WETHERSFIELD - The dust has settled on a historical football season at Wethersfield High School. The 2015 Eagles became the first team in the program’s history to win a playoff game and came within a few plays of a state championship appearance.

       During their momentous march, the usual names filled the headlines on a weekly basis, but it was the often overlooked group along the offensive line that plowed the way for the unprecedented success that the team enjoyed this season.

       Behind every triumphant team is a great offensive line.

       The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers had legendary offensive lines throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. The Washington Redskins famously housed The Hogs in the 80’s and the Dallas Cowboys of the 90’s had the most dominant offensive lines in NFL history.

       Seniors Ajani Sampson, Colin Tyler, Ian Gingrave and Nick Cusano and sophomore Conor Keane may not have been household names, but Wethersfield’s Block Party of Five rivaled any offensive line unit in the state on Connecticut.

       The handful was the backbone behind an Eagles’ offense that average nearly 32 points per game. The five rarely left the field and were equally impressive at pass protection as they were at run blocking, providing incredible balance to an offense that amassed over 2,000 yards, both through the air and on the ground.

       Individually they were good, but collectively they thrived.

       â€�"This group of offensive linemen were, in my opinion, the heart and soul of this team,” said Wethersfield’s offensive coordinator Jeff Russell. â€�"They were disciplined, smart, and tough, but more than that, they had pride in being offensive linemen. They all wanted to make the big play, much like a quarterback or wide receiver does when they have the ball.”

       Tyler, Gingrave and Cusano were the three interior linemen and had a noticeable rapport, having played together since their youth football days in Wethersfield.

       â€�"I started playing back in the fourth or fifth grade,” said Cusano, who played left guard. â€�"I started playing with all of my buddies, which is everyone on the football team now. We’ve all grown up together.”

       Sampson joined the tight-knit group when he moved to Wethersfield from Jamaica in the eighth grade.

       â€�"Coach came down from the high school and said they were looking for players for summer lifting. I didn’t really have a bunch of friends because I just moved here, so it was a great way to meet new friends and to start playing football,” said Sampson.

       The four seniors formed an unbreakable bond on and off the field.

       â€�"We’ve been playing together a long time and those past relationships have helped,” added Gingrave. â€�"We feel comfortable with each other and that makes everyone better on the field. It’s helped us be a better unit.”

       Tyler anchored the unit as the team’s center. He was the man in the middle and the one who snapped the ball to versatile quarterback Devon Smith.

       â€�"I’ve been playing center for as long as I can remember. Devon and I have been playing together for a while,” said Tyler. â€�"My mom signed me up in the third or fourth grade. A bunch of my friends started playing and I fell in love with it.”

       Tyler credited the close friendship with his fellow linemen, as well as the group’s dedication in the weight room as the reason for their success, but it’s the brotherhood on the field that he will miss most.

       â€�"Game day has a whole different vibe about it. Coming out and seeing the crowd and all the lights,” continued Tyler, who will be looking to pursue a career in the medical field following graduation. â€�"It’s an indescribable experience.”

       Cusano, who lined up to the left of Tyler, said he feeds off the energy of game day and described the team as a â€�"big family.”

       The left guard, who also throws for the track and field squad, has yet to make a decision on his life after high school, but he’s leaning towards a technical school to pursue a career in mechanics or HVAC.

       Gingrave played right guard and took a slightly different route to the football field.

       â€�"My dad encouraged me to play start playing football around age seven. I tried soccer for a year and didn’t like that,” said Gingrave, who also plays volleyball in the spring. â€�"I wanted a different sport to do in the fall and decided on football.”

       He credits football with introducing him to the wonderful world of weight lifting, which has become one of his favorite activities off of the field.

       â€�"Football got me into weight lifting, because the coaches emphasize lifting. It makes it easier during the season and carries over onto the football field,” added Gingrave, who wears #63 because of retired Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday. â€�"I really liked watching him play. When I saw the opportunity to get the number, I did.”

       Sampson and Keane are the bookend tackles.

       Sampson, who plays left tackle, has a specific aspiration after graduation.

       â€�"My plan is to go to college and be a petroleum engineer. Hopefully I get into West Virginia, because they are the only school in this area that offers it,” said Sampson, who may someday soon be designing equipment that extracts oil from the ground.

       Keane is the pup of the group and played right tackle. He admitted that Smith, a lefty, may have initially been a bit shaky having a sophomore protect his blindside. However, it didn’t take him long to earn his quarterback’s trust or fit in with the senior-laden team.

       â€�"It was tough at first adapting to varsity football, but these guys were a lot of help to me because they knew what I was going through. Ian started as a sophomore too, so he helped me out a lot,” said Keane. â€�"All the guys are easy going and they let me into the circle.”

       Keane will be the only returning starter on the offensive line next fall, but he’s already planning for life without his four line-mates.

       â€�"Personally I want to push myself to get better in the weight room and I hope that everyone else on the team does the same,” added Keane. â€�"I used to play basketball, but I decided not to try out this year to focus on lifting.”

       All five also played at various times on defense with Sampson leading all Eagle defensive linemen in tackles and takedowns behind the line of scrimmage.

       The group made a lot of memories this past season, but it was two games in particular that stood out the most.

       â€�"I’ll remember being involved in the Newington game and beating them,” Keane reflected. â€�"Just knowing the rivalry between us.”

       â€�"Beating Newington stands out, because it was the third year in a row,” added Gingrave. â€�"I’ve been playing varsity since my sophomore year, so it was a clean sweep for me against them. I never lost to Newington at a varsity level and that was really great, because they’re our rivals and it’s always a heated game no matter what.”

       â€�"Winning the Torrington game was definitely the best memory that I had,” said Tyler. â€�"Doing something that no other team at Wethersfield has done.”

       â€�"Beating Torrington, because we never won a playoff game and we made history,” added Cusano. â€�"I felt like we could have played with anyone after that game.”

       Both Tyler and Cusano also have fond memories of the win over Torrington because head coach John Campanello promised to shave off his legendary mustache if they won the playoff game.

       â€�"Seeing coach take the mustache off was definitely a bonus,” Tyler said, with a smile.

       Come June, the four seniors will head off to start life after high school. They, along with the other graduating footballers, will leave behind a legacy that will resonate in the town of Wethersfield for years to come.

       â€�"This group will be tough to replace, but they definitely showed the type of leadership, pride and excitement that a player can have on the offensive line, while paving the way to a memorable season,” added Coach Russell.