KENNEBUNK — Supposedly, behind every great man stands a great woman, at least that’s the way the saying goes.

But almost certainly, in front of every good running back, there stands a great offensive line.

Kennebunk’s Nicco DeLorenzo is no different, and he knows it.

“They play well most of the time, and when they play well, you can definitely tell with what I do,” said DeLorenzo, who has run behind the Rams’ line for exactly 1,300 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in 11 games this year. “Last week against Marshwood, they played great, and me and (quarterback) Nick Emmons always have a good day when they play well.”

Like many offenses, the Rams as a whole go as their line goes, and that hasn’t been much of a problem this season as the big guys have been opening up holes for DeLorenzo, Emmons and the rest of a talented backfield on the way to an 11-0 record and a berth in this Friday’s Class B state title game against Cony.

Rob Sullivan, the team’s line coach for the past 21 seasons, said the line’s combination of size this year ”“ the five starting offensive linemen average 6-foot-3, 223 pounds ”“ and speed has made it one of the best he’s worked with during his time in Kennebunk.

But that, he said, is only part of the story.

“It’s one of the best groups in terms of their attitude in that they can work very hard and then have a lot of fun,” Sullivan said. “They have great personality, they really believe in each other and they just play tough together.

“It’s a good combination of guys. These kids have a good mix of talent and work ethic.”

Experience helps, too, as the Rams returned four starters from a season ago in left tackle Shane Normandeau, left guard Austin Cressey, center Jake Boothby and right guard Ben Bath.

That inexperienced core took their lumps last year, when Kennebunk transitioned to a no-huddle, spread-option offense that requires linemen to receive their signals from the coaching staff at the line of scrimmage and adjust to the defensive formation on the fly.

“It’s a lot of pressure on us to communicate before the snap, and really perfect it in practice and know what we’re doing,” Normandeau explained. “It’s really about trust in one another.”

After initially struggling to acclimate to the new offense, Kennebunk adapted and went on to finish the season on a 5-1 streak to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008, largely based on the improvement of its young line to accompany an emerging group of skill players.

With the addition of 6-foot-5, 245-pound sophomore right tackle Travon Bradford and another year under their belts, the line has become an even bigger force this fall as the Rams are averaging over 37 points a game.

“It’s probably one of the best groups we’ve had in terms of the number of hours they put in,” Sullivan said. “They have a very good understanding of when they line up how they’re going to block it, and if something changes, they can adjust on the fly.

“The offense that we run requires that, and they do a great job of talking to each other.”

Kennebunk has been just as dominant up front on the defensive side of the ball as opposing backs have found running room difficult to come by.

In addition to Boothby, Normandeau and Cressey, Richie Platt ”“ 5-foot-9, 285 pounds ”“ and David Jackson, at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, have been plugging holes at the line of scrimmage.

“I’ve been really impressed with them defensively, especially,” Rams head coach Joe Rafferty said. “We’ve used quite a few guys in there, but they’ve really been playing shutdown football.”

At no time was that more apparent than in last week’s 41-14 win over Marshwood, when a Hawks team that had been battering opponents all year by running the ball straight at them ran into a blue brick wall.

That was especially so in the first half as 18 carries netted Marshwood just 73 yards and Kennebunk raced out to a 26-0 halftime lead.

“The defensive line just controls everything and makes it easy for the linebackers to make plays,” said Bath, who plays linebacker on defense, after the win. “It’s easy to play behind them.”

While the Rams clogged up the Hawks’ power running game, the challenge with this Friday’s opponent couldn’t be any more different.

Cony features the most prolific passing attack in the state, led by senior quarterback Ben Lucas, who has thrown for a whopping 2,958 yards and 39 touchdowns this season and a state-record 86 TDs in his high school career.

While the bulk of the load will no doubt fall on Kennebunk’s defensive backfield in coverage, getting pressure on Lucas up front and limiting his time in the pocket could be the X factor.

“It’s rare for a defensive linemen in high school to get to actually play against a passing attack, so I think they’re very excited,” Sullivan said. “(Lucas) is a tremendously talented kid, and we know we have to get to him fast, and we know the defensive line is a huge key to our success Friday night.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.