Lenoch sneaks up on huge season for West Branch

WEST BRANCH - Luke Lenoch was the right guy at the right time in the right place. Outside of his teammates and coaches, nobody saw it coming.

The West Branch sophomore tailback has helped his team go from an un-Bear-like 6-4 record in 2013 to 9-0 this season by piling up 1,669 rushing yards (third-best in Class 1A) and 25 touchdowns.

For many the 5-foot-8, 170-pounder's emergence came as a shock. After all, he's not very big even by Class 1A standards, and he served as a complementary player a year ago.

But Lenoch came equipped to deal with his new role. He is thoughtful, gracious, even-tempered and mature beyond his years.

'His mental approach to the game is what I think makes him a good football player,” Bears Coach Butch Pedersen said. 'He never asks for anything. He feels he has to earn it all, and what a good trait to have for a young sophomore in high school.”

This is not an underclassman destined to ruffle feathers. And he has skills - vision, balance, shiftiness and the understanding of how to use his blockers.

'He knows when to cut back and what alley to take,” offensive coordinator Jarod Tylee said. 'He's got great field sense.”

Lenoch was the final piece of the puzzle for the Bears, who returned a big, experienced offensive line (Drew Finnegan, Matt McIlrath, Jon St. John and Ryan Grosvenor and transfer Jacob Gise) along with three-year starter Lucas Lamont at quarterback.

'We had high expectations for ourselves,” McIlrath said.

Not just for themselves, either.

'(Lenoch's) a great running back even though he's a sophomore; we had high expectations for him,” St. John said.

'We blocked for him last year as a freshman, so we knew what he was like,” Finnegan said.

Even though Lenoch was the secondary back and accumulated 335 yards, the linemen saw he was special.

'He's stuffed with muscle,” McIlrath said.

'His legs are titanium,” Finnegan added.

Lenoch has shown he's strong, durable, quick, smart and makes use of those big guys up front.

'I kind of duck my head and make my cuts so they don't see me,” Lenoch said.

But his weight-room ethic increased his strength to the point where he sees himself as a 'blow through” guy rather than a dodger.

'I never really like to go down,” Lenoch said. 'They're working hard to make their blocks, so I'm working hard to make it work.”

Fellow back Devin Kindon has developed as a run/receiving threat, and Lamont has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,335 yards. That's why the Bears average 45 points per game.

But it was Lenoch's emergence that completed the work of art.