BRADENTON — The quarterback position is up for grabs. The competition for the wide receiver spot is wide open. And no tight end or running back has solidified a starting position.
That’s not the case with Bayshore High’s offensive line. The unit is experienced, and it’s massive.
The group’s height and weight on average is 6-foot-3, 259 pounds.
Stand behind these boys and the sun disappears.
The Bruins front five want to make every defensive lineman vanish as well.
“We are the leaders of this team,” said 6-foot-5, 245-pound senior-to-be offensive tackle Garrett Secor. “We’re going to drive this team to where it needs to go. We have to step up.”
Surrounded by an inexperienced group of skilled players, Secor, sophomore tackle Wendell Williamson (6-3, 274 pounds), sophomore guard Nick Lucey (6-2, 272), junior guard Blake Karras (6-3, 252) and freshman center and newcomer to the offensive line Giovanni Godoy (6-2, 250) have the responsibility of leading Bayshore on and off the field.
So far, they are doing it.
Bruins coach Jean P. Gordon has plenty of praise for his “babies.”
“They are dream kids,” said Gordon, entering his fourth season at Bayshore. “I never get calls from teachers. Their grades are always up. They are always at practice. We are excited about that group.”
Having great character is awesome. Being a good student is wonderful, and having a solid work ethic is outstanding.
But on the football field, they must open holes.
That was difficult early on last season for the unit. Despite them being in the program for two or more years, it was their first time playing varsity as a unit, and they struggled.
“It took us a little bit to find our way last year,” said Lucey, who was a first-year varsity player last season.
“Some of us hadn’t played with the big boys, so we had to learn some of the techniques that you have to learn in person. Then, we started getting the rushing yards and doing what we needed to do.”
Bayshore managed to close a disappointing 3-7 campaign last season with two consecutive wins over Gulfport Boca Ciega and North Port.
The Bruins are confident they’ll block well from the first snap this spring.
That chance comes at 7:30p.m. Friday when Bayshore hosts Sarasota.
“We want to come out and bang,” Williamson said. “We are on the bottom of the map, because you have Manatee, Southeast and Palmetto, and we want to make a name for ourselves.”
And with their massive size, the group wants to be an unmovable force.
“We want to be more aggressive,” Secor said. “We want to get our hands on them and take them out of the play with no problem.”
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