Unbeaten Chanhassen football team thrives on offensive line strength

"Ball carried by Woods," Apple Valley public address announcer Bill Blatzheim tells the fans in the stands. Maxwell Woods slices and spins for 6 yards up the middle.

Blatzheim makes the identical call 24 seconds later. Woods sets up his blocking patiently and gains 12 yards off right tackle.

"Ball carried by Woods," Blatzheim announces 32 seconds later. Woods is held to 2 yards up the middle on his third consecutive carry.

There is no mention of the "Trench Hogs." Let Woods handle that.

"They don't get enough credit, and deserve all the credit," Woods said. "They are the hardest-working position group that I have ever seen. They don't just help me but our quarterback, too. They are the key to our team's success."

The Trench Hogs are the offensive linemen who open holes for Woods, a senior running back for Chanhassen, and give senior quarterback Brayden Windschitl time to pass. They do it well enough that Chanhassen is unbeaten (11-0) and ranked first in Class 5A. The Storm are making their initial state tournament appearance and will face No. 4 Andover (10-1) on Saturday in the semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"We expected to have a solid offensive line this season," Chanhassen coach Cullen Nelson said. "They have played hard and gotten better each week. They are invested and prepare well each week."

The Trench Hogs are junior center Peter Hiebert (6-2, 260 pounds), senior guard Will Gebauer (6-foot, 255), sophomore guard Owen Linder (6-4, 240), senior tackle Joey Nelson (6-4, 245), junior tackle Owen Sevald (6-4, 285) and senior tight end Kameron Zurek (6-4, 205), with Matthew Olson (5-9, 225) providing depth off the bench.

"Our running and passing game benefit from this group," Nelson said. "Very rarely do we have guys in our backfield. We had high expectations this season, and the offensive line is a big reason for getting to this point."

Woods has rushed for 1,415 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Windschitl has passed for 1,586 yards and 16 touchdowns, five to Woods. Woods said he has learned he can count on the Trench Hogs.

"They are a loose group, laid back and just chilling," he said. "When it's time to focus they turn up the intensity."

The linemen have been instrumental in four game-winning, late-fourth-quarter drives this season, two in the past two games. They drove the team 76 yards in 12 plays for the winning touchdown against Mahtomedi in the quarters, and the Storm went 15 plays and 90 yards for a last-minute TD against perennial power Mankato West in the section final.

"When we get in a tough situation, it becomes a lot of fun," Gebauer said. "We always seem to pull through. We might not be perfect on those drives, but we are pretty close."

The linemen's bond is also close. They bowl together and play cornhole, and they gather weekly — recently it's been Wednesdays — for a meal at Buddy Boy Fine Barbeque in Minnetrista. It is owned by Joe Cox, father of backup running back Josiah Cox.

"We started going there after the St. Louis Park game," Hiebert said. "We were resting Maxwell, and Josiah ran for five touchdowns. We told him that we owed him dinner."

If a big meal is weighing anybody down, it's not obvious.

"We've been pretty consistent hitting our blocks and staying with them," Gebauer said. "Maxwell is so quick, too, that when we mess up he can make us look good. I have never seen anything like him."

Hiebert said the Trench Hogs also benefited when Detroit Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow talked to the players before the season. Ragnow graduated from Chanhassen in 2014.

"He kept talking about playing with confidence," Hiebert said. "We are playing with a lot of confidence. We are confident, but not cocky."

Now, they are one game away from playing for the state championship.

"It's been a goal of ours for years," Gebauer said. "To finally be going to U.S. Bank is crazy. It's a dream come true."