Recognizing The Best High School Football Linemen In WNY

While watching a football game most people watch the ball.  Whether it's the quarterback throwing it to a receiver or a running back trying to elude tacklers, most fans concentrate on what's happening with the ball.  But there's a part of the game that often gets overlooked; the play of the linemen, the guys in the trenches.

Western New York's high school football linemen are recognized each year with the presentation of the Trench Trophy during a dinner at the Lancaster Elks Club and this year from among 12 finalists Iroquois High School lineman Nathan Emer.  He's 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds and played both offensive and defensive line for the Chiefs.

Nathan has been offered a scholarship at Division II Edinboro State in Pennsylvania, but he's also been shown some interest from Division I schools.

The other finalists were:

• Chauval Black - Dunkirk High School
• Michael Carr-Johnson - Hutch Tech High School
• Tyler Grisolia - St. Francis High School
• Preston Hutchinson - Ellicottville High School
• Nick Jones - Dunkirk High School
• Sean Kloss - Clarence High School
• Daniel Kubik - Orchard Park High School
• Jacob Luderman - Lancaster High School
• Nathan Pawlowski - Cleveland Hill High School
• Tyler White - Kenmore West High School
• J.B. Wilkes - Grand Island High School

All 12 finalists were inducted into the Trench Trophy Hall of Fame.