Line will lead way for Indians

~ St. Vincent will seekits fourth playoff bidin the last five seasons.

The St. Vincent football team is ready to test the old adage that games are won in the trenches.

It's quite likely, in fact, that the Indians' strength in the line play will carry them to another winning season, perhaps even another playoff run.

From last year's 7-5 state quarterfinal team, St. Vincent graduated its quarterback, top three running backs and is moving its top receiver behind center.

No worries, though.

St. Vincent likes to run, and it should be able to do that behind an offensive line that returns four starters.

Defensively, the Indians also return several players along the front line.

St. Vincent coach Keith Winkler, heading into his eighth season, said the linemen know their roles.

"They're 16- and 17-year-olds, so you can't put too much pressure on them," Winkler said, "but they know their jobs and they know how important it is. We hope for them to settle this team down while the guys in the backfield get experience."

On offense, the line will try to protect junior quarterback Justin L'Hote and create running room for senior Eli Hoeckele, sophomore Derek Triller, junior Dylan Moll and senior Zach First.

The Indians return junior center Joel Fischer (5-foot-11, 185 pounds), guards Kenton Hoernig (6-1, 170, senior) and Adam Buchheit (5-10, 245, junior) and tackle Quent Robinson (6-2, 215, senior). Junior tackle Matt Hotop (6-2, 205) and senior tackle Garrett French (6-0, 160) also saw time last year and may occupy the fifth line spot at times.

"We're not going to impress the other teams with our size," Winkler said. "Nobody is going to say 'Wow' when we get off the bus, but these guys work well together and they're experienced. They came together as a group last year, and they understand it."

The Indians last year recovered from a slow start that had the team at 1-3 and then 2-4.

The offense then kicked in with three straight routs of Grandview, Chaffee and Portageville. St. Vincent then won the district showdown with Hayti; posted a second close win of the season against rival Valle, this time in the Class 1 sectional; and pushed top-ranked Marionville to the limit before suffering a 14-7 loss to the team that dropped an overtime decision in the title game.

The season took on a different tint when Greg Finger moved from receiver to running back. He finished with 769 yards, averaging 7.0 yards per carry and scoring a team-leading 10 touchdowns. He graduated, along with Lucas Robinson (706 yards) and fullback Chris Fischer (398 yards). Also gone is quarterback Tim Guilliams, who completed 41.2 percent of his passes for 692 yards.

St. Vincent, which won the Class 1 state title in 2004, was 4-2 against Class 1 schools last season, losing the opener against McAuley Catholic of Joplin. The slow start probably wasn't unexpected as the team tried to replace running back Waylon Richardet, who went on to Missouri State after rushing for 793 yards in 2005 and being selected the Southeast Missourian player of the year in 2004.

Replacing performers and maintaining tradition is nothing new at St. Vincent, which has made three playoff appearances in the last four seasons.

"Every year, you've got to replace somebody," Winkler said. "Last year, we had two guys who complemented each other, and hopefully these guys will complement each other the same way."

Hoeckele got some work in last year and visited the end zone three times. Triller will join him in the halfback role, while Moll (5-11, 195) and First (6-0, 180 and wearing No. 89) will be in the fullback roles. Among St. Vincent's many sets sometimes is a wishbone.

L'Hote is St. Vincent's most accomplished returning skill player, having caught 13 passes for 222 yards. This year, he'll be on the throwing end of the passes, backed by Darren Yamnitz.

Winkler doesnt mind throwing the ball, but he'd prefer the ground game.

"Turn, hand the ball off and let's keep going," he said. "There's no great secret that we want to control the ball through the running game."

When the Indians do throw, they have some skilled receivers returning -- senior tight end Josh Rollet (6-4, 185), senior Brandon Hoch, junior Aaron Dzik and junior Zach Welch.

Most incredibly for a Class 1 school, St. Vincent has the luxury of depth in the trenches and can put three guys in the middle of the defensive front who aren't on the offensive line.

Senior Zach Fischer (5-8, 165) returns at nose tackle, senior Ryan Geile (5-9, 175) will be at a tackle spot and First will be at the other tackle position.

Other returning defensive players are Hoeckele at linebacker and L'Hote at defensive back. Dzik, Welch and Yamnitz also saw time in the secondary last year.

Other linebackers and ends who may see time in the 5-3 and 4-4 defensive sets are Joel Fischer, Moll and sophomore Justin Eggers.

With difficult tests early, the Indians again may not have a gaudy record heading into district play.

But that's when the season really kicks in for St. Vincent.