Any way you say it, Cary-Grove duo made their mark

Gomez and Ruhland.

Ruhland and Gomez.

Whenever Cary-Grove football was discussed this season, the conversation started with intimidating All-State linemen Trevor Ruhland and Michael Gomez, the driving forces behind the Trojans' 13-1 record and runner-up finish in Class 7A.

Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg said their names so many times when talking about his team he said it became like referring to a well-known singing duo or a famous comedy team.

Laurel and Hardy.

Martin and Lewis.

Key and Peele.

Gomez and Ruhland.

Ruhland and Gomez.

"It was always Ruhland and Gomez or Gomez and Ruhland," Seaburg said. "You couldn't say one without the other. They became fixtures of our program."

Ruhland is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive tackle who also played on the defensive line in short-yardage situations. Committed to Notre Dame since last spring, he moves large obstacles as efficiently as a frontloader but he's more agile than heavy machinery, a byproduct of years on the basketball court.

Gomez packs quickness and 260 pounds-worth of might into a 6-foot frame. A wrestler who plays low to the ground and uses speed and leverage to his advantage, he was a four-year starter on the offensive line for one of the state's top high school football programs. Defensively, the disruptive nose guard led the Trojans with 5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss.

With Gomez at nose and Ruhland at tackle or end, Cary-Grove's imposing defense made running backs sore and quarterbacks nervous.

With Ruhland at strongside tackle and Gomez at strongside guard, the Cary-Grove triple-option offense amassed 5,772 total yards in 14 games, 4,898 yards via the rush.

For their extraordinary work on both sides of the ball in leading the Trojans within 3 points of a Class 7A championship, 17-year-old Cary residents Michael Gomez and Trevor Ruhland have been named honorary co-captains the 2014 Daily Herald All-Area Team/Fox Valley.

Each senior can light up a room with his extroverted personality, but no one mistakes Gomez and Ruhland for a comedy act once they strap up.

"I've had a chance to meet them off the field and they are truly nice guys," said Dundee-Crown coach Mike Steinhaus, who played collegiately at Ball State. "On the field, they're tough football players, which is how it's supposed to be. They both play to the second whistle, as we in the football world like to say."

The aggressive side of their respective personalities is revealed when the duo steps between the lines.

"Once I go onto the field, I don't know, I kind of actually flip a switch and try to play as mean and aggressive as I can," Gomez said. "Maybe that's why I'm so nice off the field, because I get a lot of my anger out on the field."

The result of such catharsis is a monster football player, according to Jacobs coach Bill Mitz, a member of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association who coached 4 games against him.

"I think he's one of the most physical, toughest players that I've coached against in 34 years, without a doubt," Mitz said of Gomez, who remains uncommitted because his height doesn't meet the requirement of most high Division-I talent evaluators.

"If I was coaching at the next level, I'd take that kid in a heartbeat," Mitz added. "He's been a four-year starting lineman on a team that went to the state finals twice. I think the world of the kid. If he was 6-4, every school in the nation would be after him. Someone's going to get lucky with him."

Gomez's linemate agrees.

"Any school in the Big Ten not willing to take a guy like him and put him at nose because of his height is making a huge mistake," Ruhland said. "Wherever he goes he's going to be a stud and dominate the trenches just like he did all four years here."

Ruhland, whose father, Matt, played defensive end at Iowa, has an aggressive on-field personality in his own right. It isn't uncommon in goal-line situations to see Trevor block his man all the way through the end zone and past the end line.

"I've talked to some Division-I coaches who say guys Ruhland's size don't do what he does all the time: bury guys on every play, or at least try to bury them," Seaburg said. "Trevor finishes blocks to the whistle."

Ruhland and Gomez teamed to form one of the most devastating line combinations in the state this fall, but their relationship wasn't always easy.

Ruhland grew up on the Cary-Oakwood Hills border and played for the Cary Jr. Trojans youth football program until fifth grade, when he joined the Jr. Wolves, a Prairie Ridge feeder. Due to a District 155 boundary change before Trevor entered high school, the Ruhlands were given the opportunity to choose between attending Prairie Ridge or Cary-Grove.

When Matt and Lori Ruhland opted to send their three children to Cary-Grove, Trevor joined the same program as Gomez, who had been the leading lineman for the Jr. Trojans. They developed an unspoken rivalry. Unspoken between them, at least.

"It seemed like everyone in our town talked constantly about who is better and they would compare us," Gomez said. "We let our egos get in the way of our friendship."

Gomez was pulled up to the Cary-Grove varsity as a freshman and began playing right away. Ruhland wasn't advanced so quickly.

"He got to start as a freshman on varsity and it was well-deserved," Ruhland said. "That pushed me to get stronger and better."

Ruhland indeed kept getting stronger and scouts took note of his 6-foot-4 build. Offers started coming in from major college programs during his junior year. Meanwhile, despite two years of varsity experience, Gomez was getting limited interest due to his height.

"When Trevor was getting looks from all the D-I schools as a junior and Michael wasn't, I could tell it was wearing on him," Seaburg said. "Michael was every bit the player Trevor was but he was not getting the Division-I looks."

So Gomez did something about it.

"When I started getting recruited it pushed (Gomez) harder and he got even better," Ruhland said. "I respect the (heck) out of him for that and for everything. We're definitely competitive in the weight room and off the field, but there is no one I'd rather go to battle with."

The rivalry began to fade with maturity as their senior year approached. The duo formed a bond as they entered their senior season due to their shared dream of winning a state title.

"We put our egos aside and tried becoming the best teammates we could be and we became friends," said Gomez, who this season gained strong interest from Army, multiple Division-II scholarship offers and an invitation to walk on at Iowa. "Our relationship has gotten so much better. Now we're really good friends and we hang out all the time.

"But looking back, I think the competition made us better."

The end result was a pair of nearly unstoppable two-way linemen who paved the way for one of the most successful seasons in Cary-Grove history, the kind of legendary duo fans will tell stories about for years.

Gomez and Ruhland.

Ruhland and Gomez.