By Pat Harty

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – They’re big.

They’re physical.

And they’ve grown up together, sharing the same dreams, the same appetites and the same love for football.

The starters on the Regina offensive line are a cohesive bunch, molded with time, effort and success.

“All the older guys said it goes quick and we’re here, our senior year,” Brinkman said. “We’ve got a great group on the offensive line. We’ve been playing together for a long time, so we’re really familiar with each other. So it’s going to be a good year.”

The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Brinkman is without question the leader of the pack, but the other four starters are accomplished in their own right.

Joining Brinkman in the trenches will be senior Reagan Ries, juniors Steve Sehl and Alex Moore and sophomore Luke Stein.

The other four often get overshadowed by Brinkman, but for good reason.

Cook raved about Brinkman’s talent, comparing him to former Regina star lineman Daniel Gaffey, who now plays on the defensive line for Iowa.

“Daniel Gaffey was a phenomenal player for us here offensively and defensively,” Cook said. “And Jared is just even better, and nothing against Daniel. Jared is just a massive leverage player. They’re both heavyweight champions, tough kids that will just give you everything they’ve got, just tough, team guys. Daniel Gaffey is doing well at Iowa right now and I think Jared is going to have a great college career.”

The 245-pound Ries has sort of been Brinkman’s sidekick in the trenches. Ries was a two-way starter last season and plays with a mean streak.

Sehl is only a junior, but the 6-3, 265-pounder already has plenty of experience after starting every game last season at left tackle.

Alex White started two games last season, while the 6-1, 210-pound Stein leads the next wave of Regal linemen.

The person most responsible for rounding them into shape is offensive line coach and former Iowa defensive end Alex Kanellis.

“He’s the best coach out there for the offensive line,” Brinkman said. “He wants everything to perfection. So it’s just reps, reps and reps, and we know if we listen to him, we’re going to have one of the best offensive lines in the state.”