RIVERSIDE — The Norte Vista football team’s offensive line has been a dominant force during most of Ken Batdorf’s three-plus decades in charge. Norte Vista football players Ryan Rodriguez, Joseph Corey, Kevin Rayo, Ryan Huerta, Giovanni Velasco, David Sanchez, Daniel Real, and Hugo Sosa on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Norte Vista football players Ryan Rodriguez, Joseph Corey, Kevin Rayo, Ryan Huerta, Giovanni Velasco, David Sanchez, Daniel Real, and Hugo Sosa on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Norte Vista football players Ryan Rodriguez, Joseph Corey, Kevin Rayo, Ryan Huerta, Giovanni Velasco, David Sanchez, Daniel Real, and Hugo Sosa on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Norte Vista football players Ryan Rodriguez, Joseph Corey, Kevin Rayo, Ryan Huerta, Giovanni Velasco, David Sanchez, Daniel Real, and Hugo Sosa on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Norte Vista football players Ryan Rodriguez, Joseph Corey, Kevin Rayo, Ryan Huerta, Giovanni Velasco, David Sanchez, Daniel Real, and Hugo Sosa on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 5Norte Vista football players Ryan Rodriguez, Joseph Corey, Kevin Rayo, Ryan Huerta, Giovanni Velasco, David Sanchez, Daniel Real, and Hugo Sosa on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Expand Leading the way for 1,000-yard rushers nearly every season, the Braves’ center, guards, tackles and tight ends power, pull, counter and move the line of scrimmage in advance of the teams’ ball carriers every year without much notice. This year, seniors Ryan Rodriguez, Ryan Huerta, Kevin Rayo, Gio Velasco, Joseph Corey and Hugo Sosa, Daniel Real and junior David Sanchez are pushing the Braves  into its rivalry matchup at Ramona on Friday at 7 p.m. Both teams enter the River Valley League showdown with 6-0 records. “This is probably the best line we’ve had because they’ve all been together since they were freshmen,” Batdorf said. “There’s no doubt that these guys, together, are special.” Beyond the collective level of experience, the group is different in a lot of ways. ‘ANYTHING THAT MOVES’ It’s a little hard to believe that a group that together weighs more than 2.100 pounds was once timid about anything, but it’s true. “They started off and they were kind of tentative,” Batdorf said. “I was looking for a little something to get them going and it started out as, ‘Hit anything that moves,’ because they were a little intimidated at first, and boy how things have progressed.” What began as a motivational tool quickly turned into “Kill anything that moves,” and the motto has stuck. “If it’s in your way then you have to move it out of your way, basically,” Rodriguez said. “Offensive line is about moving people against their will, from Point A to Point B.” “If it moves, we block it,” Velasco said. Added Huerta: “We’re here to do our jobs and do what we’re assigned to do.” So it’s an ode to the quiet dignity of hard work, then? A stanza about solidarity, perhaps? “It just means that whoever is in front of us we just have to dominate, and dominate the trenches,” Rayo said. NOT A ONE-TIME THING Talented ball carriers Freddy Holly, Eric Melesio, Chris Melesio and Eddie Allain all have benefitted from the commitment of Norte Vista’s front line in recent, elevating each running back to national prominence and helping two earn college scholarships over the last decade. “We don’t want the recognition,” Huerta said. “We’re just here to block and make sure our running backs are able to do their thing.” Norte Vista has gained more than 3,000 rushing yards each of the last three seasons, totaling 11,000-plus yards on the ground over that span. “The consistency that we’ve built at Norte Vista is not a one-time thing,” Huerta said. “This is something that can only be built over years.” “Running backs love playing here,” added Velasco. “Eddie was the best because he would kind of coach us, but now we’re coaching the running backs.” There are differing opinions among the group about who is the Braves’ all-time top running back. “I think Dreadie (Allain) might be the best of them,” Rayo said, referring to the Braves’ leading rusher this season. “Freddy and Eddie liked to run through people. Dreadie can do a little bit of everything.” DEFINING PRESSURE It’s an open secret that Norte Vista is chasing a CIF Southern Section title. It’s the one thing missing from the trophy cabinet for Batdorf and the Braves. “There are a lot of things that have to happen to get us there,” Batdorf said. “I think we have a chance. We can throw the ball, we can run the ball and we’re a lot more balanced than before.” Norte Vista last went to a section final in 2016 with an offensive line, “really experienced like this one,” Batdorf said. “There’s a sense of pressure, but we can’t let it get to us,” Huerta said. “(Batdorf) believes in us. When it’s fourth-and-whatever, he believes in us.” “We just want to go out and play the best football we can,” Rayo said. “We want to get better and get better for the playoffs, make Batdorf proud and win the first CIF championship for Norte Vista football ever.” Related Articles High School Sports | Rancho Verde football team uses big third quarter to pull away from Vista del Lago High School Sports | Strong defense helps Centennial football team roll past shorthanded Vista Murrieta High School Sports | Cajon football team bounces back, routs Redlands East Valley High School Sports | IE Varsity’s previews of the top high school football games Friday, Oct. 11 High School Sports | Inland high school football stat leaders, Oct. 10 Rodriguez, the four-year starter and team captain, acknowledged the group’s collective aspiration. “It means a lot more than people think,” Rodriguez said. “We know it’s in our power to do something that’s never been done before and win a ring. “This group is mature. We understand that it’s the little things, and doing those things right, that will allow us to do something special this season,” Rodriguez added. “It’s a process but it will be great in the end.”