North Union staying grounded amid undefeated start
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ARMSTRONG - Head coach Matt Ernster saw just a handful of radio and media outlets place his North Union program in this fall's Iowa high school football preseason rankings. Rokfin's IAfootball, to Ernster's surprise, had the Warriors at No. 5. But that was one of the few instances he saw his team get early recognition.
Fast forward to September 26. North Union is ranked No. 3 in the latest MaxPreps Rankings after its victory over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire. Its perfect 5-0 start has created buzz within the Warriors fanbase.
However, Ernster, his team, and his coaching staff choose to remain grounded. The preseason mantra of taking things one week at a time is emphasized now more than ever before.
"As a coaching staff, it's something we preach all the time. We're not talking about anything outside of what's going on during the week," Ernster said. "But we also have a pretty mature group of kids. A veteran group that's been around. They understand that approach, and that's a tough thing for high schoolers to do."
"They've done a really good job of staying focused on what needs to be done throughout the week," he continued. "Even to the point where it's almost practice by practice, day by day."
Ground and pound
North Union's offense has been incredible this season. Plain and simple. The Warriors are averaging just over 58 points per contest. Their 31 offensive touchdowns and 1558 total yards rank ninth in all of 8-player football.
This success has boiled down to one factor: North Union's rushing attack. Quarterback Greyson Colegrove has done well with his arm thus far, tallying 233 yards and five touchdowns on 16 completions. But it's his legs and first-year starting running back Carson Crouch that have really elevated this unit into one of the best in the class.
The Warriors’ transition from Draven Keeler has been nearly flawless. Keeler left big shoes to fill upon his graduation. Replacing 1231 yards and 19 touchdowns isn't an easy task. This has made Crouch's early success all the more impressive.
North Union's first four games saw the junior collect 585 yards and nine touchdowns. He's averaging over 10 yards on 56 carries. Crouch has significantly increased his workload from his junior varsity days and time spent as Keeler's backup a year prior. For Ernster, however, the successful transition isn't too much of a surprise.
"For a coach, it's awesome. To know you have a guy back there that at any moment can break it on any carry," Ernster said. "I think we had a good idea he could be this guy for us. He's put a lot of work in to be a better football player. You go back to when he got into high school, he was that guy on JV his freshman year, showing a lot of his potential then."
Colegrove has added another dynamic to North Union's ground game. The senior play caller always carried traits of being a strong runner - tallying 507 and 468 yards during his sophomore and junior campaigns. Colegrove is already approaching that territory with plenty of season to be played.
On 42 touches, Colegrove accumulated 462 yards and nine scores. His most impressive performance came during Week Four's win over Riceville, where he ran for 156 yards while punching in three touchdowns.
Another year of development is the first reason that comes to mind when explaining Colegrove's hot start. Last year's wrist injury ultimately healing adds another factor. He can run with more physicality and confidence than ever before. Now, everything is coming together.
"It's him being injury-free and having the confidence," Ernster said. "He's put a lot of work in the weight room this offseason. He's always been a special athlete, so now you see it all come together for him this year so far. ...When he's playing with that confidence, there aren't many guys better than him athletically that way."
The duo has helped the Warriors become the seventh-best team in 8-player in terms of rushing yards (1,297) and touchdowns (25). Ernster trusts this side of his offense. It's an element he knows North Union can rely on in multiple situations.
Locking it down
Ernster expected North Union to have an impressive start to begin the year given the lighter schedule. What he didn't expect was the dominating point differentials. The Warriors’ average margin of victory is currently a shade over 44 points.
A knee-jerk reaction is to look at North Union's offense for its powerful scoring display. On the opposite side of the ball, however, has been a steady string of solid defensive outings. Outings that have allowed one score or less in three of the five games.
"Looking at our schedule, I kinda knew we had a chance to be pretty good early on. But our winning margins have been a bit bigger than expected," Ernster said. "I knew offensively we could be really good with some of the guys we had coming back. But defensively, I've been pleasantly surprised with how well that group has played early on."
Last year's reintroduction to the 8-player class showed North Union the type of offenses they had to deal with. It's a brand of football that requires discipline in the linebacker and secondary position groups.
Ernster says opposing teams consistently aim to produce one-on-one matchups in open space. In four contests, the defense has done enough to hold opponents down. It's created more possessions for North Union to score.
"They've gotten good at reads," Ernster said. "I think that's one thing we've gotten a lot better at: understanding the offense, what is coming at us, and making plays off of that."
A big highlight for the Warriors defense to this point is the line of scrimmage. Kyan Walter and Kaden Grimm have combined for 12 of North Union's 33 tackles for loss. Walter even leads the team in sacks with four. The duo leads a group of up to six defensive linemen Ernster is comfortable playing. Depth in this position has kept bodies fresh and everyone else’s job a little easier.
Day-by-day
North Union finishes the year with its toughest stretch yet. Last year's IHSAA 8-Player State Football Champion Bishop Garrigan looms on the horizon next Friday. West Bend-Mallard (4-1) and Northwood-Kensett (2-2) conclude the final two regular-season weeks.
But the mentality stays true. It's easy for the Warriors to peek ahead toward their next contest against the Golden Bears - a battle of two top teams. That's not how Ernster's group got to this point. He will make sure North Union continues taking things repetition by repetition and day by day.
"With the schedule getting a little bit heavier, if you get caught playing that down-the-line game, it's when you find yourself in a bad position," Ernster said. "It would be easy to look ahead to the next game, but we have things we need to accomplish within the week before we can move on to the next."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Statistics in this story reflect North Union's first four games of the season. Statistics from Friday's contest against Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire were not fully available before the Sentinel's deadline for Saturday's edition.