Guys on the offensive line don’t get a lot of publicity. Right, wrong or otherwise, they do their jobs effectively and by and large are under the radar. But after Fenwick’s 38-13 smashing of Hononegah Saturday in the second round of the IHSA Class 6A playoffs, a lot of guys on the line stood out.
One in particular, according to coach Matt Battaglia.
“We’ve really seen the emergence of Charlie Becker,” he said. “He’s been our starting left guard. He started off and was solid, and in the last five or six games, he’s picked up and provided continuity.”
Becker, a senior, said there are lots of reasons for that praise.
“I think what’s made the difference for me is the team,” he said. “We have been competing more and more in practice and it’s helped not just me, but everyone, raise the bar on our physicality and focus. Personally, I’ve worked hard to improve my overall energy, focus and fundamentals in practice to prepare myself as best I can for each team we face.”
Add stalwart guys like senior right guard Kam Rutlin and senior left tackle Jack Woods – who goes by the nickname “Burger,” no one but him knows why – a Drake commit who has been, for Battaglia, Mr. Consistent.
“He never gets too high and never gets too low,” he said of the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Woods.
There was football Saturday afternoon at Hononegah, of course, which is about an hour and a half bus ride from Oak Park to Rockton, just south of the Wisconsin state line. As with the game itself, the ride was a strategic endeavor, according to Battaglia.
“It’s a business trip,” he said. “We expect players to be quiet, listen to their music. There are no issues with napping. We give them a wakeup call when we’re about 15 minutes away.”
Playoff games are never easy, but this one came darn close. The Friars jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
“In the first half of the game, I think we were able to throw the ball really well,” Becker said, “with the ability of our receivers and our quarterback, we were able to tear apart their defense really well. I think both sides of the ball played very physically and were able to dominate from start to finish.”
Once again, senior running back and safety Jake Thies did everything except drive the bus, catching three touchdown passes from Myles Hill (who added another TD pass to Jimmy Watts) and logging an interception on defense.
“The whole team feeds off Jake’s energy and his ‘alpha-ness,’” Battaglia said. “He wants to be out there leading the team.”
But another guy who is showing a lot of promise is sophomore outside linebacker Corey Griffin, whom Battaglia said had one of his best games Saturday.
“He played with a lot of energy and emotion,” he said. “He’s coming off the edge a little bit, and that versatility gives opposing defenses (problems) … ‘Do we block him or block the other guy?’”
The Hononegah game was fun, but it gets much more serious at 1 p.m. Saturday at Triton College, when the Friars will entertain a tough Wheaton North group that knocked favored Geneva out of the playoffs last Friday.
Battaglia and some of his coaches were there, since their team didn’t play until the next day.
“They came out and shot their shot, they played aggressive, they were playing with a lot of fun and energy and you could tell that with their play calls,” he said. “Really fun game to watch as a viewer.
“They are going to pose a threat. This is a good, young and hungry football team.”