Patriots living off fat of O-line
Quintet provides Binghamton's offensive spark
November 13, 2008
By now, followers of high school football hereabouts surely are aware of Binghamton High and leading man Smith, of the perfect record and the state ranking and the heaps of yardage and points produced at a startling rate.
Then again ...
That's Smith, as in Nate Smith, 20 percent of the sturdy foundation of an offensive unit that has been the most talked-about as well as the most productive in Broome and neighboring counties this season.
Introducing, from left to right, "The Fat Men" :
Tackle Smith (6-foot, 230), guard Mitch Holland (5-11, 200), center Nate Garbarino (5-11, 240), guard Vince Rotella (5-10, 235) and tackle Nick Fabrizi (6-2, 260).
But, um, the moniker?
"They're the fat men," said line coach and mentor Joel Davis, the hulking former three-season starter for the United States Military Academy. "There's no shame in being a fat man. We work hard together, we eat together. They're good boys."
"It's great. It's an honor being a fat man," said Holland, along with junior classmate Garbarino the youngsters of the quintet. "We put in all the hard work and we get the skill positions their glory."
Operating from a spread formation, the Patriots have generated 2.91 miles of offense -- 511.6 yards per game -- on the way to 10 consecutive victories and the program's first Section 4 Class AA championship since 2004.
The highest scoring team in the section piled up 41 or more points in eight of nine ballgames -- 50 or better five times -- before being limited to a season-low 21 in Friday's title-game victory over Union-Endicott. In five October contests, the Pats averaged an even 55 points per outing, 70 of them coming at Syracuse Nottingham-- where the halftime score was 51-14.
Most conspicuous among individual contributors has been Jamar Smith, a 190-pound senior whose 2,242 rushing yards top Section 4's all-time single-season charts.
And know this about Jamar Smith, a 'Cat-turned-Pat whose senior-season rushing total is more than double that which he racked up in 2007 before relocating to Binghamton's backfield from Johnson City's:
"At the end of the (Section 4 championship) game, he actually honored us with the game ball that we gave him as a team," Holland said. "He gave the ball back to the O-line."
And there is quarterback Ahmed Hassanien, who has passed for 1,003 yards and rushed for another 510. "I love them to death," Hassanien said. "They work so hard in the offseason to make sure that me and Jamar are able to do what we do."
"People just don't comprehend; 2,000 yards rushing by Jamar? That's special, and it comes down to the offensive line and to coach Davis," said head coach Mike Ramil, erstwhile starting lineman at the University of Alabama. "They deserve the same respect as Jamar for those 2,000 yards, and Jamar will be the first to tell you that."
Three of the starters up front are exclusively offensive players. Smith and Rotella figure into the defensive rotation, though they do not start on that side of the line.
Given the Patriots' no-huddle approach and demands that they hustle back to the line of scrimmage as soon as the whistle sounds to end a play, conditioning factors greatly into the mix. Opposing O-linemen have the luxury of grabbing a breather between plays; not so for the Pats' Fats.
"We've got to keep the high speed up, so when we're in shape it helps us to wear down the other team's defense," Holland said.
Physical conditioning also called for extensive weight-room work which, Davis said, resulted in an average 20-pound weight gain per man. That, coupled with considerable time devoted to honing the craft of the trade has made for an able-bodied, well-schooled unit.
Asked what has most impressed him about the O-line, Davis said: "That they understand the offense and what we're trying to accomplish. They understand the big picture of where they fit across the line and where they fit into the offense as a whole.
"They communicate very well with one another. These boys are technicians. Everybody talks about how hard they work, but you can't overemphasize the discipline they have and the technique they demonstrate."
Oh, and how many high school football programs across the state have a Web site devoted exclusively to its linemen? Call up www.thepatriotlegion.com and have a look at player bios, news & updates, even an account of a "Fat Fest"-- the boys gathering to devour vittles in celebration of a recent victory.
"Other positions get the glory," reads one passage on the Web site reads, "but it's the Fat Men that fight and battle each and every play with little or no recognition. This site is dedicated to publicizing their great efforts."
Regarding that relative obscurity, Holland spoke on behalf of his fellow Fat Men.
"It doesn't bother me because I know that they couldn't do it without us," he said. "Without us, they wouldn't be in the paper."