The statistics aren’t necessarily indicative of a team that didn’t have a whole preseason camp or non-district games to solidify its starting offensive line.

But behind — actually, in front of — every great quarterback and running back is a great offensive line.

It’s one of the hallmarks of Port Arthur Memorial’s offense. The Titans’ athleticism and physicality up front often paves the way for big games from playmakers such as Elijah Hines and Keitha Jones.
With a number of practice days and both non-district games lost due to Tropical Storm Harvey, the Titans (5-1, 5-1 in 22-5A) had to find the right combination up front in the early stages of District 22-5A play. Only two returning starters, seniors Nakoven Lewis and Brian Roy, returned from 2016.

As the regular season winds down, the offensive line has jelled.

“We’ve really, overall, done a great job picking up run schemes,” o-line coach T.K. Harrison said. “I put a lot on them. We run three different types of zone schemes and three different types of pass protections.”

As the Titans came together in the week following Harvey’s wrath, Harrison had to do some shuffling with the loss of four players due to displacement.

“Some guys had to make an adjustment,” Harrison said. “We had two or three different alignments [in personnel], and we lost two guys playing center.”

Roy said Harrison coached them hard during the process.

“It was hard at the beginning, me playing a position and changing positions,” Roy said. “Guys went from defense to playing on the o-line.”

But Harrison has gone with the same starting alignment since Memorial’s second game of the season against Ozen — Lewis at left tackle, junior Malik Blake at left guard, senior Dalyn Ceaser at center, junior Jose Fourquet at right guard and Roy at right tackle.

Memorial’s offense has averaged 365.2 yards per game, but the o-line opens holes for two of the top 10 rushers in 22-5A. Senior Elijah Hines, who is committed to Louisiana Tech, averages 7.67 yards per carry and has totaled 14 touchdowns and 805 yards, good for third in the district behind Lumberton’s Josh Ward (1,063 yards) and Nederland’s Devon Simmons (874).

“It’s a good feeling to block for Elijah,” Lewis said. “He’s one of the best running backs in the state. Without the front five, Elijah can’t get his yards.”

Jones, the eighth-leading rusher in 22-5A with 445 yards, has gone 20 for 29 passing the last two weeks, throwing better than his 57.1 percent completion rate. He and Hines often credit the work up front for letting them do their own work.

The o-linemen simply credit Harrison for helping mesh together a strong unit.

“We take good hard coaching,” Lewis said. “Coach gets on me. He makes sure we stay focused 24-7.”

HULL RETURNS
Senior wide receiver and defensive back Xavier Hull has returned to Memorial and was eligible to practice and compete with the Titans beginning Thursday.

Hull was among the players who were displaced by Harvey and began the season at The Woodlands along with former Memorial teammate De’Angelo Alexander, according to head coach Kenny Harrison. A UIL policy enacted Aug. 31 allows displaced students to return to their original school and be eligible for participation after one day back in the original school, even if they competed at their new school. The governing body for public high school activities in Texas expressed a desire for students to return to their home districts in announcing the policy.

Hull, the 22-5A long jump champion, was sixth in that event in 5A and was part of the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams that set state and national records, respectively, in May’s state meet in Austin. Memorial finished second as a team.

Alexander will remain at The Woodlands, Kenny Harrison said.
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I.C. Murrell: 549-8541. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews