All the Pioneer defensive line needs to do this fall is mimic its position coach when rushing. If the Pioneers are loud and angry, like David Upton is every day on the practice field, when they get to the quarterback, good things will happen.
“I think we can surprise a lot of people,” said Upton. “Our nose guards have the ability to shut down the middle and our ends are showing a lot of improvement. It’s a new defense for our ends and they’re beginning to read and run it.”
In what could be one of the deepest positions for the Pioneers, Upton could rotate over 10 players across the front. Douglas Wells, Dillon Haley, Kaden Jordan, Austin McBride and Jessie Lira played a lot of snaps last year and they’ve been joined by Caleb McCormick, Dellan Watson, Cristian Espinoza, Aaron Ashburn, Brian McNulty, Ojani Hernandez, Aiden Cummings and Clay Myers.
Controlling the run game will be the group’s main objective.
“The biggest thing is shutting the inside down. We have to take those gaps away,” said Upton. “We have some big, athletic guys across the line.”
Here’s a 3-2-1 breakdown of the Pioneer defensive front
Three observations
With great power comes great responsibility – Espinoza made headlines when he squatted 500 pounds at the Pioneer Lift-A-thon. Since then, Pioneer coaches have been imploring the powerful lineman to show it on the field.
When locked in, Espinoza is impossible to move without sending a double team. If he can draw extra help in the middle, the Pioneers may feast off the edge.
Don’t forget the vets – Espinoza’s arrival, along with the 6-foot-8 Watson, has people buzzing about the Pioneer front. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the new guys, but Jordan, Wells and Haley aren’t going to surrender their spot in the rotation easily.
Big, experienced and aggressive, Jordan can make plays. Wells plays low to the ground and Haley seems to thrive on the defensive side of the ball.
Athletic ends – Injuries kept Ashburn from becoming a primetime player as a freshman last season, but he seems to be making up for lost time. Ashburn and Cummings are both long, rangy athletes who can come off the edge and spook signal callers into rushed throws.
Two questions
Will depth help Pioneers plug holes? – Simply put, the Pioneers were awful against the run last season. Opponents averaged 235 yards per game rushing and scored 29 times. Coach Matt Turner and his staff have worked hard finding big bodies, but it remains to be seen if the new guys are ready for the Friday night lights.
Can the group hold up to the grind? – Talented athletes in Warren County rarely get to focus on one position. This year is no different. Almost every defensive lineman in the rotation will also be in a rotation, or starting, on the other side of the ball.
There’s no room to take off plays upfront. When players coast, small creases turn into gigantic holes, especially against the level of competition Warren County faces.
One prediction
Rarely did the Pioneers make plays in opposing backfields last year. Last year, opponents averaged a robust 7.6 yards per carry against Warren County. Something has to change this season.
With more athletes on the edge and passing becoming a bigger trend, expect the Pioneers to finish with over 20 sacks this season, almost double their total from a season ago.
This is part seven of a 10-part series breaking down the Pioneers. Next up is special teams coming Wednesday, Aug. 7.
