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John Ewing/Staff Photographer
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John Ewing/Staff Photographer
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John Ewing/Staff Photographer"Beyond the Scoreboard," which runs on Fridays this fall in the Portland Press Herald, offers an inside look at high school football.
NEXT FRIDAY: Talk about your thankless jobs ... what's it like being a referee?
Labbe glanced at Eon's brother, Joey, a junior fullback who had scampered through holes peeled open by Massabesic's offensive linemen to score four touchdowns in the second quarter alone.
"He's going to get all the girls talking to him afterward," said Labbe, who had been the team's short-yardage fullback last fall before converting to the anonymity of the offensive line.
Josh Eon smiled and nodded. He understood.
Attention? Adulation? Glory? Not if the number on your back reads between 50 and 79.
"You walk through school," Labbe said, "and not a lot of people will say, 'Hey, nice block!' "
About the only time a lineman gets noticed is when he gets caught holding to negate a long gain, or when the guy he was supposed to block sacks the quarterback or greets the ballcarrier in the backfield.
"Most of the linemen's parents don't even watch them," said Massabesic Coach John Morin. "They're watching the ball, too."
Morin understands linemen as well as anyone in the state. He played center and guard at the University of Maine after graduating from Edward Little High in Auburn. He was an assistant for 17 years, a dozen of them under Dick Agreste at Thornton Academy, before becoming head coach at Massabesic in 1997.
When Morin bounces through practice or prowls the sidelines during a game, his heels rarely touch the ground. It's almost as if he's searching for a linebacker to pop. If you doubt his intensity, a five-inch scab below his left knee serves as a reminder.
During preseason, the team's seniors and their fathers traditionally gather for a retreat that includes a softball game. (Morin's son Tyler is a split end and defensive back.) This year's game was tied. Morin was wearing shorts. He slid into home anyway, trading a patch of skin for the run that put the Fathers ahead, 9-8.
For the record, the sons came back and won. But you get the idea, from the gleam on Morin's eye, the sacrifice was worthwhile.
After all, that's the essence of an offensive lineman, to sacrifice self for team. To dish out and endure a physical pounding every weekend so others have a chance to succeed.
"I think what they end up doing is building one of the strongest bonds in athletics," said Morin, still close to his Black Bear linemates from three decades ago. "It takes a special kid, and when you find five, six, seven guys who are willing to commit to working as one unit, that's where the success of your football team lies."
Labbe, the center, is the only junior among Massabesic's starting five interior linemen. Lining up next to him at guards are Josh Eon and Chris Chute. Next to Eon at right tackle is Chris Heon and next to Chute at left tackle is Cory Melanson. All are seniors.
Two more seniors, Jon Harrison and Travis Andrews, back them up. None of the seven weighs more than 215 pounds.
"We're a smaller team but we're quick and physical," said Harrison from the weight room before a recent midweek practice. "We know we have to get stronger. That's why we're in here."
The weight room is a cinderblock structure cluttered with racks, barbells and padded benches. Stenciled in green and black on the white walls are a variety of inspirational messages and slogans, including a Vince Lombardi quote -- "Winning is not a sometime thing. It's an all-time thing" -- and the date of the Class A state championship game (Nov. 17) next to the outline of a gold football overlaid with the words "One Family, One Vision."
Another wall holds records of the Mustang Power Club, listing the current and former players who have reached weightlifting milestones. But effective blocking takes more than strength and size.
"The days of the big, heavy, can't-move-your-feet slow kid who plays the offensive line --...
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