ARVADA — Sleek uniforms are all the rage for young football players. It’s why major-college coaches, whose collective fashion sense usually consists of pleated khaki pants and polo shirts, keep trotting out futuristic uniform designs. They know it helps attract players.
The big guys up front at Pomona, though, are more pumped up about what they won’t wear under their simple, black-and-red uniforms when they face Valor Christian in a Class 5A quarterfinal playoff game Friday night.
“Starting offensive line, we’re going sleeveless under our pads,” Panthers offensive line coach Bill Pospisil told his unit as snow pelted the practice field at Pomona on a 19-degree afternoon Monday. He added, “I hope it’s colder than this.”
That this particular dress-code update was greeted with revelry explains as well as anything else why the Panthers are in the quarterfinals for a fourth consecutive season.
“We like to keep the Pomona offensive line known as a really tough offensive line,” said Dillon Middlemiss, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound left tackle with shoulders as wide as the bed of a pickup truck. “Embracing that helps everyone keep our energy up.”
Toughness along the offensive front has long been a tradition at Pomona. In Jay Madden’s 12 seasons as head coach, the school has produced six first-team all-state tailbacks. And the Panthers have had at least an all-conference running back every year.
“That tells you all you need to know about our offensive line,” Madden said.
Three members of last year’s Pomona offensive line received college scholarships at the FBS or FCS levels — Zach Stefo (Colorado State), Kendall Ryan (Northern Colorado) and Tyler Weir (South Dakota State). This season’s offensive line features two other major-college recruits in Middlemiss, who has committed to the University of Colorado, and 6-5, 270-pound sophomore Jake Moretti, a right tackle who Madden said has already received a scholarship offer from Colorado State.
But it’s a fourth-year starter at center, 5-10, 245-pound Connor Pierson, who has orchestrated the movement of a line that has opened holes to the tune of 247 yards rushing per game.
“He makes all the calls, gets everybody to make sure they know what they’re doing,” Madden said of Pierson. “Once you know what you’re doing, it becomes a heck a lot of easier. He makes sure everybody’s on the same page.”
Madden has also praised the work of his starting senior guards, Bravery Radcliff (6-1, 260) and Dan Chavez (5-10, 265), both of whom contribute along the defensive line. “That’s not easy to do at the 5A level,” Madden said.
The unit’s pocket protection has helped quarterback Justin Roberts complete 67 percent of his passes.
Continuity is a major factor for a team that thrives on a zone-blocking attack. Communication is key when your blocking targets shift from play to play. So the offensive linemen spend time together away from the field too. One only needed to see members of the group slide down a snowy hill on blocking pads Monday to see the chemistry the group has fostered.
There is one pastime, though, the group prefers most.
“Eating,” Middlemiss said. “Definitely eating.”
Whatever formula the Panthers have found along the offensive line — which prides itself, Madden said, on being able to “squat a house” — has worked wonders for a program where the running game remains a cornerstone in a pass-happy era. Four different Pomona running backs have rushed for at least 200 yards in a game this season.
And 200 is an important number. Pomona’s 21-12 season-opening loss to Valor Christian on Aug. 28 marked the only time the Panthers didn’t rush for at least 200 yards this season.
Madden knows his team must do better if it wants to dethrone Valor Christian, which has won five consecutive state championships, including the past two in 5A.
But don’t expect Pomona on Friday to stray from a game plan that features the big boys without sleeves under their pads.
Moretti summed it up simply: “We’ve just got to do us.”
Nick Kosmider: 303-954-1516, nkosmider@ or
