The Difference between Winning and Losing is Determined at Functions Like the CSRA OL/DL Camp

It's no secret that the results of football games are decided by which team dominates the line of scrimmage. It's also well known that the offensive and defensive linemen who make that difference might be the least celebrated figures in any of our major sports. But that fact has never deterred the hard work and sacrifice these players pour into their high school football teams so they can clear a path for their running backs, and protect their quarterbacks to give them enough time to find their receivers, so those skill players can garner recognition from newspapers, newscasts, websites and social media posts.

One group of men who undoubtedly appreciate the importance of the men in the trenches are the head coaches and assistant coaches who organize and teach stations at the annual CSRA OL/DL Camp at Patriots Park:

This week was the third installment of the camp that was first conceived by Jefferson County head coach JB Arnold. Nearly 200 linemen from ten local teams, along with their head coaches and assistant coaches, gathered for three days, running drills, learning techniques, and competing for three hours each day, two of them in pads, per Georgia High School Association rules.

The CSRA OL/DL Linemen Camp ended with pads crashing and helmets knocking when Simeon Barrow and Jermarvien Fraley of Grovetown) went head to head with Jefferson County’s O-Linemen this morning. Learn all about the camp at this link: https://t.co/PAzI2AlpnQ pic.twitter.com/Yh0yx7U0jF

— Chad Cook's AugBball (@AugBball) June 26, 2019

I think it is no coincidence that coach Arnold's own offensive line was one of the most successful units we saw last season. We profiled that group on this blog when we noticed the gaping holes star quarterback Jaden Jenkins ran through on Jefferson County's path to a region championship:

If you missed it, check out this feature about Jefferson County’s 7 man offensive line, which is the biggest and baddest around:https://t.co/Zy6ooSO0k6

— Chad Cook's AugBball (@AugBball) September 27, 2018

And last season's most impressive defensive line, Grovetown's, was also represented at the camp. That group, which features returning senior Simeon Barrow, who recently received a scholarship offer from Michigan State, was the deciding factor in Grovetown's undefeated run through region play last season.



So whether or not the men in the trenches get their proper due from the media and the PA announcers on Friday nights, there remains no doubt about their importance, or about the importance of the repetitions they get every June at the CSRA OL/DL Camp.