A well-known tradition in the football world isn’t recognized enough to the general public: linemen dinner.

This tradition, which was supposed to start two years ago, began last year when coach Fortino took action to set this tradition into motion. It all began with the idea of a dinner [by position] at Leo’s Coney Island. After that, football parents volunteered to host dinners at their homes. The benefits of these dinners have had on the team were unintentional. Coach Fortino claims that the reason he began these dinners was simply due to the fact that he is “fat and hungry.”

This tradition heavily impacts the linemen on the team. Senior noseguard Evan Lubben stated that, “Linemen dinner has allowed me to get to know my coach [Fortino] better. We [all the linemen] can talk about our struggles at practice and/or games and reflect on it which creates better team chemistry. ”

These dinners aren’t just for chit chat about improvements and creating bonds, for eating is a huge part of it too; sometimes, it even becomes a competition. The dinners have to be at buffets or inexpensive restaurants because of how much the linemen consume. To put it in perspective, this group of boys scared the IHOP employees because they [the employees] thought they were going to eat all of the food. Senior defensive end and right guard Crandall Quinn said, “I am more full on Tuesdays than any other day of the week!”

Senior long snapper Colin Wojczynski states that he enjoys dinner because “…after a long practice of making Crandall my son, I love getting to grub up with the boys. It’s like a reward.”

Out of all the linemen, the ones that eat the most are Crandall Quinn and Reece Roskam; however, it was made extremely clear that, “Will Richardson [from last season’s team] is the undisputed champion and no one comes close to him this year.”

Senior left tackle and defensive end Reese Roskam has deep appreciation for this tradition. “Because of these dinners, I get to know these guys better and it doesn’t require football to bond. I like being able to share this experience with them.”

Crandall Quinn commented, “…this tradition is important to me because I have made friends within my O-line and team chemistry that was unexpected. The team chemistry boost within the O-line is crucial to the game because we are more comfortable with each other and we trust each other.”

Team chemistry, trust, reflection, and improvement: all of these components lay the foundation for a successful team. These basic elements are the reason why the varsity football team is one of the strongest teams in our conference, region, and state. The brotherhood in this team is unmatched, and if you want your team to be as successful and unified as much as they are, start by having team dinners at Leo’s Coney Island; it truly affects the way your team plays.