HS Football: Big Bodies Throw Down in Annual War Zone Lineman Challenge

WILLIS, TX -- The willing participants of the 2025 War Zone Lineman Challenge put their best big men to the test in a series of courses and measurements to see who was the best under a sweltering Friday evening sun.

Despite Kingwood High School’s victory in last year’s challenge, the Willis Wildkats partnered with Mustangs to host another one of the anticipated events at their facility, which has already been tested with multiple years of hosting experience.

Fiery coaches and wide-eyed athletes took to the field in preparation for their team-centered events, with the hope of pushing their squad to the mountaintop.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Willis Assistant Coach and Offensive Linemen Coach Brian Fitzgerald discussed the importance of participating in this type of event.

“The reason we do things like this is because iron sharpens iron,” explained Fitzgerald. “Number one is camaraderie between our guys. Learning how to work together, not just o-line drills. But the things we do here allow us to come out and compete with the best so that we can learn to play together and beat the best.”

With participation from other schools in 13-6A, such as Conroe, College Park, Oak Ridge, and Caney Creek, it highlights the importance of sending teams out to prepare for a daunting season. But with other squads prioritizing seven-on-seven, Fitzgerald feels like the priorities are unevenly balanced.

“Almost every school in the state goes to seven-on-seven, do league play, go to state if they qualify in College Station, and maybe 1/50 of them do lineman challenges,” said Fitzgerald. “It becomes easy to yell at offensive and defensive linemen when they mess up, but you have to be able to invest in them.”

The lack of sympathy for offensive and defensive linemen, Fitzgerald believes, stems from a systemic problem of a lack the investment in the big bodies. The participants are doing what they can to shape the next generation in the trenches, but those not present are taking a back seat.

“I’m a big fan of ‘If you don’t care about them, don’t yell at them,’ because you aren’t giving them a chance to showcase themselves at an event like this,” said Fitzgerald. “Teams invest hundreds and hundreds of dollars into seven-on-seven equipment and coaches, but if you can’t give up four hours of your Friday evening for the big guys, they can tell.”

Strong leaders within each team put their souls into guiding the structure of each event. Events like the bench press, farmer’s carry, and power drive all showcased each team’s concentrated ability to fire each other up for the critical moments.

Leading each team was a respective coach from their school, but partnerships within the teams between the athletes added another layer of intricacy to the competition. Student leaders stepped up to play pseudo-coaching roles to hype up younger members on other teams, building strong leaders amongst the heat of competition.

“You have to look at each other’s strengths and weaknesses and tell a guy on your team that an event might not be best for them,” said Fitzgerald. “These events breed big-time character and leadership calls.”

Ear-piercing yells in during the bench press filled the sauna-like weight room as each competitor tried to give their all. Mirrors on the walls steamed over due to the heat of competition, but each athlete did their best to put their team on the pedestal.

When the dust finally settled following a tense battle in events that culminated in the tug of war, the top three teams in order were Klein Collins (A), Willis (A), and Kingwood (A).

The coordination of multiple programs, coaches, and athletes led to a brutal battle of trench warriors, sharpening them for a future of dominant performances in the upcoming football season.

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