Area big bodies compete in annual state lineman challenge at HSU

Carson Field, Abilene Reporter-News
·2 min read

The biggest boys in the Big Country showed out Saturday.

Hardin-Simmons again was the host of the annual State Lineman Challenge at Shelton Stadium. Dozens of local and Big Country schools competed in Division I (Classes 6A and 5A), Division II (4A and 3A Division I) and Division III (3A Division II and lower).

An athlete from Coleman competes in tug of war at the State Lineman Challenge at Hardin-Simmons on Saturday.
An athlete from Coleman competes in tug of war at the State Lineman Challenge at Hardin-Simmons on Saturday.

The area saw one team championship, with Coleman winng the Division III title. The Bluecats defeated Stamford in tug-of-war to clinch the title.

“They work hard, they stay together and they’re kind of ready for anything,” Coleman head coach John Elder said.

Coleman football went 11-1 last fall, and Elder believes the momentum from winning the state lineman title will carry into the 11-man season.

Stamford competes in tug-of-war at the State Lineman Challenge at Hardin-Simmons.
Stamford competes in tug-of-war at the State Lineman Challenge at Hardin-Simmons.

“Winning’s winning,” Elder said. “It always brings excitement to the locker room, and these kids are ready for fall to start as much as anybody is. We just want to keep things going in the right direction.”

Stamford finished only points behind the Bluecats in what was a strong effort from the Bulldogs. This summer marked the first time Stamford qualified for state in both the lineman challenge and 7-on-7.

Seeing strength from both his linemen and skill players, Stamford coach Britt Hart likes the trajectory of his program.

“It’s been a pretty good week,” Hart said. “Hats off to our kids because we’ve been working hard in the summer, trying to instill the importance of summer workouts. With 7-on-7 and this lineman challenge, we’re on the right track.”

Jim Ned's team competes at the State Lineman Challenge.
Jim Ned's team competes at the State Lineman Challenge.

Wylie was the runner-up in Division I tug-of-war and fourth in the overall team standings. Stephenville finished third in Division II, while Jim Ned was two spots behind in fifth. And Early placed fifth in Division III.

Individually, Gage Stanaland of Jim Ned was the event’s overall champion between all three classes. The senior set a bench press state record, recording 27 reps at 225 pounds.

The challenge marked the seventh year of the event as 57 teams took the field. More than 650 linemen from across the state participated.

An athlete from Stephenville competes at the lineman event Saturday.
An athlete from Stephenville competes at the lineman event Saturday.

While skill players had the chance to compete at the state 7-on-7 tournament this weekend, the Lineman Challenge gave the bigger guys an opportunity to compete while improving as athletes.

“It gives the kids something to do,” Elder said. “It’s really special.”

Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News. He covers primarily Big Country high school sports. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to reporternews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Area linemen compete in annual state challenge at Hardin-Simmons