INDIAN RIVER – Quarterbacks get talked about ad nauseum.
So do running backs.
So do wide receivers .
But the greatest football minds out there understand there’s one position group everybody counts on – offensive line.
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During one of the most decorated and thrilling eras in Inland Lakes football history, the Bulldogs' line has been highly instrumental and helped lift the program to unprecedented heights.
Spearheaded by the standout big three of seniors Jack Wilson (6-foot-2, 280 pounds), Chris Foldenauer (6-2, 240) and junior Avery Enos (5-9, 185), I-L's linemen have been maulers and given defensive opponents problems in recent years, especially during last fall’s playoff run.
You really don’t have to ask Inland Lakes coach Travis Meyer how important his linemen are. He already knows.
“They’re bright,” Meyer said. “They have a high football IQ, and they can get me information on the sidelines, and I can ask them to do things that they haven’t necessarily rehearsed, but given the situation that is presenting us, and they can take information and roll with it, and that’s been a big deal, and right now they’re really bringing on a couple of the younger guys who are stepping into that as well.
“This is a group of guys that I’m happy to have to rely on.”
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When they’re on the field Friday nights, there’s a nastiness to Wilson, Foldenauer and Enos, who have used their intelligence and power to open it up for the Bulldogs’ sensational skill players.
But following Wednesday’s practice, the three enjoyed being around each other’s company, just like it's been since their young playing days tracing back to elementary school.
Together, they know continuity is the ultimate weapon.
“It's really important because I can go out there and only worry about what I’m going to do and trust them to do their job and not worry about what they have to do,” Wilson said. “As a sense of security where you know if you do your job, it’s going to go well because you have them around you.”
![https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0bxHMW_0uz3Cfqv00](https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&url=0bxHMW_0uz3Cfqv00)
They’ve succeeded together, but I-L's line has also endured setbacks, one of which came at St. Ignace last year. Without Wilson in the lineup, their line wasn’t as impactful, and the Bulldogs came up short. But instead of letting the loss have a lingering effect, all three went back to work the following week at practice.
It proved to be a pivotal turning point – and they later showed it in the postseason.
“We just clicked and figured everything out,” Enos said. “We went back and beat St. Ignace in the playoffs, and since then we’ve just been on a roll.”
![https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3UBTtR_0uz3Cfqv00](https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&url=3UBTtR_0uz3Cfqv00)
As the Bulldogs keep preparing for a new season, returning to the state championship is their goal. To make it back to Marquette, the big three wants to do their part, as always.
In the end, they all know the key to being a nasty, dominant and successful line.
“You need a lot of trust, and everybody just needs to know what their job is and to make sure that they’re able to do that one thing they’re told to do and make sure it gets done,” Foldenauer said.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: 'They're bright': Inland Lakes football's offensive line big three a mauling force
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