Carolina Forest offensive line has Panthers running with purpose

Marc Morris doesn’t care if opposing defenses know what plays are coming.

It’s their job to stop his offense ... and his to make sure they aren’t successful in doing so.

Certainly, the Panthers head coach’s affinity for running the football is one of the worst kept secrets on the Grand Strand. In fact, one of Morris’ first tasks upon taking the reins of the Carolina Forest football program was to change its identity on offense, knowing a solid ground game is a key to success.

“Ever since I got here, the one thing we had to change was the culture around here about running the football and stopping the run,” he said. “That’s been our goal and it’s kind of what we believe in. It’s hard to do that if your (offensive line) is not on the same page you are.”

This season more than any other, that approach has been put to the test. Starting with the loss of standout running back Dyverse Simmons, there has been a revolving door in and out of the Carolina Forest backfield, injuries doing their part to decimate the Panthers’ deep cache of ball carriers.

One constant, though, has been the team’s offensive line, which has been able to create gaping holes for Carolina Forest backs to run through — regardless of who it is.

Brothers in arms, the group of eight — seniors Keith Causey, Dean Duncan, Antwine Loper, Tyler Marchese and Hunter Sanders, along with juniors Thomas Schubert, Shane Smith and Noah Yankovich — have paved the way for the Panthers to rush for 1,819 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Their worth may be found more so in the number of backs that have succeeded with them out front, as three different Carolina Forest runners hitting the century mark in games during the 2016 football campaign.

With coaches putting such trust in the unit, it only serves as a confidence booster for the group. It is also added incentive to make the team’s stable of running backs look as good as possible.

“It makes us feel like the coaches have a belief in us, a lot of trust in us,” Loper said. “If he can basically put the team on our back, it means he must feel we can handle it. It’s amazing to know he has that type of trust in us.

“… (Our running backs) often come to us every game, and thank us for keeping them safe, making sure that hole is wide enough for them to get that touchdown and them six points.”

Though possessing total faith in his defense, Morris tends to utilize a similar offensive play-calling approach to that of the Dallas Cowboys, believing the opposing offense’s ability to score is severely limited if his offensive unit dominates time of possession. It is something the big boys up front tend to embrace, even if it requires members to push their bodies to the limit.

What occurs on Friday nights is merely a byproduct of the hard work put in earlier that week. Followed by several grueling sessions each week in the weight room, the group then pushes itself on the practice field in an effort to be at peak performance when the lights shine brightest.

“Weight room … weight room is where it all starts,” Marchese said.

Carolina Forest is 6-1 this season, its only loss a narrow 24-21 loss to Myrtle Beach. More importantly, the Panthers are 2-0 in Region VI-5A play as rival Conway pays a visit to “The Black Hole.”

A win greatly enhances the team’s chances to land a playoff berth, particularly with its final two games at home.

The Carolina Forest offensive line is not putting the cart before the horse, though, anticipating quite the battle in the trenches.

“We’ve been working hard the last few days, going through the chutes a lot. We’re mainly focusing on our footwork and how fast we’re firing off the ball,” Loper said. “They have big guys, but we have big guys too.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Carolina Forest offensive line has Panthers running with purpose."