HANOVER — Ivy League football, as Dartmouth College fifth-year offensive tackle Griff Lehman put it, is “an old man’s league.”

That’s especially true in the trenches, where experience tends to dominate.

Last year, even after the canceled 2020 season, the Big Green returned two starters on the offensive line, and that translated into the conference’s best running game by far. En route to sharing the Ivy League title with Princeton, Dartmouth averaged 5.34 yards per rush — more than a full yard ahead of second-place Harvard. In fact, the gap between first and second was roughly the same as the gap between second and eighth in that category.

“It was a fun group to coach,” offensive line coach Keith Clark said. “They were able to go out and handle situations that maybe we hadn’t covered because they had done it over and over. There was tremendous recall.”

This year, Clark’s group does not have that luxury.

Lehman, the right tackle, is the only starter back, and he has taken to his newfound leadership role. After playing on junior varsity as a freshman in 2018, Lehman saw action in the first three games in 2019 before missing the rest of the season. He became a starter in 2021 and was granted a fifth year of eligibility for this season.

Lehman went through quite a learning curve upon earning that starting spot — he was called for a false start on the Big Green’s first offensive possession of the year, leading to one of two safeties Dartmouth surrendered to Valparaiso.

Although Lehman credited Clark with helping the younger lineman prepare for game speed, Clark said Lehman has been organizing the group to watch film and teaching them about the schemes opposing defenses will throw at them.

“From a maturing standpoint, he’s crossed the canyon,” Clark said. “He’s teaching them the things that I typically try to teach as well. As much as he can be an extension of me out there, that’s what he’s able to contribute to our younger and less-experienced players.”

Less than a week into preseason practice, the other four starting spots are still up for grabs.

Junior Nick Schwitzgebel has the next-most experience, playing in nine games last year at right guard and starting against Sacred Heart. Konstantin Spörk, a sophomore from Pulheim, Germany, is taking first-team snaps at left tackle, with senior Michael Flores at left guard and junior Thomas Hartnett at center.

Flores, who grew up in Arlington, Texas, is the third brother in his family to play on Dartmouth’s offensive line. Jacob Flores earned a first-team all-Ivy selection as a senior in 2015 and later spent time with the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad. John Paul Flores started at left tackle in 2019 and 2021. Another brother, Charlie Flores, started at left guard for Columbia in 2016 and 2017.

Michael’s journey has been perhaps the most circuitous. He was involved in a car accident as a high school senior that cost him his freshman season, and he played mostly on special teams last year.

“Everybody has their own path, and not everybody’s going to come right in and start or come right in and make an impact,” Flores said.

“I’ve always dreamed to be in the shoes of my older brothers, and it’s kind of weird experiencing what they did. I never could have imagined that it’s this rewarding.”

Seniors Adam Will and Luke Gagnon, who each played sparingly last year, are also competing for time at center, Clark said, and sophomores Nick Marinaro and Tristan Holmbeck are also in the mix.

Whoever ends up starting may not have to hold their blocks for long because of senior quarterback Nick Howard’s ability to move around in the pocket and make plays on the ground. Howard was the Big Green’s leading rusher last year and scored 15 of Dartmouth’s 21 rushing touchdowns. Seeing as he will likely be asked to throw more this year, Howard will have an up-close view of the line’s ability in both run blocking and pass protection.

“A lot of our guys move really well. That allows us to do a lot of different stuff in the run game,” Howard said. “We can pull any single one of them, from tackle, guard, center. There were a lot of questions on where guys were going to fit in. We needed a few guys to step up and really improve over the summer, and a number of those guys have taken those steps.

“We have one of the best defensive lines in the Ivy League, and going up against them every day makes our guys that much better.”

Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.