Status quo for SoCal OL

We checked in with Anaheim (Calif.) Esperanza offensive lineman Joe Hawley about a month ago. At the time, the talented lineman said he had yet to set up any of his official visits and had about four or five schools on his short list. Things look about the same for Hawley who will likely wait until the end of his season before setting visit dates.

Hawley, 6-4, 270 pounds was an all-state underclass selection a year ago and is having another strong season this year. The Aztecs are known for their power running game and they have been able to run at will all season long.

"That's what we're known for here," Hawley said. "We've had a lot of great offensive linemen in the past and we've always been a smash mouth running team and this year, we've dominated up front."

That was never more evident a few weeks ago when the Aztecs mauled perennial state power Los Alamitos 46-19 in a game that was televised on Fox Sports. Esperanza rushed for almost 400 yards that game, many of them running right behind Hawley.

"None of us thought it would be like that," Hawley said. "We have a lot of respect for Los Al and it's a big rivalry so we really didn't' expect things to be that easy."

On the recruiting front, the lineman still has offers from UNLV and Wisconsin and said he's still hearing and is interested in Oregon, Washington State and Arizona.

"Those are really the main schools I'm hearing from still," Hawley said. "No new schools have really jumped in the mix and I'm just going to wait until our season is over before I look to set up my visits. I'm hoping we make a nice, long playoff run so I can put off setting those trips for another month or so."