Hogmollies. 

Big uglies. 

Both of these terms are used to describe offensive linemen, but the terms do not bother them. In fact, those nicknames are more of a compliment than anything else. 

I would know.  I wear number 61 for Guilford’s football team and play center position. 

For those unfamiliar with football, the center is the person who snaps the football to begin a play. 

Guilford has 22 offensive linemen on the 2014 football roster. Each of us plays a different role on the team, but each role is  equally as important as the next.  

The five positions on an offensive line work as a unit: each guy must block his assignment to make a play work. 

A blown assignment could result in anything from a sack to a loss of yardage or a turnover.

Though when every assignment is blocked correctly, football is like watching a work of art. 

There is nothing better than seeing a hole open up for a running back or ensuring that no one gets near your quarterback.

That is our job.

But other than getting praise from our coaches or from the guys that scored, we do not usually see much of the spotlight. 

Quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and defensive players will show up on a post-ame stat line, but how well a guy blocked does not. 

We do not score touchdowns or make tackles; we block.

Many people ask, “Why would someone want to play offensive line? Why would someone want to put their body on the line for 70+ snaps per game? Why would someone practice as hard as you do each day?”

The answer is simple. We love it. 

The majority of us have been playing offensive line for 10–15 years. We are used to not getting the publicity. But, we know how important we are in making our team successful. 

Particularly when you are a part of a unit that played a crucial role in the team being 3–0 to start the year. The first time Guilford has started 3–0 since 2007.

It was not easy. This past game against Southern Virginia proved to be our toughest task yet. 

After three quarters of tough, smash-mouth football the game came down to the end of the fourth quarter.

With 3:28 left, winning 35–27, the game was put into our offensive line’s hands to run the clock out: “run to win,”as our coaches put it.

We were up to the task.

Each play, we ground out more and more time, bashing the defensive line as if we were two trains meeting on the same train track.

After getting our last first down on a sweep play, we took a victory kneel. 

We then proceeded to sing our fight song “Brave Ole’ Guilford Team!” a post-victory tradition. 

We are your Guilford football team, proud to be 3–0, aware there is still work to be done, our eyes fixed on an ODAC Championship.