They are the first to move at the snap of the ball, often buried under the sea of humanity in front of them.
Permian defensive linemen Des Hill, Frank Alvarado, Bryan Pry and Sebastian Sanchez wouldn’t have it any other way.
The tip of the Panthers’ defense, they are expected to wreak havoc with opposing offensive lines.
With nose guard Pry typically battling a double team in the middle, Hill, Alvarado and Sanchez are free to get up the field and force running backs to cut into the line of scrimmage and quarterbacks to begin searching for a safe haven along the sidelines.
“They give great effort,” Permian defensive coordinator Vance Washington said. “That’s what they do; it’s fun to watch and they’re a great group of kids.
“(Defensive line) Coach (Brian) Ingraham has done a great job with them, teaching them fundamentals and they do what they’re coached, full speed, great motors.
Hill is the only senior in the group, a two-year starter on the line and the one tasked with passing along the knowledge and tradition to his linemates.
Pry and Alvarado are juniors, while Sanchez is absorbing as much as he can during his sophomore season.
Hill, though, is the unquestioned leader of the group.
“He’s done a great job of leading those guys,” Permian head coach Jeff Ellison said. “No. 1, with his effort, but also his character and his attitude, he shows up every day and works hard.
“It started from years ago in offseason, he’s worked his butt off, for him personally to be better, but it’s made other people around him better. When you go to his drill during practice you can hear him, he’s grunting and he’s putting everything he’s got into every rep.”
Hill leads the defensive line in tackles with 29, with four tackles for loss.
Alvarado and Pry each have 19 tackles and Sanchez has 13, with the trio combining for 17 tackles for loss.
But their job isn’t necessarily to make the stop, but to blow up the line of scrimmage to allow the Panthers’ linebackers (Jace Gilliam, Parker Haynes, Caysen Clinton and Preston Grizzell) to do their jobs.
That group has combined for 203 tackles, including 37 tackles for loss.
“We have trust in our teammates,” Hill said. “We’re going to do our jobs and we know that they are going to do their jobs.
“It’s 100 percent trust.”
It’s not glamorous, lining up less than two feet across the line of scrimmage from another player ready to launch himself into contact at the snap.
Athletes need to have the right mindset, willing to expose themselves to the bumps and bruises that come with the collisions.
And it’s not just the two hours or so on Friday that they hurl themselves across the line.
There are the countless hours on the practice field, in the weight room and watching video to prepare for each opponent.
“We come into every week ready,” Alvarado said. “We prepare for the week and on Friday, we fire, we execute. It’s just football at the point.”
“You have to know your position, your job, your role on the team,” Pry added.
Their role this week is to stop another explosive offense when the Panthers travel to face San Angelo Central at 7 p.m. Friday at San Angelo Stadium.
The Bobcats are led by dual-threat quarterback Tyler Hill, who has passed for more than 1,600 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 yards.
Similar to what the Panthers (7-1 overall, 2-1 in District 2-6A) faced last week in a 42-41 come-from-behind victory against Wolfforth Frenship.
“We are going to come out as a team and we’re going to be motivated,” Hill said of the challenge of facing the Bobcats. “We have 11 players on offense and 11 players on defense do their jobs and that’s how we’re going to win this game.”
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