Meet The Mob: West Orange Football Retools at Offensive Line

Most successful football teams have a good offensive line to go with it — five big guys tasked with keeping the quarterback as clean as possible and clearing the path for running backs to take the open field. And often, that offensive line will have a catchy nickname that endures for all time. 

The Buffalo Bills of the 1970s had the Electric Company. The Washington Redskins of the 1980s had the Hogs. The 1990s Dallas Cowboys had the Great Wall of Dallas. 

The West Orange High School Warriors came into the 2021 season needing to replace four of five starters on their offensive line; the only starter to return was senior guard Chris Dauphin. 

West Orange’s offensive line coaches Will Ficka and Bryan Furrey knew they had a tough task ahead of them. 

“It’s always scary when you have to replace seniors that have been here and cared so much about the program,” Furrey said. 

Even so, there was reason for optimism. 

“We knew we had some size and ability coming up,” Furrey said. “From our sophomores going into the juniors and the freshman class that has been successful in Little League. It’s always scary to replace seniors, but every year you have to.” 

The Warriors’ new offensive line looks something like this: junior Brody Riffe at tackle, Dauphin at guard, sophomore Bryce Czachorowski at center, senior Hunter Moss at the other guard and junior Greysen Riffe at the other tackle. Senior tight end Eddie Kelly also can be added to that group as an honorary member. 

And although they represent a rebuilt line, already, the players are beginning to jell.

“We’ve already got a good chemistry,” Czackorowski said. “We go out there and play as a group.” 

“We just keep pounding,” Dauphin added. 

“We have the best bond,” Kelly said. “We play with heart and soul.” 

While four of the guys have been playing together for at least a year, Moss, who transferred to West Orange from Foundation Academy for his senior season, is the new kid on the block. For most, it would take a long time to get used to playing with new teammates and developing that chemistry — especially if they only will be around for one year. 

Moss, however, jumped right into it. 

“It’s like I’ve been here all four years,” Moss said of his teammates. “We developed that chemistry right away, and it’s been great so far. I’m looking forward to winning with these guys.” 

Already, Moss has won over his new coaches with his attitude and football intelligence. 

“He understands football, he understands what everybody is doing … understands blocking schemes,” Ficka said. “He was obviously a leader and taught well from Foundation. He was able to come here and take the young guys under his wing and be a leader and an alpha dog.” 

“His football IQ is off the charts,” Furrey said. “His desire to want to win and his ability to fit in and become a part of the team and not make it weird has been like no other transfer we’ve seen. We’re happy to have him here.” 

That chemistry has already led  to success with two wins to begin the season. In the Preseason Kickoff Classic, the Warriors went to Winter Park and took care of business in a 33-19 win over the Wildcats. Then, in the regular-season opener against East River, the line cleared the path for Terrell Walden III to score three touchdowns during their 48-0 victory over the Falcons. 

The offensive line will be put to the test tomorrow night when the team travels to Apopka to take on the Blue Darters in one of West Orange’s biggest games of the season. However, the coaches see every game as a big game. 

“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing East River, Apopka, Osceola; they’re all big, and we have to take it one game at a time,” Furrey said. “Every week, we have to be at our best. We say that the game is already won by the time we get to Thursday.” 

Furrey and Ficka are confident that not only is the line up to the challenge presented tomorrow, but also it will be a driving force for West Orange for the rest of the season. That starts with practice. 

“Our job as coaches is to make sure Monday through Thursday is the hardest thing they see all week,” Ficka said. “It’s beneficial for us that we have a great defensive line that brings it every single day. Iron sharpens iron.” 

Because most great teams give their offensive lines nicknames, what would the Warriors’ offensive line’s nickname be? Some names such as O-Block were thrown around until the linemen settled on one they liked:

The Mob.