Oscar Smith is winning the battle up front

CHESAPEAKE

Opposing teams knew all about Oscar Smith's skilled players in quarterback J.J. Williamson, running back J.C. Coleman and receivers Zack Jones and Sequan Gooding.

There was a clear question mark heading into this season: Who was going to block for them?

But despite an undersized - and unknown - offensive line, Oscar Smith won an eighth consecutive Southeastern District title and at 4 p.m. Saturday plays Centreville for the Group AAA Division 6 state title in Charlottesville.

The Tigers won a state championship in 2008 with an offensive line that averaged about 265 pounds. This year's starters average around 217 pounds.

"Zack and Sequan are as big as our offensive tackles," joked Oscar Smith offensive line coach Scott Brunet. Jones is 6 feet and 185 pounds, Goodingis 6-1 and 190.

Meanwhile, the linemen are proof that roster heights and weights can't always be trusted.

The offensive line features

senior center Keeland Jennette, who is generously listed at 5-11 and 280 pounds, but is more like 5-9 and 255. Then there's guard Trey Billups (6-0, 240) and tackle Shedrick Oliver, who is listed at 6-3 and 210 but confessed that he's around 195 pounds. Guard Troye Harris, listed at 6-1 and 215 pounds, admits he's 199 pounds. Tackle Jaleel Shelton is 6-1 and 230.

Brunet said offensive schemes designed by head coach Richard Morgan have helped offset the line's size.

"He's a genius, and his schemes are so good we can take advantage of every aspect of everybody's defense," said Brunet, a Tigers assistant since 1998. "Sometimes, all we have to do is get in the way of the defense. We want to make sure the quarterback has time and the running back has holes to run through."

The offensive line regularly faces defensive lines that tower over them and outweigh them by 50 pounds. Still, they opened holes for Coleman to run for 1,413 yards and 16 touchdowns and protected Williamson as he threw for 2,822 yards and 37 touchdowns.

"I'm very proud of them and I thank them every day because they keep me safe," said Williamson, who estimates he has been sacked fewer than 10 times in 14 games this season. "They might be smaller than other lines, but they get the job done and that's all that matters."

Morgan said he has done his share of yelling at his line, but he's proud of what it has accomplished and credited Brunet for his hard work and patience.

"They have come a long way," Morgan said. "He's got guys doing things that quite honestly people didn't think they'd be able to do."

Jennette, a senior, said it's a big challenge being smaller than opposing defensive lines, but the group takes pride in leading the way and working in unison.

"We just go out there and take on much bigger lines than us," he said. "It's not the size of the dog, but the fight in the dog."

The line, though, hasn't drawn many accolades. Only Billups earned all-district honors, and he was named to the second team.

"To be honest, it will feel better to have a ring on my finger than to be all-district or All-Tidewater," Jennette said. "It would have been nice, but the ring will feel much better."

Larry Rubama, (757) 446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com