Clovis O-line single-minded in purpose

Greg Price

Outside of the football, the five starters who make up Clovis’ starting offense line are typical high schoolers.

Classes, hobbies and friends are synonymous with their lives as much as football.

For instance, senior tackles Skyler Hodson hopes to go into landscaping after he graduates. Junior guard Dominique Chairez plays golf and said he is self-minded, meaning he uses his inner strength to overcome obstacles.

Senior tackle Michael Cohen simply loves being around his friends, senior center Brandon Ayres said his favorite hobby is the video game Madden, “if it can be considered a hobby”, and senior guard Brenton Hartle enjoys listening to country music, but said he listens to a little bit of everything.

Their backgrounds are also as diverse as their hobbies. Chairez’ mother works at the Curry County Courthouse while Cohen’s father is an associate at the Lowe’s in Clovis.

On the football field they become one unit with one purpose — opening holes for running backs Brian Mead and Manuel Robles.

Mead has gained 1,550 in eight games this season en route to becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher while Robles has added 878 yards.

Each linemen also said their rapport with Mead is constructive and symbiotic.

“I’ve never known Brian to criticize the line or how we block,” Cohen said.

“(Brian’s) always coming back to the hole, and we’re asking him where someone came from trying to figure out how to do it better,” Hodson said. “And he’s always coming back and saying, ‘good job or nice block.’”

Each also has their own way of subduing an opposing linemen.

Chairez said his quickness is his best weapon against opponents while Hodson tries to find the weakness of whoever he’s matched with and exploit it.

“The Cibola game, they really weren’t that strong or that quick,” Hodson said. “So you had to beat them off the ball and get to their outside shoulder."