- October 8, 2024
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Offensive linemen usually get more criticism than compliments. Flagler Palm Coast’s linemen are used to it, and they don’t mind.
“We don’t get a lot of recognition,” offensive guard Gethin Pritchard said. “We kind of just take the hits and move the people in front of us. But I think we take a lot of pride in having our special players back there getting a lot of limelight.”
A week after the Bulldogs lost their first game of the season, 34-19 to University, FPC won a 49-29 shootout on Oct. 4 at Fletcher High. They put up 599 yards of offense. They rushed for 392 yards and five touchdowns with Marcus Mitchell, FPC’s all-time leading rusher, plowing for 285 of the yards.
“It helps when you have Marcus Mitchell behind you,” offensive tackle Zachary Farrell said. “We spend a lot of time practicing run plays. I mean, we’ve got a record holder back there.”
The Bulldogs (5-1) have rushed for over 190 yards in five of their six games this season.
“I think we've done a great job establishing the run all year,” coach Daniel Fish said. “Obviously it starts with those big guys up front and what’s very underrated about them is they're also great in pass protection. We haven’t given up a sack in two games, even against University, when we struggled.”
The Bulldogs have controlled the line of scrimmage in most of their games. Against Fletcher, they faced a physical and athletic defensive front but managed to wear the Senators down.
“They were big, strong defensive players, but they were all breaking down,” Pritchard said. “They were all fighting with each other.”
FPC outscored Fletcher 21-6 in the fourth quarter.
“By the third, fourth quarter, they wanted no more of it,” Fish said of the Senators’ defensive linemen. “They were tapping out. They were falling on the ground. They were cramping, and they were asking for subs. They started bringing in O-linemen (on defense) because they ran out of gas, because we were physical with them. We hit them in the mouth.”
After last season, Fish said he told the offensive linemen, “We're only going to go as far as y'all can take us. We got the skill players. We got a good defense. We got great coaching, but if you guys aren't one of our best position groups and you're not consistent all year long, we're going to struggle as a team.”
The linemen took the message to heart. They say they take pride in knowing they’re in better condition than their opponents.
“They’re a really big group,” Fish said. “And we run a hurry-up offense, and they embrace it.”
Two starters returned from last year’s line — Pritchard and Farrell. Tackle Gavin Petty was a starter for Seabreeze last season. Center Angel De Leon was a reserve who worked hard to get better and stronger, Fish said. Isaiah Stiggons, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound right guard, worked hard to get his grade point average up after being ineligible last season, Fish said.
“He’s been a huge asset for us,” FPC's second-year coach said. “I’m proud of how far he’s come. He was able to flip his GPA to where he would be eligible to play college football now.”
Fish said the line this year is a more cohesive unit that last year's.
“They love each other. They push each other, ” Fish said. “We had a lot of great guys on the line last year, but I don't think we had a lot of chemistry and we didn't have a lot of time to show them the scheme and get them on the hurry-up type of stuff. So we had a whole offseason to kind of get these guys the way we wanted them. I've been really hard on them, sometimes over critical in certain situations, but it's only because I expect so much of them and I love the guys we have there. I think they're all leaders of our team and I think they're capable of being the best (offensive line) group in the area.”
