Football: What's a lineman to do?

The summer 7-on-7 season is about footballs flying all over the field.  Receivers, running backs and quarterbacks all learning about each other.  There is one group that gets to do nothing more than stand on the sideline and watch.

So, how does an offensive lineman bide his time during the heat and humidity of July and August?

For Jack Holuba of Bergen Catholic, it's about the excitement of a position change, the challenge of a whole new offense and defense and the knowledge that he and his teammates will be forging a whole new identity at the Oradell school.

The lone returning starter from the Crusader offensive line of 2007, Holuba will move from guard to left tackle, the key spot in the pass protection scheme that is going to be an integral factor in any Crusader success or lack thereof.

For Holuba, there is a definite upside as Bergen goes to a spread offense.  After three seasons playing a variation of the Wing-T with its drive blocking and varied pass blocking sets, he will be more mobile.

"it's like we've been playing Big Ten football and now we're playing SEC football," the senior said while watching Bergen Catholic and Eastside's 7-on-7 Tuesday evening.  "This year, we (line) are going to be so much faster.  We're running so much more.  We're working on movement and a new blocking package.  It's kind of like 'Line 2.0' for us."

With the infusion of the passing game, it also means that Holuba will get a great opportunity to work on his game in anticipation of the next level.  Right now, his college choices are between Penn State ("they don't have any scholarships available right now, but they're waiting on two kids and something may open," he said), Princeton, Harvard, Penn and Virginia.

"I'm more certain about where I don't want to go than were I do," Holuba admitted.

With the inexperience in the trenches, the prevailing theory is that it is going to be very difficult for BC to put together a team capable of being a successful hunter as they chase Don Bosco for Non-Public Group 4 supremacy.  Holuba prefers to accentuate the positive.

"In the past we've been trying to emulate the great Bergen Catholic teams of the past," he offered.  "We're done with that.  This is a whole new BC, and we're going to be fun to watch."