Any football coach or player will tell you games are won in the trenches. Both the run and pass games operate through the offensive line. Offensive success lies heavily on the bond and strength of the unit, which is something the Marcos de Niza Padres and head coach Anthony Figueroa understand well. The Padres’ big men leadership stems from past struggles, successes and most importantly, the tradition of leaving it better than they found it.
Figueroa and Padres’ offensive and defensive line coach Joe Medina have established that standard and foundation. Though the Padres’ 2023 roster relied heavily on seniors, they paved the way for the 2024 offensive line featuring all new starters.
“The entire senior offensive line last year, they left it better than they found it,” Figueroa said. “Those linemen did an exceptional job of preparing these linemen for what to expect.” Figueroa is confident his new group will stand tall in the face of adversity this season and will bring the physicality. But for Nikolasi Tonga’uiha, Rusty Ulm, David Jones, Jessie Berberena and Brooks Ward, they’re hungry.
Sophomore center Jones said last year was a building year for the line, soaking in experience and lessons.
“I feel like now, just learning from the (former) seniors and picking up from what they put down, I’m starting to build and capture a lot of stuff to mold it into this year,” he said. “So, yeah, we lost a lot of guys, we were kind of senior heavy, but we’re younger now, and we just want to eat. So we’ll be tough and relentless.”
Senior left tackle Ward said the unit is named “Trench Mob” affectionately for coach Medina, to whom the boys give credit for their growth and development. Becoming a close-knit unit over the offseason, Medina and the boys have found ways to bond through passion for football, video games and of course, food.
“We’ll go out to eat, we’ll go to lunch, dinner, whatever,” Ward said. “[We’ll] go get some wings and bond. [We’ll] talk about, ‘Hey, (on) this play, he does this,’ – look at film, look at installs – offense and defense. We do everything together. We don’t stop talking to each other.”
“We look for the all-you-can-eat deals,” junior right tackle Tonga’uiha said.
Jones and Ward echoed with “wings,” and began blurting out their favorite restaurants – Buffalo Wild Wings and ATL Wings. Tonga’uiha interjected with “Arby’s has the all-you-can-eat wings plus ribs plus shrimp.”
“Anything all-you-can-eat, we’ll be there,” Ward said emphatically.
However, wings and other protein-rich foods are not the only item on the menu. “Trench Mob” is hungry for pancakes – the result of a well-executed block which leaves the defender on his back. The only way to get pancakes is through physicality – and a special play call.
“It’s the guard-tackle pull, where the guard kicks out and tackle leads out,” Tonga’uiha explained. “We just like it because it’s one motion where you get that momentum where you can hit somebody.”
“It feels like everybody can eat,” Ward said.
“Everybody’s getting a pancake or hit stick or laying somebody out,” sophomore left guard Berberena added. The insatiable appetite has powered the group within the weight room as well. All five of the big men have surpassed their previous personal bests and now rep that weight for eight-to-10 reps, says Ward. That growth has extended to the Padres’ whole roster, thanks to support and leadership by the unit.
“[We’re] working together – always building energy in the weight room,” Berberena said. “Always the first ones to get everybody hyped up, ready to go. Always pushing everyone to push more weight to do more and go for their best.”
The offensive line believes they are the strongest part of the team, which bleeds into the Padre community. On campus, the boys are role models for the next generation and continue to inspire the strong tradition of Padre football. A Marcos alumnus and Tempe resident, Figueroa ensures his boys uphold their standard on and off campus, too. When the boys go out to eat and visit various community establishments, he hears about it. It all boils down to gelling and becoming one unit.
“We’re going to eat,” Ward said.
Added Berberena: “Everyone’s going to think that new line, they can’t compete. We’re not skipping a beat; we’re coming in better, stronger and faster.”
“We put the work in so we want to show it,” senior right guard Ulm said. Figueroa said he’s excited about what this special unit can do and as always, the goal is to reach 14 games. But it all comes down to trusting the process and carrying on the tradition. “When things get heated and when it gets emotional and things are not going our way, we’re going to lean on all of the relationships that we have,” Figueroa said.
“You’re not going to see those fingers being pointed. I think winning is going to be a byproduct of doing all of those other things the right way, that if we’re honest with ourselves, and we’re putting in the work and we’re pulling ourselves into everything that we’re doing, I think you’re going see the results that you deserve on a Friday night.”
