Graham football’s big men qualify for state lineman challenge

Graham football’s big men qualify for state lineman challenge News Staff Fri, 05/31/2024 - 8:56 am

• (GRAHAM ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) The Graham Steers’ linemen spent last Saturday, May 25 competing against other big men at Hardin-Simmons University for a shot at the state competition. The Steers qualified for the State Lineman Challenge which will take place Saturday, June 22 at Shelton Stadium on HSU’s campus.

TC Gordon sports@grahamleader.com

While Graham’s 7on7 team has been busy the past few weekends working on passing, receiving and defense, the Steers’ linemen hit the turf to flex their muscles against other big men in the area.

Graham’s linemen competed last Saturday, May 25 at the State Lineman Qualifying Challenge at Hardin-Simmons University. These competitions involve various events where linemen can showcase their strength and agility while they work towards the upcoming season.

The Steers finished fourth overall in their division to earn their qualification for the state tournament at the end of June. Graham competed in Division II which consists of Class 4A teams and 3A Division I teams.

"This is a chance for the big bodies to get out here and compete," HSU head coach Jesse Burleson said before last year’s state tournament. "Everything you do in football starts with the big guys up front and we want to bring them together and let them get after it."

Sixteen of the Steers’ offensive and defensive linemen participated in the event, as they competed as individuals in some events and worked together as teams in many others.

Graham competed in a group with opposing schools Sanger, Azle and Decatur. The Steers were at or near the top of every event they competed in against these schools which helped lead to their qualification for the state challenge.

During the competition, linemen participated in a variety of events such as a tire flip relay, bench press, medicine ball toss, farmers walk, obstacle course, sled pushing and tug of war. Each event is designed to allow participants to show what they’re made of while fostering competition between schools.

In the tire flip competition, Graham posted the best time of the group with 1:37.79, nearly 15 seconds faster than the next finisher. The Steers posted 94 reps on the bench press and also won the power drive competition with a time of 36.16.

Another big competition for the participants is an obstacle course that the linemen run through. Graham posted a dominant score against the rest of their group with a time of 57.35.

In the sled competition, a team of six linemen attempt to push a six-man blocking sled a certain distance in the shortest time possible. The Steers’ two teams posted two of the three fastest scores in their group with a 14.06 and a 14.41. The only time better was one of Decatur’s teams with a 13.72.

Overall, Graham’s big men who handle much of the grunt work for the football team put on a dominant display in this competition.

The team will continue to practice before the upcoming competition near the end of June, which will be the ninth year this event has occurred.

With a new football season on the horizon in the next few months, the Steers' linemen are doing what they can to be ready for when that time comes.

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