Michael Pineda
DUNCAN — The Duncan senior offensive linemen claim they are the tightest knit group on the team, and that is good news for quarterback Houston Johnson.
The Demons return three starters from last season with a family connection. All are cousins. Since the time they were young playing football on Thanksgiving, Gabe McGee, Charles James and Errick Claud have developed into starting linemen with one mission on their mind: Pave the way to a successful Demon playoff run.
“The way the game goes is how we control it,” Claud said. “We set the tone.”
The line was among the strongest performers in last Thursday’s scrimmage against Lawton High, giving the running backs running room and giving Johnson time to throw the ball, a duty they take seriously.
When asked about his goal this season, Claud simply stated, “I don’t want the quarterback to get sacked.” And he was not alone. As a group, the line takes responsibility for a sack.
“If he gets hit, it’s our fault,” Charles said.
“I will take the blame, I will run the gassers,” McGee added.
As a Duncan lineman, responsibility often leads to the other side of the ball. Not only are McGee and James the driving force behind the run game, they are tasked with plugging up the middle, a task that can wear down the quickest of athletes, much less the big guys in the middle.
“It gets you sometimes, but you deal with it,” James said.
Dealing with it is what the team has been doing in the off-season, following a 49-7 loss to East Central in the 5A state semifinals. The memory of the loss has been a driving source of motivation for the team, in particular McGee.
“I think about that game everyday,” McGee said. “I use it to keep motivated. We’re ready to get cracking, get the job done.”
For the senior offensive lineman, getting the job done will consist of logging 80 pancakes, or in layman’s terms, putting the defender square.
