O-line U-II? Lakes likes the sound of it

If Stevenson is known as the offensive lineman factory of Lake County, perhaps Lakes should be referred to as Stevenson North.

Lakes, just five years into its existence as a high school, has had a nice string of college-caliber offensive linemen come through its pipeline already - and more could be on the way.

So far, the Eagles have had at least one offensive lineman per season go on to play college football, some even at the Division I level.

At this rate, Lakes could soon be keeping pace with a Stevenson program that has produced the likes of big-time Division I and NFL linemen such as Matt O'Dwyer (Northwestern, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals), Drew Mormino (Central Michigan, Miami Dolphins), Marc Ramirez (Michigan), Alex Rucks (Northwestern), Chris Rucks (Illinois) and Ben Samson (Western Michigan).

"That would be nice," Lakes coach Luke Mertens said of the possibility of following the Stevenson model. "I really hope we're on to something like that because, in my opinion, offensive line is the most important position in football. Having a good offensive line usually translates into a good football team."

And that bodes well for the 3-3 Eagles, who are trying to finish out strong and earn their second playoff appearance in school history.

Leading the team this season is senior offensive lineman Bill Brinser, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound veteran who will likely get offers to play college football at some level. Then there's the young Dan Pawlak, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore who has all the tools and potential to be a Big Ten lineman, Mertens says.

Brinser and Pawlak follow a pair of Division I linemen who got the ball rolling at Lakes - Dan Ronsman, who is now at Akron, and Richard Hayes, who is now at Central Michigan. They played together for the Eagles in 2005 and 2006.

Another former Lakes lineman, Erik Stone, is also playing football in college (Truman State).

"I don't think it's a coincidence at all," Hayes said of Lakes' short but sweet offensive linemen legacy. "I think a lot of it has to do with the coaches at Lakes, especially Coach Mertens and Coach (Cristo) Garza. Coach Garza coaches the line and he's really good. They're both really, really good and once I started working with them, I got it."

Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 272-pound redshirt freshman who plays left guard and center at Central Michigan, first started playing football as a freshman in high school. He says he had no idea about how to put on weight and lift properly, let alone how to use footwork and the concept of playing the angles to his advantage on the line.

"I had no clue," said Hayes, who has been slowed slightly by a shoulder injury this season but should see plenty of time in the future because of his size and his knack for being able to run like a running back. "Playing on the line isn't just about being big like people think. It helps, but there's a lot more that goes into it. A lot of work on footwork, timing and angles.

"I just tried to do everything the coaches told me to do and I think that's why I was able to get to where I am."

Ronsman also took plenty of what his coaches at Lakes said to heart. Especially when it came to eating. A 6-foot-4, 290-pound redshirt sophomore who plays center and guard in college, Ronsman wasn't always quite so filled out.

As a sophomore at Lakes, he weighed about 215 pounds, and Mertens told him that he would have to gain at least 60 pounds and make the weight room his best friend if he wanted to play at the next level.

So Ronsman lifted like a maniac and upped his caloric intake by eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every chance he could, even between classes while standing at his locker.

"I don't think I could ever eat another peanut butter and jelly sandwich again," laughed Ronsman, who is nursing a sore back but hopes to return to action soon for Akron. "But it did help. A lot of things the coaches told me in high school have helped.

"I think to get something going like they've got at Lakes with offensive linemen, first you've got to get a little lucky. You've got to have good genetics, kids who are tall or big. But after that, it's about the coaching and the time they put into the kids."

At Offensive Lineman U., a. k. a Stevenson, time spent with the offensive line is always time very well spent.

Stevenson head coach Bill Mitz makes a point of working the freshman summer camps so that he can identify possible linemen right away and set them up to be developed properly from the very beginning.

"It's not just the physical stuff you want to work on, though, it's the mental side, too," Mitz said. "You can't just be a big kid and be an offensive lineman. If you don't like the physical side of the game, you won't do well on the line. You've got to be very physical. You've got to have that physical toughness and mental toughness and burning desire and we actually work with kids to help them develop that.

"Not every kid comes in with that. But you can get them there through repetition and teaching them a mindset."

Sooner or later, that mindset might land a kid a scholarship. Other kids see that and want to know what that kid did and how they can follow in his footsteps.

Before you know it, your school is known for offensive linemen, like Stevenson is.

"We're even starting to see that here a little bit," Mertens said. "Sometimes there can be a stigma to playing on the line, that it's not as glamorous as being a running back or quarterback or wide receiver. But our kids are becoming aware of the fact that we've got linemen getting scholarships and they start to think that maybe they can, too.

"And now that we've had some guys get scholarships, I'm also getting a lot more calls from college coaches, who would have never even bothered to call just a few years ago when we were new. It's nice. I just hope we can keep this going."

Hayes and Ronsman are hoping for the same thing. When they return from college for breaks and head over to the Lakes weight room for a workout, they love to hear about all the linemen who aspire to follow in their footsteps.

"It just makes me feel really proud that we've got good linemen (coming out of Lakes)," Hayes said. "I think it makes the program look really good."

pbabcock@dailyherald.com