Ventura Holds a Block Party

By JOHN KLIMA

Dec. 2, 2000 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

VENTURA —

The postgame procession greeting Tyler Ebell is straight out of a coronation, replete with admirers and well-wishers for a knight in black and gold armor.

Among the procession are reporters, for whom Ebell, the record-setting senior running back for Ventura High, reserves the same modest answer for questions about his success.

He thanks his offensive line as if he’s been crowned king.

Which, in a way, he has.

Ebell has put together what could become the best season by a high school running back in national history.

It wouldn’t have happened without Ventura’s offensive line, which ranks among the best in the school’s history.

Of course, there’s nothing regal about the linemen, which is fine by them. They take pride in serving as the king’s bodyguards.

“They’re like Moses parting the Red Sea,” Ebell said.

Center Bill Griffin, tackles Jason Gruber and Casey Andrews, and guards Brandon Bailey and Kris Vasquez average 275 pounds. Tight end Bryan Easterly and fullback Victor Holmes complete the blocking unit.

They’re an aggressive bunch with typical linemen quirks.

Griffin is the leader, the one Coach Phil McCune says “has a mean streak in him when he plays.”

Gruber is a 6-foot-8, 305-pound behemoth who speaks softly, even during games.

Andrews has a split personality.

“I’m big and I kill people on the field,” he said. “Off the field, I’m a nice guy.”

Gruber jokingly calls Bailey “a little iffy,” for his off-kilter persona.

Vasquez’s blue-collar approach typifies the line.

Easterly and Holmes are wise guys, whose humor keeps the giants loose.

Together, they have laid the rug that Ebell has turned into a magic carpet ride. Ventura averaged 45 points in 11 victories.

“This is a really colorful group,” McCune said. “They’re real different off the field, yet they’re all the same on it.”

Ventura’s Division IV playoff run has been the grand finale for Easterly, Griffin, Andrews, Holmes and Gruber, who suffered through the indignity of an 0-10 record on their freshman team.

Now they are one victory from playing for a Southern Section championship. Ventura (11-1) hosts Lompoc (10-2) in a semifinal tonight at 7:30.

“The difference is the strength,” Easterly said. “Last year, Tyler would get tackled in the backfield. This season, we’re blowing guys seven feet off the line consistently. He doesn’t have to juke until he gets to the linebackers.”

Pair that protection with the explosive first step of Ebell and the results are staggering. He has rushed for 3,901 yards and 56 touchdowns in 12 games. With 186 yards against Lompoc, he will tie the national mark set in 1996 by Travis Henry of Frostproof, Fla.

The numbers look great, but those aren’t the numbers the linemen are concerned with.

“The number of pancakes,” Griffin said. “That’s what we do. We pancake them. Every lineman here has a mean streak when they get out on the field.”

Griffin, 6-3 and 270 pounds, shed fat and added about 25 pounds of muscle during the off-season. He approaches his job like a big-game hunter. On a preseason questionnaire, he listed his favorite hobby as “bear hunting.”

“That sounds like Billy,” McCune said. “On the field, his [aggressiveness] is unmatched.”

Gruber is is Ebell’s personal doorman, the only difference is that Gruber won’t ask for a tip. He’s too quiet for that.

“If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was a priest,” Vasquez said.

Gruber could be one the best linemen in school history.

“He’s a great, big guy with a great future,” McCune said. “He’s got some talent.”

Andrews combines Griffin’s warrior nature and Gruber’s quiet side. He’s 6-3, 270 pounds, which doesn’t hurt, unless you’re on the other team.

“We call it cab fare,” Andrews said. “We hit the other guys so hard they need a taxi to get back to the other sideline.”

Vasquez made his varsity debut in the playoffs last season and has been a fixture this season. Ebell calls him a “pinball” who knocks bodies around the field.

Then there is Bailey. Ebell treated his linemen to a steak dinner this season. The players pooled $10 dollars and dared Bailey to eat a large chunk of fat.

“He chomped that thing down,” Ebell said. “In big bites.”

Said Bailey: “I got paid, didn’t I?”

At 6-2 and 255 pounds, Bailey, is the lightest of a group that weighs a collective 1,375 pounds. Paired with Gruber on the right side, they form a dangerous combination.

Easterly and Holmes provide laughs.

“[Holmes] talks the whole game,” Ebell said. “Easterly, he keeps guys loose.”

McCune said it’s a unique group.

“You can only go as far as your players take you,” he said. “There are no weak spots. When Tyler takes the ball, he’s not doing it alone.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

PLAYOFF MATCHUPS

Southern Section

Semifinals

Tonight’s Games

Division IV

* Lompoc at Ventura

Division XI