They are a breed apart. Big and strong, but also good on their feet. Proud of their abilities but never the center of attention.

They are offensive linemen. The unsung group that moves bodies so others can shake and shine.

“You almost have to be like a ballerina and a bear at the same time,” said Cony senior Bohdy King James, a 6-foot-2, 288-pound three-year starter.

Linemen must master balance and footwork like a dancer, with the hand-fighting skills of a martial artist. Size alone is not enough. Any offensive lineman will tell you, even the biggest and strongest dude will struggle without proper technique.

That’s why thoughtful and gregarious 6-foot-3, 345-pound Falmouth senior Thomas Willoughby involuntarily blanches when he hears across the field a Falmouth coach asking the “skill players” to gather.

“That’s lineman-phobic. We’re skilled,” Willoughby said, only half-joking.

What does it take to be a good linemen?

Acceptance and Attitude

“If you don’t accept you’re a lineman, you’re never going to get good at it,” King Jones said.

Portland High’s Colin Haigh, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior, is fully committed to being an offensive lineman, and this season he will shift from left guard to left tackle for the defending Class A champions.

But … “No one wants to be a lineman at first,” Haigh said. “It’s a transition a lot of kids, probably half the team, has to to make for the betterment of the team.”

Gaige Barrett, Old Orchard Beach.  Steve Craig photo

Old Orchard Beach’s Gaige Barrett shares a similar story. His favorite players as a kid were New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski and Houston Texans pass-rushing defensive end J.J. Watt.

“I always wanted to be that guy at the end that made plays, but, as I grew up, I realized I was needed more on the line,” said Barrett, now a 6-1, 290-pound right guard for the defending eight-man Small School champs.

Linemen learn quickly they will seldom be lauded by fans or media. They won’t score touchdowns. Instead, they will spend most of their football lives in one-on-one battles trying to move or stalemate a defender. Play after play. Do it well, their team succeeds. Do the job poorly, your teammate gets thrown for a loss — or worse.

“You have to have that mental toughness to get out there and go after someone your size or bigger than you every single play,” Haigh said. “Like, I’m a big guy, but I’m not big compared to offensive linemen in the state. To go after someone your size and fight with them for four quarters is tough.”

Both Willoughby and Barrett noted that their job is to “protect” their teammates.

“You need to respect the people behind you because, at the end of the day, you’re protecting them,” Barrett said. “The people behind me are my friends, my close friends. And it would hurt me to have them get hurt.”

Pride

While offensive linemen won’t receive much outside acclaim, within the team structure they are acknowledged as essential.

“That’s where games are won,” said Massabesic coach Lucas Labbe.

Instead of practicing the fun things that kids naturally want to do with a football — throwing, catching, running — linemen practice blocking.

“You’ve got to believe in what we’re going to do,” said Falmouth tackle Thomas Gale, a 2024 Varsity Maine All-State selection. “Some of it, like going to (individual drills) over and over and over again, and it’s just tiring. You don’t want to do it, but we do it. It gets us better.

Deering coach Brendan Scully makes it a point to praise his linemen — because they deserve it, because the so-called skill players occasionally need a reminder, and also to keep young linemen encouraged enough that they stick with the team through their senior year.

“I acknowledge that in front of everyone: playing in the line is not the most fun,” Scully said. “There’s contact on almost every single play; they have bumps and bruises; and that none of you skinny guys who think you’re good do anything without these guys, so we better be respectful.”

King Jones said linemen must be coachable. “If you do the wrong steps and a coach calls you out, you don’t get mad, you change it,” he said, adding that he’s constantly trying to refine his footwork and hand placement.

Leavitt senior Reid Langlois, a 6-2, 225-pound guard, said strength needs to be combined with quickness.

“It’s not all about being big and fat like it was back in the day. You have to be quicker. There’s a lot of pulling and outside runs,” Langlois said.

The payoff

Linemen do have their occasional highlight moments:

“You get to kick out a little corner and you put him on his butt,” Haigh said.

“Obviously, getting some pancake (blocks) here and there is great,” King Jones said.

The greater pleasure is an internal reward. The feeling of knowing you and your linemates have done a tough job well, and because of your efforts, others score touchdowns and, hopefully, the team wins.

“We control the field and we’re the most important people on the field,” Langlois said. “The ball doesn’t move forward unless we do our job. Don’t go into it thinking it’s a bad thing to be a lineman. It’s a great thing to be a lineman.”