WELLS — It’s one of the oldest truths in all of football: In front of every great running back, or running backs, stands an even better offensive line.

There’s no doubt that Wells has a pair of great ball carriers in halfback Chris Carney and fullback Michael Curtis, a pair that has combined to run for over 3,000 yards and nearly 40 touchdowns this season.

There’s even less doubt that it’s the five linemen in front of them, along with tight end Ryan Marsh, who are responsible for opening the holes, sealing the running lanes and ensuring that Wells’ offense ”“ which is averaging 36.2 points a game this season ”“ is running on all cylinders.

“We have over 3,000 yards rushing, so that’s pretty good and we have some guys who can really run the ball,” Wells coach Tim Roche said. “But somebody has to block for those guys.”

Those somebodies are left tackle Kevin Lumenello, left guard Jake Lareau, center Matt Healey, right tackle Kyle Goodale and right guards Jake Spofford and Jordan Moore, who alternate every other series at right guard.

Together it’s a group that entered this fall without much experience ”“ only Lareau and Goodale are returning starters, while Spofford is a sophomore and Lumenello had never played on the line before ”“ that Roche had expressed concern with in the preseason, saying they’d need time to develop and grow as a group in the first half of the season.

That was even truer after senior Robbie Chaplin, the starting center and the unit’s de-facto leader, was lost for most of the season with a knee injury and is only now returning to full strength.

Still, as evidenced by the Warriors’ copious amount of rushing yards ”“ including 191 yards for Carney and 73 more for Curtis in a 14-13 victory over Spruce Mountain in the regional semifinals last week ”“ the Wells offensive line has turned into a force at the line of scrimmage for a program that has always prided itself on the run.

That will have to be the case again this Saturday, when the third-seeded Warriors (8-2) will take on top-ranked Leavitt (9-1) in the Western Class C regional final.

“We had a lot of kids that weren’t even linemen before, so it was good to get them going and seeing how they’ve grown,” said Lareau, a junior. “Every single person has grown in how they block and knowing what they need to know to block the right way. We’ve definitely improved a lot. It’s a great thing seeing how different it is now from the beginning of the season.”

Lumenello is example No. 1 when it comes to the improvement of the Warriors’ line this fall. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior, Lumenello had been a wide receiver and tight end in his first three high school seasons. But with Wells in need of a linemen, and Lumenello in need of a position switch, he moved to left tackle, where he’s become an anchor.

“Kevin had always been a wide receiver and tight end, and he just wasn’t athletic (enough) to play there, and he knew it,” Roche said. “So I told him, ”˜Hey, if you want to play, we’re going to have to move you.’ And he said, ”˜Put me where you need me to be.’ Now, he’s a starter for us.”

“We have kids like Kevin who really should be playing tight end, but he’s our tackle and he’s a big asset to our team,” Carney said. “People like that are sacrificing themselves for the benefit of the team and us being able to win. That’s someone who loves Wells football.”

While the Warriors have become a line capable of throwing their weight around, even if that weight isn’t as much as might be expected. Wells’ six key linemen average 199 pounds, with only two ”“ Healey at 220 pounds and Goodale at 250 ”“ weight over 200.

That’s forced Wells to focus more on technique, angles and speed to open the holes necessary for its talented backs to get into the second and third levels of defenses.

“The Wing T is built on small linemen. They work hard in the weight room but we’re not getting these huge kids like some other schools,” Roche said. “It’s still a work in progress to be honest. We’re probably not the best line in the league, but we’re pretty good and we’re physical.”

“We take big pride in knowing that we are smaller and still going out and beating the other person in front of us because of our speed and because of how hard we work,” Lareau said. I’m not sure there’s anything unique about it. It’s just kind of the basics.”

At 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, Lareau is actually smaller than the guy he’s usually blocking for, Carney. That hasn’t stopped the left guard from becoming perhaps the team’s most-important blocker, especially out in space on the Warriors’ crucial sweep play.

“Jake’s my man, he’s my bread and butter,” said Carney, who used a key block by Lareau to score on a 59-yard TD run against Spruce. “He’s as big as me but he’s playing line and just wants to crush people out there. That’s the kind of people you want on the team.”

Lareau was absent from that first Leavitt game, a 26-19 defeat that saw Wells shutout in the second half, largely due to 12 penalties ”“ many of them committed by the offensive line ”“ that totaled 105 yards.

That allowed Leavitt to overcome a 19-6 deficit to score the final 20 points of the game, with a goal line stand in the closing seconds clinching the game for the Hornets and ensuring that Saturday’s regional final, scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff, will be played in Turner.

“We need to cut down on the penalties, that’s really the biggest thing,” Lareau said. “I think a lot of us get nervous when we’re facing a slightly faster team and kind of get down on ourselves when we don’t make the block as well. We’ve just got to stay confident and cut down on the holding penalties.”

“If you have (that many) penalties, the chances of winning are slim. Obviously we’d like to see that cut and have to be more disciplined,” Roche said. “We’ve been doing better, but we still had a couple of 15 yarders last week for no reason. You don’t win championships with those kinds of penalties. We certainly never have.”

What Wells has already done is avenge one of its two losses this season, a 27-6 decision to Spruce Mountain the Warriors made up for last Friday night. It will take the same kind of determination to beat a Leavitt team that hasn’t lost since the opening week of the season, Roche said.

“I think last week proved to them that they can do it,” Roche said. “And there’s some serious redemption on the line.”

There certainly is for a Wells team that also fell to the Hornets 32-12 last season.

“It’s a redemption thing,” Lareau said. “We got beat by Leavitt last year, they came here earlier this season and beat us, and now we have to go up there and beat them. That’s just the way it goes.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected].