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Shippensburg's front five is one cohesive unit


Last season didn't end so well for Kyle Yost.

During Shippensburg's playoff game against Solanco, the guard was taken out of the game and didn't play much of the second half at all.

The game ended in a 43-0 defeat for the Greyhounds, but it seemed to light a fire under Yost, now a senior.

"I just yelled and screamed at him and said I didn't want him in the game," Ship coach Eric Foust said. "He fell a little bit after that, but it was honestly probably the best thing I could've done for him. He's come into this offseason so much different, so much more committed to the program."

Yost is a key piece of a five-part puzzle which Shippensburg returns in its entirety. The Greyhounds return all five starters on the offensive line. In addition to Yost (220 pounds), those returners include Nick Kubala (sr., C, 260), Collin Dolbin (sr., G, 190), Ethan Davidson (sr., T, 275) and Christian Boarts (jr., T, 210).

"These five kids are always together," Foust said. "They've all gotten better, too. Collin has gotten a little more game savvy. Kubala has gotten considerably stronger. They all have their own attributes, but together, I think they're going to be really pretty good. To return all five is odd, but with four seniors and one junior and the way we're returning them, we're very excited."

The front five will have the task of protecting a new quarterback, as Carter Van Scyoc takes the reins from P.O. Player of the Year Tyler Gustafson. But despite working with a new QB, the linemen said it's been a seamless transition.

"Quite honestly, he may be new, but we had him as a quarterback our freshman year and he was very good," Kubala said. "We really don't have to protect him any differently. He's pretty mobile and knows how to get the ball out. (As a center), we have really good chemistry. We're like best friends off the field, so it's like nothing when we go on the field."

One of the biggest strengths is just how close the entire line is. But the five also have quite a few on-the-field strengths as well.

"We're a lot quicker than most other lineman," Yost said. "We're smaller, weight wise, but we can definitely make up for that with our speed."

Davidson said, "I think we really just know what to do, and work together."