West Central football team putting up eye-popping numbers behind physical offensive line

BIGGSVILLE, Ill. -- The West Central High School football team is putting up such big numbers this season that scoreboard operators are developing carpal tunnel and maintenance men spend plenty of time changing the bulbs in the scoreboard the Heat offense keeps shattering.

Second seed West Central (11-0) plays sixth seed Polo (9-2) in an 8-Player semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Polo. The winner will advance to the state championship game at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Monmouth College.

The Heat are averaging 519.1 yards of offense per game and 12.2 yards per play. The Heat are averaging 468 rushing yards per game and a whopping 11.7 yards per carry.

West Central has scored 91 offensive touchdowns this season and is averaging 60.5 points per game.

And the starters have played just one half in seven games.

While West Central's athletic backfield -- quarterback Mason Carnes, fullback Parker Meldrum and tailback Kaiden Droste -- gets much of the attention, it is the five linemen in front of them who are paving the way for those eye-popping numbers.

Football is, after all, a team game, and no one epitomizes a team better than the Heat.

"It's been awesome. I've learned that I can be a leader on the team. I've developed around everybody on the team. I try to help everyone out. It's just a blast," said senior left guard Nick Woods, who made the transition from tight end this season.

"It's fun. After you make a good block, you look up and see Kaiden or Parker or Mason take off down the field and hear the crowd go crazy, it's real fun listening to that," junior right guard Blake Cole said. "It's like winning the Super Bowl listening to everyone go crazy and the team go crazy and giving each other high fives, it's a blast."

"It's awesome. I enjoy it a lot," said senior Zach Smith, who starts every play as the Heat's center this season. "We have a long way to the end zone and Kaiden just goes. We get back up and we're like, 'Oh, shoot, we have to jog back down the field.' We finally get to Kaiden and we're all out of breath and we're like, 'I don't know how you do that.'"

None of it has come as a surprise to head coach Jason Kirby, who has helped the Heat compile a 23-2 record in the three seasons since they switched to the 8-player game.

"I think those guys in the backfield will tell you it's awfully fun for them because those guys that put their hand in the ground work awfully hard," Kirby said. "I think it works together. There is no doubt our linemen see how athletic our backfield is and they know if they do something, they are going to be very successful. But at the same, our skill players see how good our offensive line is and what they are able to accomplish because of what our offensive line does."

No one is more appreciative of the work the linemen do than Droste, a two-time all-state player who is putting up numbers beyond belief. He has rushed for 2,738 yards on just 170 carries, averaging 16.4 yards per touch. He has scored a mind-blowing 50 touchdowns. In a playoff win over South Beloit, Droste rushed for 383 yards and scored seven touchdowns. In one half.

"When they don't give me that hole they get mad about it. I tell them, 'It's all right. Get them the next play.' They get mad at themselves because they know that they want to do better. It's amazing. It's awesome," Droste said. "You could drive a truck through some of the holes they make. They are huge. Sometimes they tighten their spacing up. But even when they do they are so physical that we still get the yards we need to get. When their spacing is good and they are playing as physical as they can, we go 45 yards for a touchdown, 60 yards for a touchdown. They destroy people up front. They push their nose into the dirt and make them like it. It's fun to watch."

Hard work in the weight room pays off

The West Central linemen aren't going to impress many people pre-snap. They aren't overly big and in fact look smallish compared to some opposing teams.

But when they line up on the ball, the Heat take a back seat to no one. Their technique, teamwork, communication and physicality make them a nightmare for opposing defenses to deal with.

"We communicate. When we go up there, we point at the guy we've got. We talk, work things out, don't get down on each other," said junior left tight end Hunter Schrader. "Coach (Steve) Arnold teaches us a lot of good footwork, working on your stance. We get outside and that's when you practice your plays and get a lot of reps. That's like game reps. We go hard."

"Last year, our junior year, we felt really good about that season. We lost to a couple teams. We got motivation from that and went on," Woods said. "We worked a lot in the offseason. We spent a lot of time in the weight room. It's helped a lot. I feel like I am way better than I was last year."

"I do a lot of blocking. I'm one of the players who gets the ball if they do throw it," said junior right tight end Isiah Stephson, who transferred from Macomb this season. "We talk to each other and tell each other who we are blocking."

"They've been tremendous in their ability to adjust to different fronts that they see. They know our offensive system so well that they will call out the front that we are going to see and have a pretty good idea of what we will be successful with in terms of what we are going to call," Kirby said. "They are great to verbalize to us what they are getting and what it is they feel confident in. Any time you get a group that understands to that level -- not only understands, but is so passionate about making themselves better every day -- you are going to be successful."

Heat have caught on like wildfire

West Central has become the talk of the entire area this fall. Fans turn out in droves to watch their team. And the more they win, the bigger the crowds get.

Last week, despite cold, windy conditions the Heat had their biggest crowd yet.

And already fan buses are filling up for Saturday's road trip to Polo.

That support has not gone unnoticed by the players and coaches.

"Last week was pretty chilly and they all came out to support us. We really appreciate it," Schrader said.

"Before our freshman year we didn't have a winning season. Then we switched over and we all came together. The community loves it," Woods said.

"They are all great. The love us and they love watching football. They love Friday night lights," Cole said.

One win from the championship game

West Central went 5-0 in the bizarre COVID year in which the season was moved to the spring. There were no playoffs that year, and the Heat felt they were robbed of a chance to win a state championship.

This year's team now stands one win away from being able to play for a state championship.

If the Heat are to come away with a win against Polo, the offensive line will play a big part in it.

"I think it's going to be a great game. Good atmosphere. Our fans are awesome. It's going to be a tough game, but it's going to be a lot of fun," Smith said. "We could have done a lot that year, but it got cut short because of COVID. It's awesome. I wish the rest of those guys were here to experience this with us."

"It's going to be fun. There will be a lot of fans there," Stephson said.

"Our kids have had a wonderful season and have done a great job of getting better each week. I think we're playing our best football at the right time," Kirby said.

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: West Central football team puts up big numbers behind offensive line