“O”-Line A Big Reason For Cloquet Football’s Success

Oct 20

Kerry Rodd-NSO

The resurgence of the Cloquet football program has not come without a price. While running backs, quarterbacks and skill positions get much of the credit, it is the guys in the trenches who are the real difference makers. Those players, who often go unnoticed, are the reason the Jacks program is back near the top in local football circles.

“Our line play has improved dramatically over the last couple of years,” said Cloquet coach Tom Lenarz. “The better play can be attributed to a couple of things. First of all, the kids have made a commitment to weight lifting in the off season and the second reason is because we have coaches who have tried to also improve each year.”

Lenarz talked in an interview via e-mail with NSO about how, in the past, lineman in Cloquet traditionally had not been very active in winter sports and as a result did a lot of sitting around in the winter. Before Lenarz took over the program there was not much emphasis placed on lifting in the summer either and as a result, according to Lenarz, the players would be at a disadvantage versus other teams who were doing both.

“As a staff, we work hard in the off season to make sure we get better each year and that we can evaluate and help improve play across the board,” explained Lenarz. “We identified the line as an area of need early on and we have worked hard to make sure we are getting better just as the kids are.”

Are they ever! The offensive line, which features Nathanial Schulz, Jon Hammitt, Jake Schneider, Cody Gustafson, Dane Kiehn and Thomas Rogers, has been strong all season. With only one exception this season: the Cloquet line has done a good job of handling just about any formation the opposition has thrown at them.

“Those guys know how important they are because we talk about it all the time,” suggested Lenarz of Schulz, Hammitt, Schneider, Gustafson, Kiehn and Rogers. “We have a poster up in the locker room that describes the role of the line in football very well. We call our offensive line the “Regulators” and we are all very aware that if they play well, the team will play well.”

Despite not having the prototypical sized linemen, the Lumberjacks have thrived basically on guts, courage and moxy.

“We do not have five guys we can just line up and say we are going to blow you doors off every play,” stated Lenarz. “We have to have guys that are smart, aggressive and are willing to sacrifice themselves on each and every play. Playing offensive line is not a glory position, but every coach in the game knows that is what wins and loses the game for you in the end. We pride ourselves in being able to wear the other team out by the end of the game and that is a testament to the way the guys work in practice and in the summer.”

Kerry Rodd can be reached at kerry@northlandsportsonline.com