“The Great Wall of Hico.”
The title is not an honor that is passed down year to year, but one that must be earned.
“We started it to create a sense of pride. It is a right of passage, but not something that we hand out to every team,” head coach Jeremy Moore said. “When you get five guys that really fire off the ball and take that to heart, we will bring it back.”
This season, Moore is of the opinion that he may once again have a group that can garner the distinguished title.
“I think this group of five (lineman) is one that really wants to embody that. They appear to be the first group that has noticed that it went away and they want to bring it back,” Moore said. “It is a pride thing to me. It is also encouraging as a coach to see five guys that want to play offensive line and want to play at a high level.”
When Frank Isaacs took over as the head coach for Midland Trail in 2015, Moore was in charge of the offensive line. A outstanding lineman himself, Moore wanted to bring some positive attention to what is often a thankless group.
“I played offensive line in high school and college. That is a position that is near and dear to me. I think it is the closest position in all sports that prepares you to be a man, be a father and be a husband,” Moore said. “Nobody pats you on the back when you change a diaper. It is just something that you are supposed to do. Same with being an offensive lineman. Nobody notices you until you get a holding penalty, a false start or you miss a block.”
Moore borrowed the idea from a friend, Garin Justice, who is currently the assistant head coach, offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator at SMU.
“I think we started it here my second year here in 2016,” Moore said. “Garin Justice coached then at Florida Atlantic. He had ” The Great Atlantic Wall.” Football is a copycat spot, so Frank and I talked it over. We felt like it was a good way to bring identity to the offensive line.”
Junior left tackle Greg Cramer and his fellow lineman are eager to have their names attached to such a prestigious honor.
“You definitely want that title. Trail’s line hasn’t been too good lately,” Cramer said. “We are trying to bring back the narrative of “The Great Wall of Hico.” It takes pride to play O-line and you have to really want to play O-line.”
Joining Cramer along the front will be junior right tackle Gage Johnson and junior right guard Kordell Brown.
“We had Gage running tight end all summer. He is a great athlete, but we are just thin up front. The first back-up is a freshman. He saw the hole and he volunteered to come over. He can pass block like nobody’s business,” Moore said. “Kordell is not the tallest of guys, but he is a muscle hamster. He is strong and loves contact. A hard-nosed kid and prototypical Trail type kid.”
Junior Nick Workman played guard last year, but will make the move to center in 2024.
“Nick is the more athletic of the group and he is smart,.” Moore said. “He is the field general of the group and will do the calls. We have had a good track record with centers here.”
Junior Kaden Rose will play between Cramer and Workman at left guard.
“This is the first year playing offensive line for Kaden,” Moore said. “He is a strong kid that is learning the position and has a very high ceiling. He played defense for us in the past.”
Cramer is described as the best pure lineman wearing a Patriot uniform. A player Moore believes can be one of the best in the state.
“He knows the drill and looks the part. We have challenged him because we face some really good lineman this year,” Moore said. “We have challenged him to be the best. I think he deserves to be in that conversation, but he has to earn it. He has worked his tail off.”
The third-year head coach is convinced that the offensive line, once a major strength at Trail, has been the Achilles Heel that last couple of years unfortunately.
“We couldn’t run against the bigger, stronger teams. We have to be able to displace those people at some point. You have to get a body on a body and this may be the best group that we have had as a head coach,” Moore said. “It is heartbreaking to me. I hate to throw the ball with a blinding passion. I would as soon run “iso” 50 times a game and be done with it. I have taken steps so I can focus more with the offensive line.”
The Patriots will need a big year from the young men up front in order to have any chance of returning to the playoffs.
Under the new four-class system implemented for 2024, Midland Trail will now move up to Class AA and also faces a daunting schedule.
After opening with Clay County Friday night on the newly installed turf, the Patriots run a gauntlet that includes powerhouses Wheeling Central, Nicholas County, James Monroe and Greenbrier West.
“We have played together since back into Little League,” Cramer said. “We have put a lot of work in this winter. Everybody was in the weight room and everybody wanted to get better. Our chemistry was not where it needed to be last year, but this year the chemistry is really good.”
