Bunting, Bolatto power Reed-Custer

Subtleties are rarely supposed to be the domain of offensive linemen like Reed-Custer High School's Dave Bunting, a 6-foot-4, 238-pound senior tackle, or Jake Bolatto, a 6-4, 257-pound senior tight end whose physical, pounding style reminds some of boxing champion Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta.

Potentially dominant bookends, Bolatto and Bunting began their varsity careers apart, spending separate lives as power-blocking members of the Comets' O-line. Both Bunting and Bolatto were promoted as sophomores, with injuries forcing Bolatto to the other tackle position last year after a full go-round as a tight end.

After being beset by ailments in other spots, Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel finally regained 6-2, 220-pound Jim Benson as another tight end, allowing the pairing of Bunting and Bolatto -- much like placing Miami Dolphins tackle Jake Long with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. The resulting chemistry sounds like something straight out of Yoda's vocabulary.

Subtle they are.

Subtle they are not.

"It is, it is," Bunting said of the relationship between verbal and non-verbal communication with Bolatto. "It's really important in being able to hand off a guy and switch off a block, just by saying, 'You've got him, you've got him.' You know, it's stuff like making quick decisions at the line, and it seems like Jake knows what I'm thinking."

"We're big and we like to work together on those combo blocks," Bolatto said. "We worked all summer on it. Because of last year, when I got moved from tight end to tackle, I know how things work as a tackle and I know what I have to provide for Dave to help him block that guy so I can move up to the next level and block the next guy."

Behind the tandem blocks of Bolatto and Bunting, Reed-Custer (5-2, 3-1) has been treating opponents lately like a poorly dressed contestant on MTV's "NEXT," rushing for 309 yards on 58 carries and piling up 23 first downs during last Friday night's 48-12 Interstate Eight Conference road victory over large division rival Manteno.

However, Coal City (5-2, 3-1) comes to Braidwood for Friday night's 7 p.m. homecoming kickoff in what amounts to the Interstate Eight Large championship bout. The Coalers' three-game winning streak barely bests the Comets' two-game breakout -- the latter on the backs of their B&B blocking boys.

"They have been putting us together on one side, on the same side," Bolatto said. "And it has been amazing.

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Subtleties have been a segment foreign to the progress of Reed-Custer's rushing prowess this fall. There was nothing subtle about the preseason torn ACL suffered by senior tailback Qendrim Marku, who led the Comets with 944 yards in 2007. Cappel confirmed that conforms to the injury script from the past several years.

Eventually, seniors Stephen Heap (6-1, 245), Alex Stanley (6-1, 205) and Sergio Martinez (5-8, 245) and junior Jason Baker (6-1, 245) meshed with Bunting on the O-line. Add Benson and Bolatto at tight end, particularly when Bolatto slotted alongside Bunting, and Reed-Custer resumed the rushing guise that became a geyser.

From first resembling a rusty spoon to thriving like a knife slicing through butter, the Comets have cruised on the ground via the trio of junior tailback Garrett Sandefur, junior fullback Ryan Garbin and senior quarterback Casey Barnes. Sandefur rushed for 3 touchdowns vs. Manteno, Garbin ran for 2 and Barnes threw for 2 -- the thrust found within a Bolatto-Bunting push.

As subtle as a glancing nod.

As subtle as a knockout punch.

"They just dominate everybody up front," said Barnes, who has rushed for 196 yards on 59 carries with 9 TDs, completing 20 passes for 291 yards and 3 TDs. "We haven't seen anybody who has been able to take them on, and they have everything. They're big, they're fast and they're both fundamentally sound linemen."

"It's not all me, it's the linemen, too," pointed out Sandefur, whose 22-carry, 163-yard effort against Manteno boosted his season totals to 102 carries for 562 yards and 6 TDs. "It's great because guys like Bunting and Bolatto lay everyone out pretty good and clear the holes for me. They're both quick on their feet and they're both really strong, so they have everything."

Whether Sandefur ruffles every opposing feather as the feature back, or Garbin gets the call like his complementary 21 carries for 102 yards vs. Manteno, the trench battles win the war.

"The thing that is nice, for the most part, is we know we have a couple of guys who in most games can handle their guy 1-on-1," Cappel said. "They usually don't need any help. Sometimes, you run into teams where you say, 'Hey, we're going to have to double him or block and chip him with a back all night long in order to control him.'

"And these guys," Cappel said, smiling in the direction of Bolatto and Bunting, "are those kind of players."

Those players of the ilk of Bolatto and Bunting typically receive sporadic ink, but their kind understands how the jigsaw starts before the zig-zag of a running back finishes the picture.

