In an increasingly complex game, the center in football has become a second quarterback. He no longer just snaps the ball and starts grunting. With the popularity of shotgun formations, being able to deliver the ball accurately to the quarterback is at a premium. In addition, stunting defensive lines demand that the center make calls at the line to adapt the offensive attack.

It follows then, that when colleges recruit centers, they start with all the measurables, but pay special attention to a player's football IQ. Does he understand the game, or is he just trying to push people out of the way?

Tom Farniok, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound center, has accomplished both tasks this year for top-ranked Washington (4-0) to a level not often seen in these parts. "I've said it a few times this year - in my 27 years of coaching, he's the best offensive lineman I've been around," Washington coach Brian Hermanson said. "He knows how to play - he's a smart kid - and his hard work has paid off. That's why he's getting recruited at the level that he is."

Farniok, who is leaning toward accepting a scholarship offer from Iowa State, showed up at Washington as a tight end, but he quickly began moving toward the middle of the line. He can't move any closer to the middle now, and he's cool with that."Every college is recruiting me as a center," said Farniok, who will lead the Warriors into Friday's home game against Rapid City Central. "They're telling me I'm smart enough to make the calls on the line, and that I can snap it and get out of my stance pretty quick."

Farniok has a grade-point average around 3.8, a lofty ACT score to go along with it, and an easy poise that you don't often see in high school kids. He doesn't try to act like a grown-up. He is one.

"The philosophy from colleges has changed in recent years," Hermanson said. "There was a time when you'd put your poorest lineman inside. Now you'll see most colleges put their best athlete at center."You have a lot of odd fronts, a lot of blitzing with zone blocking - and the center has to make those calls. You need a guy like Tom to be able to figure that out. He's like a coach on the field out there."

In Washington's 32-10 win over Roosevelt on Sept. 11, the Rough Riders put 6-2, 310-pound nose guard Avery Smith on Farniok, hoping that by detaining the center in a physical matchup, they could keep him from disrupting too much. Roosevelt coach Kim Nelson gave Smith a passing grade, but the Warriors still battered the Riders on the ground. "He's a force you have to prepare for," Nelson said of Farniok. "When you can run the ball up the middle like Washington can, it makes the rest of the field that much more difficult to cover. They have all the skill guys over there, but when it comes down to it, when you have a center like that, they can run it right down your throats if they want to. That's what makes them scary good."

If you're in the mood for a good scare, you'd have to consider Tom's brother, Derek, a 6-8, 300-pound junior tackle at Washington who is also a Division I prospect. Derek is a year younger than Tom, but the term "little brother" has never really applied."He caught up to me in size when I was about 5," Tom said. "He's always been a big, physical kid, so we roughed around a lot. We got in some fights when we were younger - I think the last one was when I was in sixth grade. Nobody won, nobody lost - it was one of those. Nothing since then. We were pounding each other to the point where we just got sick of it."

The pair have had a close relationship throughout high school and especially as teammates. With Derek now beginning to attract even more attention than Tom has from college recruiters (schools from the Big 10, Big 12 and the SEC have inquired about Derek), he will be able to draw on his older brother's experience. "It's fun being out there on the field with a guy you grew up with," Derek said. "I know he's going to help with the recruiting part of it for me, but now it's about working hard and having fun."

Their younger brother, Matt, is in sixth grade and is looking like another Derek. Will, a fourth-grader, is hinting at dimensions closer to Tom."Matt is just as big as Derek at the same age, and he's built," Tom said. "He's 5-9, 220, and he's not fat - the kid is just a tank. Will is more my size, not small, but not big by our standards. He's going to be the family's first linebacker."

(3 of 3)

By the time the younger Farnioks are playing varsity, the exploits of their older brothers will have placed expectations on their shoulders. Tom Farniok, as a member of the team considered the most talented in the state, knows the feel

"We've stayed humble," he said of the Warriors, who are shooting for their school's first state title of the playoff era. "We've got a huge target on our back - everybody is shooting for us."

The humble part of it is probably earned in this case. Washington has been involved in the last two state title games and lost both. The details of both make them even more frustrating.

That recent history prevents this group of Warriors from taking anything for granted. Maybe that's a good thing.

"We worked harder than we've ever worked in the offseason," Tom Farniok said. "The practices are way more intense than they were - and they were pretty intense to begin with."

The championship game losses have made the details surrounding the 2009 season more urgent, but proba

"Nobody is going to give us anything - it's pretty obvious we're going to get everybody's best this year," he said. "We know we have to bring it every week."

By the time the younger Farnioks are playing varsity, the exploits of their older brothers will have placed expectations on their shoulders. Tom Farniok, as a member of the team considered the most talented in the state, knows the feeling.

"We've stayed humble," he said of the Warriors, who are shooting for their school's first state title of the playoff era. "We've got a huge target on our back - everybody is shooting for us."

The humble part of it is probably earned in this case. Washington has been involved in the last two state title games and lost both. The details of both make them even more frustrating.

That recent history prevents this group of Warriors from taking anything for granted. Maybe that's a good thing.

"We worked harder than we've ever worked in the offseason," Tom Farniok said. "The practices are way more intense than they were - and they were pretty intense to begin with."

The championship game losses have made the details surrounding the 2009 season more urgent, but probably simpler as well.

"Nobody is going to give us anything - it's pretty obvious we're going to get everybody's best this year," he said. "We know we have to bring it every week."

Mick Garry, Argus Leader, September 24, 09