Dowling brothers are healthy anchors for ranked Concordia's O-line

Gabe and Will Dowling are two big reasons why Concordia (Mich.) University will start its football season ranked No. 6 in the NAIA preseason poll. The Dowlings, who grew up in Clyde and graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 2020, start on the offensive line for Concordia. Gabe is the left tackle and Will is the right guard. And both finally are healthy. Gabe played most of last fall with a torn labrum in his right hip. Will fought through a broken ankle last year. "Last year I was always worried about it," Gabe said. "It feels good to be at full strength. It'll be great to have no pain every game and practice." The Cardinals, who have made the NAIA playoffs five straight seasons, open their 2022 slate Friday night at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. Stetson is an FCS non-scholarship program that plays in the Pioneer League. "I'm feeling really good and I'm excited to get back to football," Will said. Both twins are listed at 6-foot-3 and around 290 pounds. Both were second team all-conference picks last year. Concordia plays in the Midwest League of the Mid-States Football Association. Concordia, like many small schools, did not play football in 2020 due to the coronavirus. Instead, they played a spring and fall season in 2021 -- 19 games in total. That took its toll. Will broke an ankle in a game against Taylor (Indiana) in the Cardinals' fourth game in the spring of 2021. "I got rolled up on against Taylor," Will said. "When the right tackle cut two guys landed on my ankle." He was carted off the field before returning to the game. "I thought it was a high ankle sprain so I played," he said. "It still was bothering me after my sophomore season (fall of 2021). I had to play with that for two seasons. It wasn't fun." In addition to a broken ankle, Will tore four ligaments. He missed one game and two others were canceled before he competed in two playoff games. He had surgery and is ready to go this season. Gabe also had surgery after last season, on the labrum in his right hip. He was injured during practice last fall. "I had a bunch of pain in my legs and thought it was a hip flexor," he said. "I kept playing and it got worse." The injury was diagnosed later in the season. He missed one game, took a cortisone shot and had surgery in December. Concordia went 9-2 last fall and won a playoff game. The Dowlings had offers at the NCAA Division II level coming out of high school, but they felt a strong tie to Concordia. "We get a lot of one-on-one time with teachers and the coaches love you as a person, not just an athlete," Gabe said. "It's been a really, really good fit." They both are double majors (secondary history, K-12 special ed learning disabilities) and have been named to all-academic teams. Coaching football is a goal for both linemen, who might give professional ball a shot. Playing alongside each other is another goal. "I'm hoping after this year he can move over to left guard," Gabe said about Will. "That's where we played in high school." The Dowlings helped Oak Harbor reach the Division V state semifinals in 2019. The Rockets were eliminated by eventual state champion Kirtland. The twins grew up in Clyde but moved in with their father, William, before their senior year. William moved from Fremont to Oak Harbor, and the Dowlings had to go to court after the OHSAA deemed them ineligible for half the season. They won their case and played the entire season. Meanwhile, Clyde went on to win a Division IV state championship. "I was happy for all my friends at Clyde," Gabe said. Their father, William, has moved back to Fremont to care for his mother. "At first it was hard," William said about the move to Oak Harbor. "Some people had resentment toward us. Their friends that were upset, now they're hanging out and they're friends again." Gabe and Will lived with their mother in Clyde this summer and worked for the city. "We had to move with my dad and he wanted to move to Oak Harbor," Will said about their unusual senior year. "We're still part of Clyde." The Dowlings played for high-level high school teams and now they're doing the same at Concordia, which is located in Ann Arbor. "I take it as a challenge because most of the time I'm 1-on-1 and I take pride in going up against the best defensive linemen," said Gabe, the left tackle. "I love being able to protect the quarterback." The twins also still occasionally hit the basketball court. They played the sport in high school. "My teammates think it's funny watching me and Gabe play basketball," Will said. "They think we'd just shove people around, but we still have some finesse."