Team within the team: Warren's offensive line paces a strong rushing attack
The "play-hard guys" are getting it done.
Warren's offensive line paces a ground attack that through eight games has averaged around 335 yards.
The Blue Devils (6-2, 6-0 North Suburban Conference) have games of 451 yards rushing (Stevenson), 422 yards rushing (Waukegan) and ran for more than 468 yards in a 40-33 road loss to unbeaten Barrington the first game of the season.
That game, and a Week 2 loss to powerful Maine South, was a "wake-up call," said Warren three-year starting lineman Jaivin Young.
"It was a learning game," center Joey DeVries said of the Barrington game. The Blue Devils have been rapt students.
Right guard Young, the sole returning starter from a 2022 group that graduated Class 8A honorable-mention all-state pick Kole Weinberg, leads a stout cast that includes left tackles Matt Vasquez and David O'Connell, left guards Nate Duarte and Anthony Wyche, center DeVries, and right tackle Max Saucedo.
Young, DeVries and Wyche are seniors alongside a trio of juniors and Duarte, a sophomore. In the wings are others such as 6-foot-4, 260-pound sophomore Jordan Ellis.
"A bunch of play-hard guys," said Warren offensive line coach Jim Voutiritsas, in his 32nd year coaching offensive line. Like head coach Bryan McNulty, he's a former linebacker who earned his reps navigating linemen.
"It's a fun group of guys to coach, they all have personalities, but they all manage to come together for one cause. And it's always about somebody else, it's not about them," Voutiritsas said.
A 10-2 state quarterfinalist last season, Warren had to replace four starting linemen to execute McNulty's physical offensive philosophy this season: "Getting downhill but keeping people honest."
Averaging about 6-foot-1 and 254 pounds, outside of the 6-4 O'Connell the Blue Devils' line is not overly tall, or incredibly weighty aside from 290-pound Young and 285-pound Vasquez.
It's been a combination of technique and physicality that's allowed, for example, Jayvon Scott to run for 172 yards and Aaron Stewart for 152 in the same game, a 46-0 Week 7 victory at Waukegan.
Stewart has run for more than 1,200 yards this season behind the boys up front.
"They're getting better every week, and that's the key," Voutiritsas said.
Watching video of Duarte pulling from his guard position to kick out defenders on trap and counter plays is exciting. But on the scale of technique versus physicality, DeVries and Young clearly state their preferences.
"Technique's cool, technique helps you, but at the end of the day in high school football, if you've got the power and you've got some technique to go with it, you can be unstoppable as an offensive lineman," DeVries said.
Young can make people pause with his obvious strength, bulk and tinted face shield.
"Grinders and pounders at the same time," he called Warren's offensive line.
"You can be amazing at technique," he said. "But power? Power is what really demolishes the morale and the mentality."