Center Anchors Offensive Line

Nothing makes an offensive lineman want to protect his quarterback more than paying for his pizza—just ask senior center Mike Partain.

Every Thursday, Partain, along with the rest of the offensive line and senior quarterback Craig Hormann, goes with his teammates to CheBella for “pizza night” after practice. Although tradition has it that the quarterback takes out his line, Partain says that having the line pay the bill actually helps create consensus and cohesiveness. And even though Partain and Hormann occasionally disagree on whether to order barbecue chicken or Hawaiian, the time spent together seems to be working. The Lions’ offense has been in sync this year, averaging over 24 points per game, while junior running back Jordan Davis is averaging 117 yards per game. Prior to this season, Davis hadn’t had a single 100-yard game in his career.

“Last year had a new offense come in,” Partain said. “It takes time to learn everything and get proficient at it. We are really starting to understand blocking schemes and starting to play more as one.”

As the self-titled “catalyst” of the offensive line, Partain could take credit for the team’s success. As the center, he is responsible for directing the rest of the line. He calls out who he’ll block, letting the rest of the line know what their duties will be. This year, with two sophomores starting at the guard spots, his job involves more leadership than ever.

Hormann said Partain’s experience—starting in 22 out of 23 games since his sophomore year—has helped this year. Yet individual credit and attention is not what Partain is looking for.

“Every position on the line is equally important,” Partain said. “Everyone on the team is extremely dedicated to football. When you have guys that love to play, we give our hearts for each other.”

Partain emphasizes teamwork as much as possible. As a sophomore starter, he tried not to get discouraged by the Lions’ dismal 2-8 season. A graduate of North Penn High School, the biggest high school in Pennsylvania, Partain was part of a team his senior year that went 15-0 en route to the state title and a number-eight national ranking from USA Today. 2-8 just wasn’t good enough.

At Columbia, Partain has created a new kind of home. In addition to pizza night, Partain lives with two of his linemates and gets together with his line every Sunday to watch NFL games. While the sports allegiances of his friends could be a problem as two of them are fans of the New York Giants—rivals of Partain’s preferred Philadelphia Eagles—he says that everyone is so close that no one ever really gets into fights.
Hormann attributes this to Partain’s easygoing nature. “He seems like a guy who always has a smile on his face,” Hormann said.

Before every game, rather than get pumped up, Partain opts for calming music. He loves listening to Zero 7, which he describes as “down-tempo” and “soothing,” and if he could choose one entrance song it would be “Aqueous Transmission” by Incubus.
One activity that helps Partain hone both his competitive edge and team approach is paintball. Since the beginning of tenth grade, Partain has gone paintballing with friends. Though he doesn’t get to play during the school year, he makes sure to play when he goes home for the summer.

“Paintball in particular is like a team game,” Partain said. “You can’t win a match or a competition on your own. Football is exactly the same way. One person can’t win the game, it’s the whole team that wins.”

Everything is for the sake of the team, even if he has to pay for pizza.