As I see it, “Wichita Lineman” is a football song. The protagonist is a Wichita Indian who is an offensive lineman on a football team. He “drives the main road” by opening holes for his tailback while searching for an “overload,” when the defense brings a safety forward. He can hear his girl friend “through the whine,” or in other words, she’s cheering while the rest of the crowd is booing.
His team is apparently located in an area where it snows frequently, perhaps Flagstaff, Ariz., and they are preparing for a home game with a team from “down South,” perhaps Phoenix or Tuscon, that uses the “stretch,” a pass-oriented offense that would be ineffective in snowy conditions.
Interesting take but phone company lineman makes perfect sense. Snow and ice notorious for bringing down trees and phone lines with them.