Cool hand Luke

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001 | 10:42 a.m.

Take one look at Luke Doty's muscular 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame and it's obvious the Durango senior spends most of his free time in the weight room.

Take a moment to review his daily schedule, however, and it's a wonder the two-way starting lineman has any free time at all.

Waking up each morning at 4:30, Doty makes a grueling 60-mile drive from his home in remote Sandy Valley to Las Vegas, where he spends 45 minutes in Mormon church seminary classes before school begins.

No sooner does the afternoon bell ring than Doty begins practice -- either with the football team in the fall or the wrestling squad in the winter -- before hitting the road and heading home. He does his homework, eats dinner and visits with his family before going to bed before 9 p.m. each night.

Yet, somehow, Doty maintains a superb 3.66 GPA and still finds time to keep his body in peak condition, earning high praise from Trailblazers coach John Mausbach.

"He's the strongest player on the team, and he works so hard in the weight room and at home." Mausbach said. "He runs a 4.8 (second) 40, and at 6-3, 250, that's moving. I told him if college football doesn't work out, he should hook up with a personal trainer and become a bodybuilder.

Doty's plans actually include Marine boot camp at Camp Pendleton (Calif.) next summer, a two-year Mormon mission the following year and then either college or active duty in the Marine Corps.

Durango's success will hinge, in large part, on the dominance of its line play, with the unit among the biggest in town. Joining Doty, the right guard, along the starting offensive front will be center Tony Bachhuber (6-3, 300), left guard Shaun Austin (6-2, 270), right tackle Rossi Sammarco (6-3, 280), left tackle Mike Kravetz (6-5, 275) and tight end Jon Jimenez (6-3, 240).

Last year, that group cleared the way for all-Southern Nevada tailback Jamar Thomas, helping him set the school's career rushing mark.

"Our coach always says the linemen are the heart and soul of the team," Doty said. "We don't get credit for many things, but we know what's happening out there."

As for the daily routine that would make most 17-year-olds cringe, Doty takes a pragmatic approach to his early-to-rise, early-to-bed schedule.

"It's good training for real life," Doty said. "In the morning, you don't want to get up. You just have to do it. On the field, when you're tired, you just have to do it."

This is the fourth in a five-part series of stories previewing the high school football season.