Senior offensive linemen key to Warriors’ resurgence -- Observer Preps

When the West Orange Warriors travel to Ocoee Nov. 3 to close the regular season, sophomore running back Nemea Hall will need just 25 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

Already, he has rushed for eight touchdowns on the ground.

That success doesn’t start and end with Hall, though — the potential milestone achievement for the standout sophomore says as much about Hall as it does about the linemen who clear the way for him. 

A year after the Warriors stumbled to a forgettable 2-8 campaign, the program is back in contention for a playoff berth, and the West Orange offense has a renewed swagger about it. The Warriors are averaging 26.3 points per game and have done well against some of Central Florida’s best defenses.

Ask anyone around the program about the reasons that has come to be and, at some point, they will mention the improvement and leadership of the four seniors — Simon-Peter Sutherland, Ronald DiMatteo, Seth Janetzke and Hawke Forsythe — on the front line.

“They’ve been huge — they’ve really taken on the leadership of our team,” Warriors head coach Bob Head said. “(Our offensive success) has to do with these guys and all the hard work they’ve been putting in.”

Linemen, and especially offensive linemen, are used to operating at some level of anonymity, at least so far as casual observers are concerned. That said, it didn’t take long this fall for this group to realize its role would be bigger than clearing holes and pass protection. 

“Once the season went on, we were like, ‘Wow — we’re really the heart of the team,’” Forsythe said.

The four linemen are part of a larger senior class that has had a senior season that — if nothing else — has been unique. 

The loss of a home field to play on, and playing their final three home games — including Senior Night — outside of Winter Garden isn’t what anyone had in mind. Not that this group has let that prevent it from being successful, though.

“They’re very gritty — they haven’t made any excuses or anything,” Head said. “They bring a lot of energy to our practice, and they work really hard.”

West Orange finished 2-1 in one of the toughest districts in the state, and that one loss was by a touchdown to Wekiva, which won the district. Within the construct of the new playoff points system used to decide the four “wildcard” playoff spots rewarded in each region, the Warriors are within striking distance of Seminole and Spruce Creek with one game to play.

In addition to beating Ocoee — which the Warriors have added incentive to do after losing to the Knights last fall — West Orange likely would need one of those teams to lose, in addition to any number of variables based on teams on the schedules of all three.

The playoff points system awards points based on the winning percentage of a team’s opponents. Teams get more points for playing teams with higher percentages — which won’t be final until the season ends Friday.

Rather than focusing on math, though, the Warriors are simply focused on the Knights and ending the regular season in style.

“It’s important for us to go out there and play well and win,” Head said. “We can only control what we can control, and that’s going out and beating Ocoee.”