Lineman challenges benefitting Tigers

Members of the Snyder football team hope to use the experience of lineman challenges during the 2016 season.
Snyder will compete at the Lone Star Varsity Lineman Challenge at Lubbock Cooper today and the Texas State Lineman Challenge at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene next weekend.
Sean Humphrey, Ben McQuirk, Luis Cruz, Louis Sauceda, Ethan Goswick, Andres Medina, Diego Lopez, Justin Trawick, Shawn Sutton and Matthew Nix are competing in the challenges.
Snyder won championships at the Hardin-Simmons state qualifying and Wayland Baptist University tournaments earlier this summer.
“The lineman challenges are similar to 7-on-7 for the skilled position players,” McQuirk said. “This is for the guys up front. We test our strength against players from other schools to see how we stand. It also gives us something to do during the summer and helps to keep us in shape.”
Humphrey said the challenges help players prepare for preseason practice.
“It’s the linemen getting together and see how we will do against other teams,” Humphrey said. “It is a lot of strength and speed work and a great team builder to develop a bond among the linemen.”
Sauceda said the tournaments have helped develop team chemistry.
“The linemen challenges help us to bond closer and motivate and push us,” he said. “We work hard at every tournament and push each other to improve. The tournaments allows us to showcase what we can do.”
Athletes compete in nine events — tire flips, bench press, medicine ball throw, pro agility drill, 200-yard shuttle run, obstacle course, team sled push, power drive and team tug-of-war.
“It’s not easy,” McQuirk said. “The events help us learn how to work together.”
“Competing in the events put us in situations that we may face during the football season,” Humphrey said. “The most difficult event for me is the six-man sled push. You drive the sled down the field to the finish line and then you must turn it around.”
“My favorite event is the obstacle course,” Sauceda said. “The most difficult is the power drive. You have to push a barrel filled with sand.”
Sauceda is the team’s newcomer while McQuirk and Humphrey are competing for the third straight year.
“We know that we have to work hard because nothing will be given to us,” he said. “We play for each other and want to perform as one unit. I like the tournaments. It gives us an opportunity to perform.”
McQuirk agreed.
“The tournaments are helping to build leadership and teamwork,” he said. “It’s a workout to stay in shape and compete while having some fun.”
“It will help keep us in shape and be ready when August gets here,” Humphrey said. “We finished third at last year’s state lineman challenge. We will go for the gold this year.”