It was easy to overlook Jacob Myers last season. He weighed all of 150 pounds and was surrounded by older teammates who weighed between 210 and 270 pounds.
That won't be the case this season.
Myers, a starting senior guard, has bulked up to 170 pounds and although he still is the smallest starter on the Senators' front, he is the team's only returning starter and the leader of the group.
That's a lot of pressure, but Myers doesn't really feel it. If he feels any pressure it's self-induced.
"The pressure is that I don't want to let down the guys (Danny Gall, Dalton Simpson and Matt Cooper) that helped me last season," said Myers after a recent practice in preparation for Saturday's opener in Pocatello, Idaho, against Highland High School. "They pushed me (to get better) and I will push these guys (the new starters)."
Myers finds himself surrounded by three guys who have never started a down of varsity football on the offensive line - senior center Aaron Spurlock, senior tackle Jeremy Vernon and junior tackle Levi Carter. The other starter is Logan Peternell, who played some on the line last year.
Just for good measure throw in junior tackle Joe Zinda and sophomore center Aaron Cowee, both of whom will miss Saturday's opener because of injuries. Neither has played a down of varsity football.
Myers is not a boisterous type of guy. He won't be waving his arms at teammates to fire them up or make a point. He's more apt to pull them aside and quietly tell them what they are doing wrong. A screamer he isn't.
"He's not a rah-rah guy," said Pat Houlihan, Carson's veteran offensive line coach. "He will lead by example. Jake is an intelligent kid and works hard. I know he can lead by example. His teammates see how hard he works.
"He's my demo guy. If I want the rest of the line to see how something is supposed to be done, I call on Jake."
Of his new linemates, Myers has been impressed with Carter.
"He knows what he's doing out there," Myers said. "He's not opposed to hitting somebody. He can get nasty out there. I know he'll have my back and I'll have his."
Myers estimates that he's usually giving up anywhere from 50 to 70 pounds each week, yet he was an effective player last season and the coaching staff expects the same type of performance from him this season.
"It's all pretty much technique," Myers said. "You have to perfect the technique. That can make the difference. You have to learn the rules."
Technique can get the best of brute force for the simple reason that Carson doesn't ask its offensive linemen to take on guys straight up, man-on-man, very often.
"We do a lot of angle blocking," Houlihan said. "Guards are pulling all the time, and they need to learn how to get the right angle to execute the block."
"Getting around a guy and moving him. It's a hard thing to do sometimes," Myers said. "Sometimes you miss and sometimes you get overpowered."
With an extra 20 pounds on his frame Myers said it will be a little easier to move people and create creases for guys like Dylan Sawyers, Cole Dufresne, Joey Thurman and Jacob McClelland to get through.
If you talk to any Carson offensive lineman, one of the first things he talks about is the rules. Carson's offensive concept is that the linemen not only have to know what they are doing from play to play, but what the people around them are doing.
"It is a complicated offense," Houlihan said, talking about the Wing-T attack. "You don't learn it overnight. You have to know the concepts or you're not going to be successful. Jake knows the rules. He's a technician."
"I was a little overwhelmed at first (last year)," Myers admitted. "Once you get the hang of it, it really flows. Freshman and sophomore seasons we pretty much just run basic stuff. I didn't feel comfortable until the Hug game last year (third game). There were a couple of rules I didn't understand."
That was in the past. Myers has it under control, and Carson hopes he can follow in the footsteps of the great players of the last couple of years.
CARSON VS. HIGHLAND
What: Rocky Mountain Rumble
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Holt Arena at Idaho State
TV: None. The game will be streamed live on idahosports.com
Records: Highland 1-0, Carson 0-0
