To be an offensive lineman is to embrace contradiction.

A lineman has to have a physical presence while still maintaining good coordination and quickness. A lineman has to dish out punishing hits and be able to receive them, as well. But most of all a lineman has to enjoy seeing other players get the credit when he does his job well.

Glory and acclaim are for running backs, quarterbacks and receivers. The kids in the trenches? They're the ones carrying the hero off the field after doing the dirty work.

But even if it's sometimes hard for the average fan to tell what contribution an offensive lineman is making, teammates and coaches know their value.

And some offensive lineman from Northern Virginia are playing at such a high level that they are starting to break out of their normally anonymous roles and garner some attention for themselves.

Two of the area's best have already made verbal commitments to accept scholarship offers from Division I schools in the state and a few more could be on the way. Here are five offensive linemen to watch in 2002:

FLORDELL KISSEE

Gar-Field, (6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Sr.)

A first-team All-Journal selection and voted second-team All-State last season, Kissee helped spearhead Gar-Field's powerful rushing attack.

The Indian's backfield featured a pair of rushers who each nearly clipped the 1,000-yard mark in Elihu Smith and Rasheed McClaude and Kissee was a large part of that success- literally.

The senior tackle tips the scales at 6-4, 310 and Gar-Field head coach Jim Poythress believes Kissee could reach 330 or even 340 pounds after a few years in a college weight program.

``I think he has unlimited potential," Poythress said. ``And he has not even begun to tap into that potential yet. He's 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds. Some high school kids are 300 pounds and they're fat. Well, there's not a piece of fat on Flordell. He runs a 4.9 40-[yard dash] and can lift up a house. If he's a legit 300 right now then what's he going to look like by the time he's a junior in college."

Kissee has formal scholarship offers from Maryland, Kent State and Ohio and has peaked the interest of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Virginia. He has good agility and is quick on his feet. Poythress mentioned that Kissee's speed is as good as some running backs in the area.

``He has real long arms for pass protection," Poythress said. ``The bottom line is he's big and he can move ... and big kids who can move are a rarity."

Kissee hasn't let his success go to his head. Poythress told how a lot of players who receive recruiting letters from big-time colleges get so excited they sometimes walk around with them hanging out of their pocket, showing off to their friends. It takes Kissee a while to even open his letters and he has received plenty of them. They are not something he flaunts.

``Flordell just has a very humble attitude," Poythress said. `He knows he still has work to do, but he's done everything we've asked of him so far to become a better football player, a better student and a better person. His size and gifts are going to take him a very long way."

MATT WELSH

Centreville (6-5, 285, Sr.)

Welsh established himself as one of the premier linemen in the state last season, voted first-team All-State after he helped lead Centreville to the Northern Region, Division 6 championship game.

But the All-Journal senior won't have to deal with the pressures that other heavily recruited athletes have to deal with during their senior year. The endless stream of calls from coaches and official school visits are behind Welsh, who verbally committed to Virginia Tech late in the spring.

``I liked the campus and Tech has always been a favorite of mine growing up," Welsh said. ``Now I can just enjoy my senior year."

Welsh's main goal this year is to improve his strength. He is athletic and has great upper-body strength, but hopes to develop his lower-body to generate more drive in his blocks.

``Matt is very athletic and very big and you don't find people like that all the time," Wildcat head coach Mike Skinner said. ``Time will tell how good he'll be. He still has to go through another season."

Welsh compares favorably with former Centreville lineman Will Montgomery, currently a part-time starter at Virginia Tech.

While his athleticism might be his biggest strength, Skinner said one of Welsh's few weaknesses is a fault common to larger lineman, a struggle to consistently get low on his blocks.

``Most of these kids have been big all their life so it's a hard thing to adjust too," Skinner said. ``We have a sophomore who's 6-foot-6 and has the same problem."

Centreville revamped its offense during the offseason, moving from the single wing to a more pass oriented attack. Welsh isn't too concerned, however. The blocking schemes may be a little more complicated, but an offensive line in high school is used to change, absorbing new players almost every year.

Learning a new offense or how to play with new teammates is nothing new, nor is being happy for a teammates' accomplishments.

``You just have to take pride in what they do," Welsh said. ``You have to accept that your the one who made the block that let them get down the field."

MARSHALL AUSBERRY

West Springfield (6-6, 335, Sr.)

Ausberry will also avoid the recruiting pressures during his senior year, having made a verbal commitment to attend Virginia next fall.

Ausberry may be the most physically imposing lineman in the entire state, standing 6-6 and weighing in at 335 pounds. He also received offers from Virginia Tech and Marshall before choosing Virginia, where he camped this summer.

Better as a run-blocker at this point, Ausberry's powerful leg drive is the key to his blocking in that area. He can squat nearly 500 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in just more than 5.2 seconds and has solid footwork and lateral movement. He also demonstrated his athleticism by playing basketball for the Spartans the past few years.

West Springfield's tackle was relatively unknown a year ago, but several strong performances at camps last summer and a breakout junior year where he was named first-team All-Patriot District caught the attention of the bigger schools and sent his name rocketing up the recruiting charts.

KEVIN MILKS

Langley (6-4, 320, Sr.)

Milks is an imposing physical force in the trenches for the Saxons as he enters his third season as a starter.

``Kevin's a throwback," said Langley head coach J.J. Hetman. ``The car he drives is nothing to look at, really. Compared to some of the ones we have in our lot it's a piece of junk. He just comes to practice with his flip flops on, puts on his cleats and is ready to roll, like one of those lunch pail lineman."

Milks anchors an experienced line at right guard, which returns all five starters, four seniors and a junior. Bryan Walsh, Aaron Charapp, Stephen Cummings and Jonathan Shafran, the lone underclassman, are all experienced players so there's no need for a vocal presence on the line.

``Kevin leads by example and really picks up the guys ... by his work ethic and what he does on the field," Hetman said. Milk's biggest asset? His raw strength, according to Hetman, especially in his lower-body. He also has good quickness and lateral movement for someone more than 300 pounds.

``You can tell the difference when he's not in there," Hetman said. ``The line doesn't have the same attitude without him."

BRETT MERKEL

Yorktown (6-2, 250, Sr.)

A two-time All-National District lineman heading into his senior year, Merkel is preparing for the switch from tackle to guard.

The Patriots need good offensive linemen because they run the wing-T offense and have a talented, but young, running backs corps, including juniors Duane Tigney and John Crone.

Merkel is small compared to the other lineman listed here, but Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson considers him one of the team's hardest working players, a scrapper who makes it difficult for defensive lineman and linebackers to escape his blocks.

``Brett is one of the hardest workers we have," Hanson said about a week into practice this season. ``We're young in some spots on the line so we'll rely on him. He's a real good player."

Merkel is also a starter on the defensive line. He played on both sides of the ball last season, too, and impressed Hanson with his stamina.