For Carey, it's all on the line

CAREY-- Carey right tackle Easton Korody is an All-Ohio selection, and a key cog in an offensive line that has helped the Blue Devils reach their first state final in 46 years.When asked what it was about Carey's offensive line that made it so special, the senior kept it simple."We're all just dawgs at the end of the day," Korody said. "We take pride in just dominating."For most of the 2021 season, the Blue Devils up front have been doing just that.Statistics for high school offensive linemen aren't always easy to find. Sometimes, you just have to look at the team's results.Carey is on a 14-game winning streak, and will be playing in the Division VI state final against Coldwater at 3 p.m. Saturday at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton.Every one of the Blue Devils wins have been by double digits. Twelve of them have been by 20 points or more.And how does the offensive line figure in?The Blue Devils are led on offense by bruising back Jordan Vallejo. The senior has accumulated 1,544 yards this season and a remarkable 34 touchdowns."I get all the credit for all the touchdowns and the yards and everything, but the real credit goes to the O-line," Vallejo said. "They're getting all these good blocks and good pushes and everything, and they're allowing me to get four or five yards without being touched."The Blue Devils offensive line includes Korody, as well as right guard Ashton Clauss. At center is Brock Bushong, with Carson Pahl at left guard and Collin Ferguson at left tackle.It wasn't a set group before the season. The team lost one of its better linemen, Cameron Pahl (Carson's twin brother) in the summer to a torn ACL."So, going into this season, I knew we had four," Carey coach Jonathan Mershman said. "We had to find the fifth, and Brock really did step up."Korody went even further."(Bushong's) improved every game, and right now, he's dominating," Korody said. "I'm just so proud of how far we've come since the Hopewell game. It's awesome to play with that group of guys."The 30-15 loss to Hopewell-Loudon is the only blemish on the Blue Devils' season. But it was the next week, in the second half against Galion, that Korody said things turned around for good."Our first six quarters, obviously, not the best, we lost to Hopewell, and our first two quarters against Galion, we really struggled," he said. "I don't know what was said at halftime at Galion, but we haven't looked back since."Carey also has an advantage over many small schools. Its linemen play either offense or defense. Not both."We all go one way, so our varsity D-line will go against our starting O-line, which really helps," said Carey defensive tackle Trennon Stoll. "Other teams, their offensive and defensive lines are going both ways, so they can't do that. It helps us, and it gives us a great challenge."It's also allowed Stoll to take on Korody in practice."I go against him a lot, the majority of the time," Stoll said. "It's a great challenge. It's definitely helping me improve my play and my moves and all that."Korody is the standout on the offensive line, a Youngstown State commit. Mershman has been part of the Carey coaching staff for 16 years, and has worked with some strong players up front.He said Korody ranks among the best.Korody compared him to Alex Damschroder, a tackle who went on to a standout career at Heidelberg. "The thing with Easton is, Easton's just a little bit taller and bigger; if Al was two inches taller, I don't think he'd have played at Heidelberg, to be honest with you," Mershman said. "We've had some really stellar linemen here, throughout the years, but yeah, Easton ranks right up there, in the top three, in my mind."Korody said he – and his teammates – have been at their best this season."I think, as a group, we've gotten better every single year," he said. "Obviously, individually, too, I've put on about 15-20 pounds since last year. Everybody has just been in the weight room since January. The hard work and everything we've put in, it's unbelievable how far we've come, and we're not finished yet."To Mershman, the credit for that goes to not only his linemen, but to all the blockers.That includes flanker Bryce Conti and tight end E.J. Boes.Conti isn't just a ball hawk on the defensive side – he has eight interceptions this season – but he's a valuable receiver, with 26 catches for 578 yards and four touchdowns.But Mershman said Conti is an important blocker in the offense."Bryce is Bryce. You wanna talk about selfless blocker that he is, if you go back and watch tape, he does a heck of a job blocking," Mershman said. "He knows he's gotta block so he can get his passes, because our play action doesn't work unless we're gaining running yards."Then there's Boes, who filled in admirably last season when now-graduated TE Ian Yeater was injured."I knew what we had with E.J. Going into his junior year," Mershman said.Saturday's state final is the culmination of a journey that in some ways began almost a decade ago."We've been playing together since third grade," Korody said of the linemen. "We've always been close, ever since we started playing. I feel like we get closer ever single week, and we take pride in playing for each other. I think that's the big thing."Now, the group joins together for one more game.With a state title at stake."Every time I think about it, I get goose bumps," Korody said. "I get that excited feeling. I can't wait, but I've got to calm the storm. I can't play the game before it happens. It's just exciting."Indeed. The dawgs will have their day.