Minooka's Budde rock solid

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:28PM

As honest as a winter day is long, Minooka senior RJ Budde admitted his weight was 20 pounds lighter than the 190 listed on the Indians' roster. And that 5-foot-10 measurement might be stretching the tape a bit, too.

But Budde, a pulling guard in the Indians' double-wing attack, understands the method to offensive coordinator Frank Yudzentis' madness. Minooka runs the football like a river runs to the sea, and Budde creates holes like a can opener.

He could be a linebacker.

He could be a fullback.

He could be a safety.

Being surrounded by seniors Zach Colvin, Alex Hank and Mike Melone, however, puts Budde in a system that compiles the yardage better than a carpet factory. And in a world where size often matters more than most, Budde swiftly beats back any naysayers.

"I'm not the biggest lineman, but I can still move," Budde said. "In our offense, there's a lot of movement and pulling, and that's why they have me there. And I can put hits on people, which they need - the key blocks for our backs to get free up the seam."

Entering Week 7, Minooka's offense has been a takeoff on Southwest Airlines' slogan of "You are now free to move around the country," with wingbacks Kyle Banks and Kalvin Hill and quarterback Mitch Brozovich seemingly hitting those seams at will.

The 6-3, 180-pound Brozovich, a senior, has been as judicious as "Brozo Cop" in running the option, going for 642 yards and 7 touchdowns on 61 carries. The 5-10, 175-pound Banks, also a senior, has 64 carries for 567 yards and 10 TDs despite battling an injury.

Add 72 carries for 656 yards and 8 TDs from Hill, a junior, and the ground-game kudos for Minooka (5-1, 3-1) have piled up in kind heading into Friday night's SPC showdown against host Plainfield North (5-1, 4-0). The Tigers are riding a five-game winning streak.

Of course, North offensive coordinator John Darlington has been doling out handoffs like gold stars to senior Kapri Bibbs. You might have heard of him. The Colorado State-bound tailback has rushed for a mere 1,687 yards and 26 TDs, a great year in just five games.

On the flip side of the 5-10, 195-pound Bibbs, Budde has been the worker bee putting honey on Minooka's table. He could have been a linebacker. Or a fullback. Or a safety. But in the long run, and on the consistently long runs of Brozovich, Banks and Hill, Budde has been equally something else.

An MVP for the team.

"RJ's not the biggest guy up front, and we thought about putting him at fullback, but he's too valuable at guard right now," Yudzentis said. "He's strong, he moves well, and when he turns the corner, he's looking to hit somebody. We couldn't lose that physicality."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," said Budde, who wears No. 50, about the positional confusion he faces from people. "I'm more of an outside linebacker or fullback type, but I get put where I am best for the team."

Arguably the best player on Minooka's team is two-way lineman Colvin, a 6-4, 255-pound behemoth headed to Bowling Green. He plays right tackle, while senior John Meade has stepped in at left tackle and senior Adam Reynolds has been the swing tackle.

"We're molding together tighter as a group on the line and we have a lot of depth there," Colvin said. "I think everyone up front is a potential college player and we're getting better each week, which is impressive. We've only allowed one or two sacks all year."

"Last year, we had trouble with penalties," Melone said. "It's good pretty good for us this year. We're putting together a lot of yards and Brozovich, Banks and Hill are making us look good, too. We're skilled and mentally ready as a line."

Keeping that line in check is Hank, a 6-3, 210-pound center. He plays the part of the Bears' Olin Kreutz for the Indians, making the crucial presnap adjustments and also speaking up when the need develops.

"If we're doing bad, I try to get everybody in gear," Hank said. "I like having control over everybody and calling out the fronts before the play is run."

"Melone is very athletic, running a 5.1 in the 40, Zach is very, very good and we haven't seen a kid like Hank since Cal McCarthy," Yudzentis said, noting McCarthy is starting at center for Illinois State. "At the end of last season, Hank and these guys made the commitment to put in the time and they're reaping the benefits."

Indeed, Minooka benefitted in Friday night's 42-34 shootout over Oswego East, turning 47 carries into 457 yards and 5 TDs. Overall, the Indians have rushed for 2,191 yards and 26 TDs on 267 carries, averaging 8.2 per rush and 365.2 a game.

"That's what we do here at Minooka - we run the ball," Colvin said. "As an offensive line, we take pride in getting off the ball and moving people."

"On a lot of our plays, the center and guards are pulling and usually everybody is going downhill, getting after the linebackers and going after the ends," Hank pointed out. "I like getting into that second level and blocking the linebackers."

"It's nice," Melone said about interchanging between both guard and tackle, "because it keeps me honest and you get to knock down linebackers and corners."

If defending conference champion Minooka has a chance of cornering Plainfield South (6-0, 4-0) for the SPC title, the Indians must first navigate the dangerous waters of Plainfield North. Budde and Co. realize the ramifications.

Here's what you do.

"Get low and keep your feet moving - that's it," Budde said, referring to the offensive line's mantra. "If you get lower than the guy in front of you, keep your feet moving and lock your hands on him, you'll win that battle every single time.

"I think as a line, we're strong and we've kept our mental mistakes to a minimum the last couple of games. That was the main problem we had in the past, but we're getting better and better and we want to keep that up Friday night."

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