Tim Spiess is a math teacher, so he is good at reciting numbers. He is also Genoa's offense line coach and defensive coordinator.

Spiess has been an assistant coach at Genoa since 2007, when head coach Mike Vicars took over the Comets' program. Five straight playoff appearances, four league championships and a 48-game regular-season winning streak ensued.

The Comets' once-proud program had struggled for years under several head coaches. Then Vicars brought his wing-T offense and all-for-one attitude to Genoa, and its football program became relevant again.

This year's squad was ranked No. 3 in the state in Division IV before a 25-23 home loss to rival Eastwood on Oct. 28. The Comets outscored their opponents by a 498-95 margin during the regular season and then ripped Huron, 37-14, in last week's playoff opener to set up Saturday night's showdown against top-ranked Kenton (11-0) and its national record-setting quarterback, Maty Mauk.

The Comets have a huge offensive weapon of their own, and it's no secret. Last week, junior running back Kyle Nutter ran through and around Huron's defense for 413 yards and four touchdowns.

“Kyle Nutter was a very special running back Saturday night,” Spiess said. “We did a nice job blocking for him, but he had so many yards after contact. He probably had 200 yards after contact.”

Nutter, however, wouldn't have gained a yard had it not been for his blockers up front.

“The holes were phenomenal,” said Nutter, who has rushed for 1,812 yards and 29 touchdowns. “There was a lot of room for me to work with, a lot of creases. Our offensive line does a great job of getting downfield and getting some blocks, which allows me to get those yards. All five of them do a great job. I can't complain about an offensive line like that.”

Spiess, 49, has spent 25 years coaching offensive lines. Before Genoa, he spent the previous 15 years at Liberty Center. His latest proteges are sophomore left tackle Michael Deiter (6-3, 255), senior left guard Evan Wendt (6-1, 224), junior center Nick Keller (6-0, 220), senior right guard Ricky Bierbaum (5-11, 195) and senior right tackle Andrew Price (5-11, 197).

Wendt was a first-team All-Suburban Lakes League pick last year, and Keller made the second team. Price, Bierbaum and Dieter are first-year varsity starters.

Spiess coached seven first-team all-league linemen in his first four years at Genoa. Last year, right guard/defensive tackle Andrew Hayes was named the SLL Player of the Year.

“What we're looking for in offensive linemen are athletes,” Spiess said. “Some people don't believe in that and I think that's a big mistake. In 2008 our two starting guards (Callen Bialurucki and Beau Lamb) were actually receivers in our first two scrimmages. They each caught a pass in one scrimmage and then started at guard.”

Spiess said it took one scrimmage for this year's offensive line to jell.

“From the very first scrimmage, they were fine,” Spiess said. “We scrimmaged Archbold, and in the first 32 plays we scored seven touchdowns. First, it told me our running backs are pretty good, and second, it told me we had a chance to have a good offensive line.”

Wendt said he wasn't surprised by Genoa's line play in the scrimmage against Archbold.

“The jayvee line was me, Nick Keller, Andrew Price and David Magrum, so we had the same offensive line as we did on jayvees,” Wendt said. “Our line really stepped it up. It comes with leadership. I'm a pretty good leader out there and Ricky is like my sidekick. He helps out, and so does Nick Keller. We know who we're blocking every time. It starts with me and Ricky. We tell our tackles what we're doing, what stunts we're doing.”

Bierbaum played halfback as a freshman and most of his sophomore year before being moved to the offensive line.

“I got moved to right guard, and I knew I wasn't going to play my junior year because of Andrew Hayes,” Bierbaum said. “Moving was best for the team, and I understood that. I just wanted to get a chance to play.”

Bierbaum added that Genoa's offense gives the guards, in particular, the opportunity to play smashmouth football.

“I like the fact I get to pull and hit people,” he said. “I like the traps and I like the sweeps. I like that I can get a running start at a linebacker or a safety.”

Vicars has been running the same wing-T offense for years. He learned it from the late Skip Baughman, the former St. Mary's Memorial coach who won four state championships from 1957-93.

“It takes athletic, smart linemen to be able to execute it,” Spiess said. “It is the single best offense in football. This is my 20th year helping to run that system, and the teams Mike and I have coached have averaged more than 40 points a game. Guys who run the spread think they have a sophisticated offense. I will put our offense up against anybody. It takes a great deal of intelligence — and intelligence under pressure - to run our offense.”

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