Offensive linemen deserve a break every once in a while.
All that work, and hardly any glory. Oh yes, they need to take time to enjoy what they have accomplished.
Zach Berfanger cannot wait to share some of the finer moments with his fellow offensive linemen at Union. Berfanger is the lone returning starter on the line for the Titans, but he expects the squad to continue doing what Union does best: Control the line of scrimmage, create space for first downs and touchdowns.
“You get a great block and your running back scores, and then you get off the field, get a break, get some Gatorade, drink some water, and relax just a little bit,” Berfanger said.
Soak it in.
Then get refocused to do it all over again.
For Berfanger, though, that is only one part of what he calls a “double-whammy” of giddiness.
“Film is half the joy. You get to see it again,” he said. “You get a pancake block (in a game) and then you get to watch it on film. That’s just as rewarding as walking into the end zone.”
Berfanger cherishes those moments because pretty much the rest of his moments are all about working hard. In the classroom. On the field. Wherever.
“Zach brings an unbelievable work ethic,” Union coach Gary McGarvie said. “He’s a wrestler. Those guys know how to work.”
Wrestling, Berfanger said, has helped make him a better football player. It all starts with having the mentality that the only way to improve is to have the discipline to work — especially on those days when it would be easier to just relax.
“I work hard because I know if I don’t, I’ll regret it in the future,” Berfanger said. “I don’t want to look back when I’m 30 and say, ‘I could have won a state title if I didn’t slack off.’ So I want to give the most that I can to try to win the ultimate goal: a state title.”
He was talking about football, but, really, that goes with wrestling or any sport.
“If you don’t work hard, you’re not going to get far in life,” he said. “No matter what you try, if you work hard, you’re going to be successful.”
So the Titans do not have an experienced offensive line. Doesn’t change a thing, Berfanger said. Experience will come in Weeks 1, 2, 3 and beyond. A work ethic, though, better have already been in place a long time before that first game. Otherwise, get off the field.
Berfanger said Union football — which has made the postseason in each of the past seven seasons — is all about leadership, bravery, commitment, and brotherhood.
He will be missing one brother, though. Older brother Alex Berfanger, who averaged better than 10 yards per carry as a fullback last season, graduated. McGarvie said the Titans will miss the seniors from last year, but he also is looking forward to seeing how Zach responds to being the only Berfanger on the field.
“He’s been the little brother of Alex for so long, he’s ready to get out of his shadow,” McGarvie said.
Zach Berfanger acknowledged he does think about legacies.
“Part of me just wants to beat my brother. Another part, I want to do something people will remember,” Zach Berfanger said. “I don’t want to be forgotten.”
Offensive linemen rarely become huge names.
The special ones do.
