By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Once the 2021 high school football season gets under way this fall, linemen will go back to doing their jobs in relative obscurity.
But Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Shawnee Heights was all about the guys up front, with more than 80 linemen from eight city and area schools taking part in the event.
Participating athetes from Shawnee Heights, Topeka West, Washburn Rural, Royal Valley, Santa Fe Trail, Blue Valley, Basehor-Linwood and Lansing took part in the 40-yard scoop and score, tractor tire flip, pro agility drill, 10-yard sled pull, 185-pound bench press for reps, medicine ball toss, 10-yard sled drive, pursuit drill and obstacle course, with players competing as teams and individuals.
Shawnee Heights lineman Garrett Peery goes through a drill during Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"The reality is all summer the seven on sevens are going on so all the skill kids get to play -- the quarterbacks, the D-backs, the receivers -- but the linemen don't get to do anything fun,'' Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift said. "So what we wanted to do is we wanted to put on an event where linemen only could participate.
"It's a non-contact event and it's a great way to build unity and team bonding with your line. Line coaches usually show up to be a part of it. The linemen as teammates, they're together pushing each other, so it's just a good day for them to compete against each other whether as an individual or a team, pick up a T-shirt and eat a lot of hot dogs and chips.''
Shawnee Heights' Matthew Etzel finishes off the obstacle course in Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Dawson Block, a Shawnee Heights lineman, runs an agility drill in Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
A lot of Shawnee Heights' skill position players were still on hand Monday, albeit in a different role.
"Today is all about the linemen,'' Swift said. "All of our skill guys, they're the volunteers today.''
| 2021 LINEMAN CHALLENGE - Final Standings | ||||||||||
| Monday, June 21, 2021 | ||||||||||
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | |||||||||
| School: | Blue Valley | School: | Shawnee Heights | |||||||
| Players | Grade | Pts | Players | Grade | Pts | |||||
| 1 | Levi Bittel | Sr | 213 | 1 | Matthew Etzel | Sr | 203 | |||
| 2 | Nick Herzog | Sr | 213 | 2 | Garett Peery | Sr | 200 | |||
| 3 | Andrew Long | Sr | 205 | 3 | Alex Dawkins | So | 191 | |||
| 4 | Gianni Scavuzzo | Sr | 198 | 4 | Dawson Block | Sr | 189 | |||
| 5 | Jack Cecil | Sr | 185 | 5 | Caleb Seelbach | So | 183 | |||
| Total | 1014 | Total | 966 | |||||||
| 3rd Place | 4th Place | |||||||||
| School: | Basehor-Linwood | School: | Washburn Rural | |||||||
| Players | Grade | Pts | Players | Grade | Pts | |||||
| 1 | Peyton McGee | Sr | 198 | 1 | Packson Bettis | So | 196 | |||
| 2 | Pete Best | Sr | 186 | 2 | Lukas Hanks | Jr | 185 | |||
| 3 | Jordan Johnson | Sr | 186 | 3 | Shane Sexton | Jr | 173 | |||
| 4 | Dalton Harris | Sr | 184 | 4 | Zach Franco | Jr | 151 | |||
| 5 | Logan Gall | Jr | 181 | 5 | Andrew Holman | So | 150 | |||
| Total | 935 | Total | 855 | |||||||
| Player | Grade | School | Bench | Sled Push | Pro-Ag | Throw | Obst | Sled Pull | 40 yd | Pursuit | Tire Flip | Total | |
| Levi Bittel | Sr | BVHS | 25 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 30 | 213 | |
| Nick Herzog | Sr | BVHS | 23 | 21 | 25 | 17 | 23 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 30 | 213 | |
| Andrew Long | Sr | BVHS | 16 | 21 | 24 | 16 | 24 | 29 | 24 | 22 | 29 | 205 | |
| Matthew Etzel | Sr | SHHS | 15 | 19 | 23 | 15 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 203 | |
| Garett Peery | Sr | SHHS | 20 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 30 | 200 | |
| Peyton McGee | Sr | BLHS | 5 | 20 | 27 | 15 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 30 | 198 | |
| Gianni Scavuzzo | Sr | BVHS | 20 | 21 | 24 | 13 | 16 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 198 | |
| Packson Bettis | So | WRHS | 8 | 26 | 26 | 14 | 17 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 28 | 196 | |
| Alex Dawkins | So | SHHS | 11 | 17 | 23 | 17 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 29 | 191 | |
| Dawson Block | Sr | SHHS | 14 | 19 | 24 | 13 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 30 | 189 |
