The life of an offensive lineman is that of bashing and bruising; grunting and groaning; black & blue; and anonymity.
Why would anyone want to do it, let alone love it?
“Because you’re able to dominate somebody every play and it helps you benefit your team,” Ewing’s Nevin Davila said. “If you really want to win; offensive line is the place to be.”
It is where the Blue Devils’ senior center has been for pretty much his entire football career and, despite not starting the sport until seventh grade, he has mastered the position.
“I’ve been coaching high school football now for 22 years and he’s one of the best offensive linemen I’ve ever coached, in terms of everything you can ask for – bright, strong, physical, plays to the whistle, has a mean streak,” first-year Ewing coach Ross Maddalon said. “I had a couple kids that played higher level college football but they don’t have the mean streak that he does, (as well as) how he finishes plays.
“Nevin is everything you want in a football player. He comes to work every day, he works extremely hard. He has a team-first mentality. He has a lot of pride in the offensive line and it shows in everything he does.”
Davila also gets some reps on defense, collecting 10 tackles through the Blue Devils first six games. Maddalon noted that he is more of a defensive specialist, going in when Ewing needs help in stopping the running game.
“Early in the year he was used a lot more on defense,” the coach said. “Now he’s getting spelled a little more because we’re starting to develop some younger guys over there at defensive tackle and they’re starting to get more reps. That’s why his stats aren’t up to par, but when he’s in there his impact has definitely been noticed.”
Defense is actually where Davila started. After finally talking his concerned mom into letting him play football in middle school, he signed up for Ewing’s Pop Warner program.
“In seventh grade I said ‘Mom, it’s time for me to play,” Nevin recalled.
He was put at defensive tackle that first year and thought it was OK until he got put on the offensive line in eighth grade. He started at guard, but since Ewing’s center had graduated they tried Davila at center and he has never looked back.
“Once I became an offensive lineman,” he said, “I’ve always loved the offensive line more.”
It’s not hard to see why. At 6-foot-1, 280 pounds, has both the size and intelligence often needed to play up front. Especially at center, who is usually the leader of the line. Davila fits that bill according to Maddalon. He has a 3.82 grade point average and is looking toward a career in mechanical engineering.
“He’s not only bright on the football field, but in the classroom too,” Maddalon said. “He helps us out. We had a couple kids come in at guard this year that didn’t really know the position. He helps them out with calls and everything else. He’s able to notice when different fronts come out at him and jump out at him.”
The center also has something no lineman can be without – intensity. He is not done playing until the play is done.
“He has great feet for a big guy but his nastiness is just something,” Maddalon said. “I’ve already had two or three coaches after we played them say ‘Oh wow, that 61, he plays to the whistle, we wish we could have a couple of him.’ I said ‘Yeah, I wish I could have a couple more of him too.”
The nastiness is nothing illegal. There are no cheap shots or things of that nature. Davila just gets after it every play with a high motor running. It’s something that can’t be taught.
“You can try and teach it as much as you can,” Maddalon said. “But unless a kid has it and it’s innate within himself, it’s very tough to get it out of him.”
That “nastiness” would surprise people just from talking to Nevin, who smiles a lot and comes across quite friendly in conversation. But when he dons a helmet and pads, it’s like putting on a Halloween costume. He becomes scary.
“I kind of have a switch I’m able to flip on and off,” Davila said with a chuckle. “Even during practice I’ll be able to joke around, but once we line up, sometimes the coaches have to tell me to calm down a little bit. Once you line up in front of me I’m looking to dominate. I just think you gotta have that nastiness. You can’t be an offensive lineman and just lollygag through practice or games.”
Once he became a center, Davila had to learn the art of being able to keep his head up, snap the ball and get into an immediate blocking position. He admits it took time, but worked at it constantly with his dad. The two did in the neighborhood of 130 snaps per day prior to his freshman and sophomore years.
He has learned it nicely according to Maddalon, a former standout offensive tackle for Nottingham. The coach was well aware of Davila when he took the job last summer.
“I knew we had a lot of young kids who have never played varsity football before; some seniors who would come up to play with not a lot of varsity time, but I knew about Nevin beforehand,” he said. “I did my research and from everybody who talked about him he was a quality kid, with great technique who comes to work and play hard every day.”
Davila is a strong overall blocker, but both coach and player feel he is a tad better at paving the way for runners than pass protection, although he is strong at both.
“They say I’m kind of inconsistent with my hands in the pass game,” Davila said. “I think I have to keep my elbow a little tighter and be more consistent with my hands.”
He has been good enough to gain a scholarship offer from Gannon University in Erie, Pa., and is also talking with several Division III programs. Maddalon feels before it’s all over, he will be hearing from more D-2s and some possible lower level D-1s.
“Ever since I’ve come to high school, I’ve seen people motivate me with that;” he said. “Playing college football has always been a big goal of mine.”
And the more Maddalon talks, the more it sounds like Davila should be playing in college.
“He was the first team captain we named this summer and he’s definitely the leader up front,” Maddalon said. “Right now he’s our most consistent football player and overall he’s been one of our best football players all year and it’s not even close.”
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Blue Devils’ offensive lineman Nevin Davila, a senior, also gets some reps on defense.,
