Video of Latrobe lineman catching punt in practice goes viral

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, August 30, 2019 | 2:18 PM

It seemed like a fun yet unassuming moment at the end of a recent Latrobe football practice.

But it turned into a viral video.

Teams have done this particular high-stakes test before, but now more might want to try it. The contest goes like this: Punt the ball to a lineman. If he catches it, there is no rigorous conditioning that day.

Practice ended a little earlier for Latrobe as junior two-way tackle Isaac Landry was back deep and junior Logan Gustafson lined up a punt.

He booted a beauty, high and true, end-over-end.

Landry caught the kick in stride and clutched it tightly, immediately setting off a roar of cheers from his teammates, who sprinted onto the field.

That reaction at the end ? pic.twitter.com/Kfb43SXW4J

— Lineman Probs (@linemanissues) August 28, 2019

The Twitter account Lineman Probs (@linemanissues), which has more than 75,000 followers, picked up the video and it picked up steam from there.

As of Friday afternoon, the 12-second clip had more than 10,000 views. Landan Carns, a junior player who is injured, was the one filming.

Linemen often say they get light attention for doing the heavy lifting but this was a zero-to-hero story in a few seconds for Landry and his fellow big boys up front. A true fair catch.

Or, unfair?

“It was pretty cool to see our team come together and rally around Isaac like that,” Latrobe coach Jason Marucco said. “But I believe that was a wager our coaches made with the team to get out of conditioning.”

That’s Latrobe’s very own Isaac Landry (Starting right tackle/DT) going viral. https://t.co/sPqs5ZYYFS

— Derrick Molnar (@Coach_Mole96) August 28, 2019

Line coach Derrick Molnar said he never anticipated the moment would draw so much attention. The power of social media did its thing.

“The kids think it’s great and are getting a good laugh out of it,” Molnar said.

Latrobe had another lineman in a viral video in January, but for basketball. Standout Trent Holler, who is now playing at East Carolina, took a charge from current Hempfield senior lineman Fintan Brose. The block-or-charge highlight spread quickly.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Latrobe