Hornets line locks things down

Quintin Hunter, Amir Waller, Darryus Gilliam and Dominique Walker make most of the highlight reel plays, but, there is little question that the offensive line is what makes Orange County’s football team tick.
Center Jon Rasnick, right guard Bion Anderson and right tackle Eric Jewell are three seniors that form the core of the Orange offensive line. More specifically, they’re Hunter’s bodyguards.
“We’re nothing without them,” Hunter said. “Even though they don’t touch the ball, anytime we score it’s because of them.”
When you look at Anderson’s helmet it’s easy to understand Hunter’s appreciation for what goes on up front and why teammates refer to the guard as one of the team’s most aggressive players. The once orange coat of paint has been scratched past its primer to the polycarbonate shell. Like Anderson, it’s battle-tested.
The senior trio has played together on the line since they were freshmen. Rasnick and Anderson go all the way back to seventh grade. The chemistry between them is unquestionable, and perhaps that’s why with all the playmakers on his team, head coach John Kayajanian sees his line as the cornerstone of his offense.
“When they go, Quintin goes,” Kayajanian said. “If we can’t protect, our whole game is in trouble. That’s the name of the game. If [Quintin] is running for his life, he can’t make plays. He can’t hit his receivers, we can’t run. If the line shuts down, we’re in trouble.”
It’s the respect and admiration that both Kayajanian and Hunter have for the men in the trenches that motivates this particular line. They understand that the second the ball is snapped, their blocking defines the game.
“We work so everyone else can move,” Rasnick put it simply.
And with coordinators getting their defense to pin it’s ears back and eliminate Hunter from the picture, the Hornets front five has come up with a motto.
“Our motto this year has been ‘Just take your steps and they’ll come to you,’” Rasnick said.
“That’s a lifetime motto,” Anderson added.
While the relationship between the quarterback or a running back and the line is one of respect, the relationship between the linemen themselves is one of brotherhood. They are the closest of friends on the field.
“We have each other’s back,” Rasnick said. “We always know where each other is on the field.”
And they’re just as close off the field.
“Most of the time we just always end up being around each other,” Jewell said. “If there’s one of us around, there are usually two others close by.”
And heading into the Jungle to face a staunch Louisa defense, the line will have to be five strong if the Hornets hope to leave Mineral with a win. It’s something that this group looks forward to.
“They do a lot of crazy blitzing,” Jewell said. “If nobody comes to you all you have to do is wait because someone will be coming. So just keep looking.”