Inaugural Hogg Challenge was a hit for linemen

Hunter Stefani collapsed as he crossed the finish line. The Buhach Colony High School lineman was so exhausted after completing an obstacle course that he could barely make it back up to his feet.

“I don’t think I’d be able to do that again for a million dollars,” Stefani said.

Linemen from the six area schools had a tough time finishing the final 50-yard dash of the obstacle course. Many fell two or three times before reaching the finish line.

“Watching people do that 50-yard sprint, I don’t think I saw one person finish without falling to the ground,” said El Capitan’s Reno Bandoni.

Competing in the inaugural Hogg Challenge at Golden Valley on Friday was grueling, as offensive and defensive linemen from Golden Valley, Buhach Colony, Atwater, El Capitan, Los Banos and Stone Ridge Christian willed themselves through a variety of drills and challenges.

The obstacle course alone started with a participant rolling a giant tire for 25 yards, then pushing a 200-pound sled 25 yards, weaving through some bags, ducking under and jumping over hurdles, weaving through cones, pulling another 200-pound sled backward and then a 50-yard dash.

The competition began with a bench press and power clean in the weight room. There was a farm walk, in which two competitors from each team carried weight through a course as quickly as they could.

The teams then moved onto the field of Veterans Stadium where they flipped tires, ran 20-yard sprints, pulled a one-man sled and competed in the obstacle course.

There were timed five-man and one-man sleds and a pass-rush drill that pitted an offensive lineman one-on-one with a defensive player.

“It was great to go against other teams,” said Los Banos’ Jacob Geist. “It really got the blood flowing and makes you want to work even harder.”

The Hogg Challenge finished with a series of Iron Man events, pushing a truck and horse trailer, placing large logs on metal filing cabinets and another giant tire-flipping station.

“It was a lot of fun,” Bandoni said. “We’ve been beating up on our own teammates all summer. It was good to finally go against different guys.”

The challenge came down to the final event with Stone Ridge Christian defeating Buhach Colony in the tug of war to win the team title with 31 points. The Thunder finished second with 22 and Los Banos third with 16.

“This was a lot of fun,” said Stone Ridge Christian’s William Vander Woude, who was a star in the weight room and tire-flip competitions. “I’m glad we got the opportunity to compete with these other schools, because we are a Division VII school going up against Division I schools. We got to come out and show what we can do.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Inaugural Hogg Challenge was a hit for linemen."