Unsung heroes

Q: As I read through the articles regarding high school football I see all of the kids being mentioned that ran the ball or, of course, the quarterback.  However, there is never any mention of the boys in the trenches who block and open holes so these other boys can run the ball. I know it would be tremendous occasionally for these boys to be recognized for their hard work as well. They may not stand out as stars in the eyes of most spectators but that is not for lack of hard work and tenacity.

Frank Pastor, Regional Sports Editor: No question, linemen are the unsung heroes on most teams. But because we have a limited amount of space to recap a game, much of it is devoted to describing plays that determine the outcome, such as go-ahead touchdowns or pivotal turnovers. We try to give the linemen their due in other ways. Sometimes, it's including a quote from a running back or a linebacker who credits the players in front of him for his success. At other times, it's a a feature on a particularly successful line or lineman. We wrote features on several Hudson linemen during the Cobras' playoff run last season and did similar stories during Armwood's state championship seasons. Last year, we wrote a front-page story on a family of linemen from Clearwater. Linemen Robert Allen of Hudson, Danny Tolley of Wesley Chapel and Donnie Woods of Jefferson were cover subjects for some of our recent football preview sections. And don't miss the Tampa Bay Top Talents package in tomorrow's paper. Armwood defensive lineman Torrey Davis is our pick for the top player in the bay area.

Comments

[Mike T.]

Granted, linemen, especially offensive, rarely get the praise that they deserve. But occasionally they do. Following Land O' Lakes' 1999 season, left guard Mark Sopcik was named Class 4A, District 8 MVP by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.

My son is the strong side lineman from Palm Harbor and I appreciate the words of encouragement. Unfortunately our coaches are the ones who do not seem to recognize the hard work either. They get no praise. 2 years ago befor our ever switching Coach routine at PHUHS we had not on MVP but also MVP offense and Defensive line then that was done away with. My son is a senior hopefully this will encourage the boys coming up.