VICTORIA – Victoria coach Doug Oberle has continually praised his defensive line during a significant chunk of his team’s 22-game winning streak. As well, the Knight teammates have recognized the perpetually elite play set by the front. The athletic and experienced line features seniors Eric McAlonan, Wheaton Hockersmith, Brandon Brungardt and Lane Kisner.
“Our D-line, when they get squared away, and they do what they are supposed to do, they are very good,” Oberle said. “We are so athletic up front.”
“It’s all up to the front most of time, and they do a heck of a job up there with filling the gaps and making plays,” senior safety Brady Dinkel added.
The defensive line is the fulcrum to an outstanding unit, especially against the run, for the 10-0 Knights, ranked No. 1 in Eight-Man, Division II. Oberle, 94-20 in 10 years has head coach, has veteran assistants Dan Rogers and Alex McMillan, also the line coach.
“Honestly, it’s just fundamentals, and then listen to what our coaches tell us,” Brungardt said. “Everybody just buys in to what Coach Mac, Coach Rogers, Coach O tells us, and I think that’s what makes us successful.”
Victoria travels to Wallace County, No. 2 at 11-0, in Friday’s sub-state championship game, a rematch of last year’s sub-state contest. It marks the second game since the passing of Wildcat senior standout Luke Schemm.
“We all just want to stop the run,” Kisner said. “We don’t want anybody to be able to run on us. We want to make everybody one dimensional.”
Last year, the Knights’ defensive line, full of first-year starters, earned acclaim when it held Minneola, Wallace County and Argonia-Attica to 110 rushing yards on 100 carries in the final three playoff games en route to the state championship.
This season, Victoria has permitted 61.4 rushing yards a contest and 2.55 rushing yards a carry.
“Our front three has a lot to do with that, filling holes, doing their job and then whoever squeaks past them, we clean up,” senior defensive back Grant Weber said.
Just two teams, Ellinwood (106 yards in Week 2) and Northern Valley (157 yards Week 5) have gone over 69 rushing yards versus the Knights.
“They are solid at all eight positions, and that’s what makes it tough, you don’t really have a mismatch anywhere,” Otis-Bison coach Travis Starr said.
Victoria, in the postseason for a 14th straight season, easily the longest current run in eight-man football, has a solid foundation of experience, tradition, and weight room work that’s produced powerlifting state titles.
Oberle has continually stressed humility for a program that looks for its seventh state crown in school annals and second perfect season.
“We have got to do the little things correct,” Oberle said. “We are not the biggest team out there. We have some pretty good athleticism. We are pretty quick, but if we don’t do the little things correctly, nothing is going to work for us.”
In addition to all returning starters up front, Victoria has new linebackers with senior Taylor Corley, junior Bryant Karlin and sophomore Cooper Pfanenstiel. Karlin is one of the team’s biggest surprises. Corley has played some defensive back and linebacker. Senior lineman Joe Jones and senior Parker Riedel, the team’s leading rusher, are key defensive reserves.
“It’s a lot of weight room, it’s a lot of sprints, it’s a lot of early mornings just working your butt off, and that’s about it,” Karlin said. “It’s just being position sound.”
Weber, Joe Dortland and Dinkel have helped stop the run and played well against the pass. Teams have completed 54 of 138 passes (39.1 percent) with seven scores against 12 interceptions. Dinkel missed seven games because of health issues before he returned in Week 9. He and McAlonan were all-state defensive players by KPreps in ’14.
“I think all three of us DBs have improved over last year tremendously,” Weber said. “It’s a lot better (with Dinkel). We can rotate people in, and keep people fresh, and able to stay fresh on the field.”
Since Week 9, Victoria has faced Otis-Bison, Triplains-Brewster and Minneola, teams that went a combined 22-5 when not facing the Knights. Each team had a 1,000-yard rusher. In 84 combined rushes, the opponents never had a single carry over 11 yards. In Week 1, Victoria never allowed Central Plains (9-2) a run longer than six yards on 22 carries.
“You can keep increasing your splits, but they just shut everything down so well, and the linebackers get off blocks,” Starr said.
On Saturday, the Knights defeated Minneola, 46-0, and held the physical rushing attack to 24 carries for 61 yards and 77 total yards. After the game, Minneola coach Reigo Hahn looked up at the Victoria stands completely full of fans.
“You have got probably one of the best football coaches up here, and you have got a community who understands what the weight room does for a program,” Hahn said.
In fall camp, Oberle called linebacker a possible concern after all-state players Bryan Dome and Noah Dreiling, the lone two seniors on the 12-1 team last fall, graduated. Karlin has especially stepped up and even played some offensive line when needed.
“Bryant Karlin is a smart kid,” Oberle said. “He is a good football player. He is a tough football player. He is undersized. He just continues to get better each and every week. He has been a pleasant surprise. Early in the year, beginning of the year, we were looking at him maybe more some situational stuff, in and out. He has earned his position as a starting linebacker for us, and he has done a great job. He finds the football.”
The bulk of the load goes to the defensive line, none whom even weigh 200 pounds. Dinkel labeled the front “phenomenal” last season and said the defense “has gotten better and better.” Victoria permitted 16.5 points a contest in 2014. This fall, they’ve helped produce the No. 3 scoring defense in eight-man football at 7.8 points allowed per contest.
“It’s a tough position to play, all along the defensive line,” Oberle said. “It’s physically and mentally demanding. … We want to make teams one-dimensional. We want to make sure that we contain the run.”
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