Knowing he had four starters returning on the offensive line gave North Ridgeville coach Jeff Riesen reason to be optimistic before the season began.

He hasn’t been disappointed.

“We really pride ourselves on our offensive line,” Riesen said. “We have five to six offensive linemen who have done a good job opening holes for our runners. And (quarterback Mike) Mees has only been sacked three times through 10 games. He’s done a good job throwing the ball and getting rid of the ball, but the line has done a great job of keeping him upright.”

The guys providing the stellar protection are senior center Alex Lovasz, a team captain and two-year varsity starter, fellow seniors and returning starters Chris Fule at left guard and Vinnie Rodriguez at right tackle and juniors Jacob Botson at right guard and Nate Alpine at tight end.

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Riesen also credits juniors Bryon Blagg and Alex Gillock with doing a solid job splitting time at the all-important left tackle position.

“The kids that work in the trenches, play in and play out, are usually not mentioned in the Saturday morning articles about the games,” Riesen said. “But these kids are really important to the success of our team. What they’ve been able to help our offense accomplish is pretty amazing.”

Consider these numbers: Mees has completed 64 of 142 passes for 829 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, while the rushing attack has gained 2,207 yards on 434 carries for a 5.1 average.

The play of the front six has helped the Rangers finish the regular season at 8-2, earn a share of the West Shore Conference title and become the first team in school history to make the playoffs.

North Ridgeville, the No. 8 seed in Division II, Region 6, travels to top-seeded Toledo St. Francis de Sales (9-1) for a quarterfinal game tonight at 7:30.

The Rangers had quite a night last Friday, beginning with their 18-14 come-from-behind win over rival Midview.

“It was insane,” said Lovasz. “There we were, celebrating an emotional victory over Midview. Then, as our coaches are talking to us on the field, they tell us that they heard both Rocky River and Bay had lost, which meant there was a three-way tie for the conference title. Then, as we were celebrating that, we find out that North Olmsted had defeated Olmsted Falls, which meant we were in the playoffs.

“We were so pumped up at that point, we probably could have gone back out there and played another game.”

Added Fule: “Everyone, from the coaches to the players, were laughing and celebrating. Once we found out we had made the playoffs, it felt like a monkey was lifted off our backs. I’ve never experienced anything like that. Those 10 minutes were probably the most memorable moments of my high school playing career.”

Lovasz said the line’s cohesion on the field comes from its compatibility off it.

“We’re all just really close with each other,” he said. “We played together last year, so that helped us establish chemistry. We play together and we work together. We do a good job opening holes for our running backs.

“With four of us starting last year, that helps us out a lot. We know what we can do. I think we all know the other guys are going to do their jobs so we do our jobs without any pressure, and it all comes together.”

When senior starting tailback Taylor Abraham was injured early in the season, junior Brandon Mundell and converted senior receiver Dallas Burt filled in and didn’t miss a beat, thanks in part to the line’s ability to run block. Also, fullback Mo Jaber took on a bigger role as lead ball carrier, finishing with 783 yards on 148 carries and nine touchdowns.

“Run blocking is a lot more fun than pass blocking because you get to knock people over a little bit more,” Fule said. “I love getting out there and pulling on sweeps. It gives you a chance to run out in an open space and get the job done. You can pick up more pancake blocks that way, too, which is always fun.”

Fule credits much of the line’s success to the valuable playing time this year’s juniors got a year ago.

“Last year, I came in as a first-time varsity starter and I learned a lot,” he said. “Knowing that all of us were in that same boat last year and learned the same lessons gave us so much confidence heading into this year. It’s like night and day when you get that extra year of varsity experience under your belt.”

The seniors are happy to have established a legacy as North Ridgeville’s first playoff team, but they make it clear they’re not satisfied.

“(St. Francis de Sales) is an aggressive, fast, well-coached and good overall team,” Lovasz said. “They’re No. 1 in our region for a reason. But we’re aiming for a win. We want to win at least one game for sure and keep our season going. But regardless, we’re looking forward to this experience.”

Added Fule: “I definitely don’t want this to be my last game. I love being the underdog. Everyone probably thinks that we’ll lose, but we’re not ready to end our season just yet. We’re more conditioned than anyone else, our seniors have been conditioned to be leaders and we believe we can surprise a lot of people.”

Contact Dan Gilles at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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