previous statement, Dixie runs the only spread offense in Region 9, this usually creates one on one battles for the Flyers, these linemen can handle any player on the field with their superior coaching and overall skill.
 
Dixie has to account the bulk of their success to the exceptional play of their Front Five, allowing Blake Barney and all the other skill players to have time to get down the field and score.
 
The Flyers are going to have to keep up the pace, especially that Offensive Front in the upcoming weeks, as they will have to face some of the best pass rushers in region 9.
 
The Flyers have one of the hardest working, best coordinated and talented offensive lines in Region 9, perhaps this year with the work of this Front Five, Dixie will be able to secure a state championship.