Unsung heroes: Pine Creek's offensive line dominates

You won’t see any of their stats in the boxscore. Very seldom does anybody outside the locker room give them any credit. Their names don’t appear in headlines.

However, without the self-glossed “Hoggers,” Pine Creek football wouldn’t be building a dynasty in northern Colorado Springs.

Greg Luebe, Mark Luebe, Tyler Sifrit, Grant Renner and Marshall Brandt make up the most dominant offensive line in the city, despite their relatively small stature.

Mark Luebe, a sophomore and the youngest in the group, is also the biggest at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds.

“I have learned a lot from these guys,” Mark said. “Even though I’m a little nervous going into the playoff games, I know what I need to do to help us win and I’m excited.”

Older brother Greg, a senior right guard, has anchored the Pine Creek line for three seasons. He relishes the opportunity to play big games with his younger brother, like Saturday’s 4A quarterfinal at Longmont.

“This whole group is really close and we have a lot of fun playing together,” Greg said. “Longmont will be a big challenge for us, but we just like to hit someone on every play.”

The shared aggression and love of contact is something that these five pride themselves on. They have been a key to two straight undefeated regular seasons.

“I love to pound the ball, and we are relentless when we are out there,” said Renner, the only junior in the group. “Playing next to Tyler and Marshall and hitting people hard is fun, and this is the only position with ‘men’ in it.”

It’s easy to see why the Eagles’ big guys bring so much passion and intensity, when talking to position coach Dal Lockwood.

“We have been building team unity and cohesiveness on the line, because those are often things that are overlooked,” Lockwood said. “We’re not as big as some lines we face, but we use quickness, agility and tenacity.”

However, the Hoggers are quick to point out that they are just part of Pine Creek’s offense.

“We’re all equally important, and we have a great backfield to block for,” Sifrit said. “Coach (Lockwood) gets us ready for every game, and we just try to play hard and play low.”

Although all five linemen sport “playoff mullets,” they don’t measure up to one stereotype of big, strong and aggressive athletes.

“These are some of the smartest kids on the team,” head coach Todd Miller said. “If you look at their GPAs, they are some of the highest in the school.”

Brandt, the only newcomer on the line, has jelled nicely with the rest of the group.

“There was a need for an offensive lineman, and I thought it would be more fun so I decided to do it,” Brandt said. “But I love what I do, and how we play on the line.”

As the playoff run goes deeper, the Hoggers will need to continue to pave the way for Pine Creek’s talented running backs, including Josh Chance and Connor Stevens, for the Eagles to reach their ultimate goal — a state title.