"It's all a piece of the puzzle," Bunting said. "It's everything. If one thing doesn't work, it's not going to be as good as it can be. You have to work together."

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Throughout the summer, Cappel realized his strength offensively flowed from his returning seniors. Barnes, as a point of reference, threw for 875 yards as a junior. Bolatto, Bunting and Heap held court as regulars on the line, with the perfect-storm concept of putting Bolatto back at tight end already prominent in the Comets' plan.

Considering recent developments, Reed-Custer has been accustomed to ripping up said plan under Cappel, and what happened to Bolatto toward the end of his sophomore year and to Marku before the opener of his senior year resonates. In the way water fills sand, Sandefur has entered to replace Marku, with Bolatto's experience serving as a template for the changes.

"Jake started practicing with us as a freshman and he was always big for his age," Cappel said. "He got some playing time on the varsity as a freshman, and then as a sophomore, he had a really good year. He struggled a little last year because it can take a year to come back from a knee injury like that, and he's having a great, great year."

"I know how tough the ACL thing can be because I did it at the end of my sophomore year," Bolatto said. "It's terrible and we feel bad for Qendrim, but Garrett has stepped right in, and Garbin carried the load at the beginning of the year. And all of a sudden here, Garrett has come alive for us."

Likewise, Garbin's season-long awakening has included 95 carries for 489 yards and 6 TDs. Junior speed back/wide receiver Steven Davis has contributed 18 carries for 81 yards, plus a team-high 8 catches for 122 yards and 2 TDs -- a 21-yard screen and a 30-yard score against Manteno.

That game stands out as the latest example of Reed-Custer's resurgence. Although Barnes went 2-of-2 passing, the Comets were content to simply saddle up with a ground game riding the helpful horse of Bolatto and his kinetic, kindred-spirit buddy in Bunting.

"Sometimes, Jake will come up to me during a timeout and he will say, 'Coach, we can adjust our scheme and do it this way,' " Cappel said. "So it's like having that coach on the field."

"It's great," Bunting said. "We have real good chemistry, and from the start of my sophomore year, it seems like we have a lot more experience from playing together on the line."

Inexperience can paralyze the intricate movements necessary for an offensive line. Experience can be the fuel that tops off the gas tank, and Bolatto and Bunting have grown comfortable following each other in the batter's box, battering the defense.

They are the Comet dusters.

"He's very enthusiastic all the time," Barnes said of Bolatto. "If something has to get done, he would be the man to do it for you, and it's pretty much the same thing in dealing with Dave.

"Together, they're leaders and they get the job done. Jake's the stronger of the two, but Dave is right behind him; Jake might be a little more dominant, but Dave's right there with him, too."

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A 9-yard touchdown run by Garbin, scoring runs of 4 and 7 yards by Sanderfur and a 3-yard TD run again by Garbin highlighted last week's first half for Reed-Custer. In the second half, Barnes segued from bootlegs to connect twice to Davis for end-zone excursions. Sandefur closed the curtain on Manteno on a 56-yard TD run.

The building blocks of Bolatto, Bunting and Co. formed the foundation, but Barnes, Sandefur and Garbin proved the presence of a certain skill.

They are the Comet busters.

"I think if we get everybody going like that, teams really like to bite on the fakes," Barnes said. "If you can show that you have a quarterback who can get to the outside, teams have to respect it more, and that takes a couple of more defensive guys out of the play."

"We've been working on those boots with Casey all year, and we've run it since we had Gavin Johnston as our quarterback," Bolatto said. "As log as the line blocks and we get it done there, they have always worked."

Occasionally, Barnes works in a pass to Bolatto, hooking up for 2 receptions and 15 yards. Benson has a catch for 10 yards. Senior wideout Chris Robinson supplements Davis' output with 4 catches for 116 yards and 2 TDs as well, showing Reed-Custer can also hit the home run.

"It's pretty much the line and the backs working together," Bunting said. "You can't really put it on one thing. It's good that Sandefur has stepped up, and it makes the defense think. We don't have just one guy who will get the ball, and that keeps the defense on their toes. It always has them thinking."

Describing his thinking in sprinting behind Bolatto and Bunting, Sandefur noted that "I hit the hole and run. When we get all that going, it's hard to beat, and we're starting to come together." Cappel agreed, relating that "it seems like the kids are starting to come together at the right time here."

Time it right and a touchdown occurs. It takes an established path, though, to pave the road. Reed-Custer has rocketed to 21 rushing touchdowns, with Cappel happily crediting "the big boys" of the Comets' O-line like Bolatto and Bunting for prevailing.

"When we need them," Barnes said, beaming, "it works every time."