When Carson High football coach Blair Roman brought Danny Gall up to the varsity as a sophomore last year, he wasn't sure whether Gall could handle it or not.
"We needed him on varsity in terms of numbers," Roman said. "We didn't know if he was physically good enough to play.
"Number one was his work ethic and attitude. Danny kept working in the offseason, lifting weights and practicing. It was a great case of hard work and somebody who bought into the program 100 percent being rewarded for that hard work.
"Last season, I felt like he was the most improved player. He had a great summer and looks really good right now in practice."
Gall didn't let the honor of being a sophomore on the varsity go to his head, either.
"I felt proud of what I accomplished," said Gall, who along with Jon Parker were the only sophomores on the varsity roster last year. "I would go hard every time out there and hope for the best. When they told me (I was on varsity) I was excited."
Last year's hard work has primed Gall to be the starting center from the onset in position that will prove to be vital as the Senators look to expand their offensive attack.
For the first few weeks of last season, Gall's playing time was limited to a few snaps periodically.
Then he got his big break. Starting guard Daniel Gould was injured in the Reed game the third week of the season, and Roman moved Ernesto Cortez from center to guard. Cortez went on to win all-Sierra League second-team honors, and Gall, who had been working with the scout team, moved to center and went on to start the rest of the way.
"Football is practice four times a week and a game on Friday or Saturday," Gall said. "I could tell I was getting better (during the practices and drills).
"I just go out and do my job. I'll do whatever it takes for the team to be successful."
And, being the young guy on the line, Gall always felt the pressure to make sure he didn't slip up so he could earn the respect of his older teammates.
One thing the 5-foot-11 215-pound Gall learned last year was that he couldn't just overpower opponents like he did at the freshman level.
"It's all about footwork and technique," Gall said. "Here you have to know how to do everything or the man across from you will dominate."
And, Gall continues to learn everyday. After all, he just started playing center last season.
Gall said he's better at pass blocking right now than run blocking. He said he's working on his leg strength so he's able to stay on blocks longer and drive defenders back.
"I try to hold my block three seconds," Gall said. "After that we're supposed to go up field and hit somebody."
That is the beauty of the Senators' offense. You don't need brute strength. You just need to open creases not drive your opponent back 10 yards every play.
"A lot of blocking is leverage, leaning into the defender and maintaining the block," Roman said. "I don't care how big you are. I've had 5-11 guys that are great blockers. Douglas has had them. So has McQueen."
"What we try to do up front is to match the type of player we have with what we're doing. We're typically playing with guys up front that are 200 to 220 pounds that can run and hit. We're looking for guys that can run and pull."
The biggest change for him this year is the snap back to quarterback Blake Plattsmier. The Senators were in the pistol formation about 30 percent of the time last year according to Roman, and this year he estimates it will be 90 percent of the time, which means Gall will have to make that 4-yard snap three times as often compared to last year.
It's not an easy snap to make. It can't be too hard which would cause a fumble, or too soft which would upset the timing of the play.
"I've practiced with Blake," Gall said. "Also, I'll go out and snap into a net."
"He's good (at snapping)," Roman said. "He wouldn't be in there if he couldn't do the snap. He has some natural ability. I've got a couple of other kids in there snapping and they've done a good job."
Besides making sure his quarterback gets the ball, Gall's biggest job is to make sure everybody knows who they are blocking. Gall is responsible for calling out blitzes and changing the Senators' blocking scheme as needed.
"It's linebackers coming in (that I'm responsible for)," Gall said. "I can't see them (defensive backs blitzing). That's up to the quarterback to read it."