Welcome to The Blue Line

MODESTO -- Aaron Zwahlen. Ja'Quan Gardner. John Mundt. Spencer Thomas. Aaron Cochran.

What do five players with completely different skill sets have in common, besides their passion for football?

Easy. The Blue Line.

For two weeks now, we've teased you with The Blue Line.

In a series of ads, we've spotlighted the First Five without giving you much context. We hope it's piqued your interest. What is The Blue Line, you ask?

The Blue Line recognizes the Stanislaus District's top performers — the playmakers and game-changers that have dominated our coverage.

The first five were easy to identify.

Throughout the season, prep reporter Richard T. Estrada will select new members, and those athletes, like the First Five, will be hyperlinked at modbee.com.

That's the blue line. With a click, you can access stories, pictures and video tagged with that particular player's name. We're creating a library for these standouts and providing a resource for those recruiting them.

How It Works

WHO: Prep reporter Richard T. Estrada will identify new members of The Blue Line, judging candidates on their body of work. The process will be ongoing, beginning with tonight's games. New members will be announced on Wednesdays as part of our weekly prep football package. The first five include: Downey quarterback Aaron Zwahlen, Central Catholic tight end John Mundt, Central Valley running back Ja'Quan Gardner, Oakdale quarterback Spencer Thomas and Buhach Colony offensive lineman Aaron Cochran.

WHAT: Blue Line players will be hyper-linked throughout www.modbee.com — hence, "The Blue Line" — and all content (stories, pictures, video) tagged with their names will collect in a special area on the site.

WHERE: Readers can access this content by simply clicking on the player's name, or by visiting modbee.com/blueline for content on all members of The Blue Line.

WHY: The Blue Line recognizes the Stanislaus District's top performers, creating a home for the coverage they've received throughout their prep careers. Not only are we creating a library for these standouts, but also providing a resource to assist those recruiting them.