CENTERS: IT'S HARDLY A SNAP; WHERE IT ALL BEGINS.Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer They call him the center, but in terms of attention he is anything but. He is not a star. He is nobody's favorite player. Few in the stands know his number or his name. Fewer still know the extent of his responsibility for making his team go. As he strides to the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for and crouches over the football, he is merely the nameless somebody who gives the ball to the guy everybody knows - Mr. Glamour, himself: the quarterback - and then disappears into a confused sprawl of bodies. If the play is a success, he gets little credit. If he makes a mistake, chances are no one but his coaches and teammates noticed. But while fans might not recognize a center's contributions, coaches do. First, there's the obvious job No. 1. Anybody who wants to play center has to be able to hike the ball safely to the quarterback. ``If your center doesn't get the snap down, there's no offensive play,'' said Sylmar coach Jeff Engilman. Then there are the physical requirements. ``He's got to be strong and he's got to be quick,'' Engilman said. ``And I really do believe he's got to be your smartest lineman.'' On Engilman's team, that bright fellow is Zeke Beltran. And the reason he needs to be smart is that Engilman gives him a long list of duties to remember. As he approaches the ball, Beltran must check over the opposing defense and shout to his teammates the scheme they are facing. Then he makes a call to his fellow linemen and the backs, telling them the best way to block against that defense to make the play called in the huddle successful. ``It's one play, but we might have four different ways to block it,'' Engilman said. Beltran studies game film during the week to prepare himself to organize the blocking against the week's opponent. Because of that extra work and his understanding of how his team's plays work, Beltran sometimes helps his team choose its next play. ``He's able to come back to the quarterback and say, `Hey, this is open,' '' Engilman said. While Beltran does his work in a scheme that emphasizes running the ball, Justin Nagy's work at center is critical to the success of the pass-oriented Newbury Park offense. ``Center is one of our key positions,'' said Panthers coach George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4 1958 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Hurley's powerful style brought a sense of musicianship to the genre, paving the way for new possibilities in underground music. . ``He doesn't have to be the biggest, the strongest or the fastest lineman, but he needs to be bright.'' Nagy is also responsible for recognizing the defense, calling out blocking schemes and then adjusting those calls in response to last-second defensive changes. The calls can get complicated, the senior three-year starter said. But when they do, the Panthers have a backup system Noun 1. backup system - a computer system for making backups ADP system, ADPS, automatic data processing system, computer system, computing system - a system of one or more computers and associated software with common storage . ``If it gets confusing, it can come down to just saying, `I've got this guy, you've got that guy,' '' Nagy said. It is a common occurence that great centers are made not born. Few kids sign up for football hoping to be a center. ``Usually, everybody wants to be a quarterback or a wide receiver,'' Hurley said. Nagy had his heart set on being a tight end, but that changed during summer practice his freshman year. ``We were going through a walk-through for a drill and the coach said he wanted some guys to be on the line,'' Nagy said. ``Nobody was stepping up, so I stepped up at center just so we could get the drill done - and it stuck.'' Hart line coach Dan Houghton was a fullback before being moved to center in high school. Kennedy's Pete Regalado was a tackle. Regalado was apprehensive about the change at first. ``I knew it was going to be a tougher job,'' he said. And the toughest part of the switch was learning to make the snap while getting in position to make his block. A few opponents blew by Regalado before he got the hang of his new duties. ``It took me a few weeks,'' he said. A lineman's joys are mostly vicarious vicarious /vi·car·i·ous/ (vi-kar´e-us) 1. acting in the place of another or of something else. 2. occurring at an abnormal site. vi·car·i·ous adj. 1. , coming when a teammate scores or makes a big play. But there are personal victories, too. ``When a guy goes through a hole that you made and scores a touchdown, that would be the best moment for me,'' Regalado said. Nagy looks forward to those times when the Panthers pull their receivers in tight and keep the ball on the ground. ``On the short-yardage plays, we all get pretty fired up,'' Nagy said of the Newbury Park line. ``It's fourth down and short and we're going for it and you're just trying to plow plow or plough, agricultural implement used to cut furrows in and turn up the soil, preparing it for planting. The plow is generally considered the most important tillage tool. some guys. It's fun.'' Sometimes the rewards for good play are even tangible. At Agoura High School Agoura High School is a four-year high school, freshman-senior, in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. , Chargers center Dustin Stern's helmet has a collage collage (kəläzh`, kō–) [Fr.,=pasting], technique in art consisting of cutting and pasting natural or manufactured materials to a painted or unpainted surface—hence, a work of art in this medium. of lightning bolt Lightning bolt may refer to
There is a physical price to pay for being a center. Cuts and bruises Bruises Definition Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. are common. Nagy said his hands take the biggest beating as he pushes and shoves his opponents around the field. ``After every game I wake up with hands about two inches bigger than they should be,'' he said. As a center, Nagy watches pro football on television with a different point of view than most fans. He looks at defenses and how the pros block them. ``I watch the center and the whole line, really,'' he said. But in other ways, he's just like any other fan. Asked who his favorite player is, Nagy made a sheepish sheep·ish adj. 1. Embarrassed, as by consciousness of a fault: a sheepish grin. 2. Meek or stupid. sheep admission - it's a running back. ``I like Napoleon Kaufman Napoleon Kaufman (born June 7, 1973) is an American football player and ordained minister. He is a former NFL running back, playing for the Oakland Raiders the entirety of his professional football career. ,'' he said. ``And all-time, Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football player, who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football. .'' Even among their own, centers just don't seem to get much attention. Jim Otto James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938 in Wausau, Wisconsin) was an American football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. Wausau High School and University of Miami , eat your heart out. FRONT AND CENTER A rare moment of attention for some of the top centers in the Valley area. MIKE SCHEPER, ST. FRANCIS Height: 6-1 Weight: 250 Yr: Sr. Comment: Very smart, very aggressive ZEKE BELTRAN, SYLMAR Height: 5-11 Weight: 225 Yr: Sr. Comment: Student of the game watches hours of game film JASON JONES Jason Jones is the name of:
Height: 6-0 Weight: 230 Yr: Sr. Comment: Tough, hardnosed run blocker GREG IMEL, WESTLAKE Height: 5-11 Weight: 210 Yr:Sr. Comment: Reads defenses very well JUSTIN NAGY, NEWBURY PARK Height: 5-10 Weight: 190 Yr: Sr. Comment: Anchors Panthers' ironclad ironclad, mid-19th-century wooden warship protected from gunfire by iron armor. The success of the ironclad when first employed by the French in the Crimean War sparked a naval armor and armaments race between France and Great Britain. offensive line JOHN KANG, CRESCENTA VALLEY The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. Height: 5-11 Weight: 235 Yr: Jr. Comment: Shy off the field, growing into a tiger on it CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box Photo: (1--color) Kennedy High School center Pete Regalado started his prep career as a tackle but didn't take long to pick up the position. Photo illustration: Daily News Phil McCarten / Daily News (2) Zeke Beltran is not just the center of Sylmar's offensive line, he's also one of its smartest players, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. coach Jeff Engilman. Myung J. Chun / Daily News Box: FRONT AND CENTER (see text) |
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