Zack Hughes
Constantine lost two of its first four games this season entering last week’s Kalamazoo Valley Association matchup with Kalamazoo Christian. Even though the Falcons haven’t had much trouble churning out rushing yardage, head coach Shawn Griffith believed his team would have to be even more dominant at the line of scrimmage in order to get back above .500 and make another playoff push.
A 61-37 victory in Kalamazoo Friday, which included 100-yard-plush rushing performances by Matt Hasbrouck (117, two touchdowns), Justin Hull (198, three TDs) and Andres Montoya (191, two TDs), is a good indication that Griffith’s message was heard loud and clear.
JoeInsider.com caught up with a number of Falcons offensive linemen to get their take on the statement made over the weekend:
Nick West (Sr., TE)
On the line being more physical against Kalamazoo Christian:
“I’d have to say our blocking is a direct result of our practices this [past] week. We’re finally starting to mesh with each other. We’re able to trust one another. I don’t think other teams realize that no matter the deficit we’ll be fighting our way back to the top. We played with our hearts on our sleeves like we had nothing to lose. We’ve set goals, and we’re going to reach them.”
John Doering (Jr., LT)
On what specifically the line improved:
“We blocked a lot better and we were getting onto our guys and staying on them and creating lanes for our backs to run. We had out minds set that we were going to block people and stay on our blocks. We are just taking it one game at a time. We know what it means to play Constantine football and you always have high expectations.”
Zack Hughes (Sr., LG)
On linemen never getting enough praise:
“I honestly don’t care about who gets the credit, and I don’t think anyone else does either. We know that if the backs are getting a lot of spotlight then the line is doing its job. It starts with us.”
Alex Miller (Sr., RG)
On the line’s performance:
“Well, in my opinion we did much better than last game we came out on the snap and hit, which is how Constantine should play.”
Bruce Heslet (Sr., RT)
On the line’s performance:
“We just came out and hit. They had some big guys up front, so we knew we had to stay low and just keep driving. We just came together as a unit. And kept hitting.”