A sense of euphoria could be felt throughout my house this weekend. Well, at least with us football fanatics. I really don’t think I moved from my position on the couch apart from the occasional bathroom and snack break on Saturday. I won’t go into too much detail as my Jayhawk friends would quickly stop reading, but due to the multiple upsets in the SEC my Tigers are now ranked number 5. Just saying. And hey, NFL wise, the Chiefs are now the only undefeated team in the league since the Broncos were shamed by the Colts. But despite all the talk about college and professional teams, I started thinking about my own team. The BVNW football team. And guys, they aren’t doing too shabby.

Thus far in the season, the team is celebrating a 5-2 record. I consider them to be undefeated at home since I don’t count the loss to Bishop Miege a home game because it was in Miege’s back yard. They’ve got the first game of districts under their belt after a win in Raider territory, and will face some much tougher competition against Olathe East this Friday. In my opinion, they have a good chance of at least the playoffs with the way they’ve been playing. Let’s break it down, shall we?

Quarterback: The Huskies have two very strong quarterbacks this season in senior Jacob Rominger and junior Zach Zegunis. Both have demonstrated the leadership needed to lead the team, and have shown poise under the pressure this position brings. As far as Rominger’s game goes, I have one word for you: composure. This is his first year starting, yet he looks like a seasoned vet on the field. Sure, early in the season there were a few mistakes made—that’s a given—but Rominger has always been able to recover. His accurate and strong passing often lull defenses into believing he is a one trick pony, but give him a few holes and he’s got no problem breaking through to the second level to gain extra yards on a run. Zegunis has done an excellent job stepping up into some intense situations as a junior and preforming at the level the team needs him to.

Wide Receivers: BVNW has a plethora of senior receivers to rely on this season in guys like Dante Starks (injured currently), Jaquwan Stone, Brett Henning, and Vince Fritz. All of them have established their willingness to sacrifice for a few bumps in bruises in order to make a key catch. Consistency has been the key with them, and they have done an excellent job utilizing their speed and agility to beat opposing defenses. Not only that, but when it comes to battling corner backs and getting into position, they almost always come out on top.

Running Backs: This season Coach Zegunis unleashed a new weapon in junior Miles Alexander. In all honesty, he is probably one of the best running backs I’ve seen at BVNW in my four years here. While he stands at just under 6 feet, he makes up for that with raw speed and unfaltering gracefulness. Really, all Rominger has to do is hand him the ball and he will dodge and cut through defenders as if they aren’t even there. Any guy who can pick up over 300 yards in a game against BVSW deserves some credit. Senior Kerriem Wilson has also proven himself to be a reliable running back. He has stepped up in some big moments for the Huskies to keep a drive alive or to score a much needed touch down. At Fullback the Huskies are able to utilize the skill of senior Kyle Pottinger. While injured a few games ago against BVSW, Pottinger has worked his way back to playing some offense and has done an excellent job clearing holes for Alexander to work his way through and protecting Rominger on passing plays. Pottinger has also been able to carry the ball and force his way through the defensive line to pick up some extra yards. 

Offensive Line: I can attribute the Huskies success this season to a lot of things, but in reality it is all owed to the offensive line. These guys are downright unstoppable this year. I honestly have no words to describe how well they have done. Headed by Kyle Styve at center who has been consistent at snapping the ball (no fumbles thus far from high or wide snaps) the O-Line consists of guys like seniors Nate Johnson, Carter Tierney, Christian Atteberry, Antonio Bennett, and Nicho Garcia. They go to battle every single play, and in reality Rominger and Alexander owe a lot of their success to the big guys up front who are blocking the snot out of the defensive line and opening up all sorts of holes. They truly are the heart of the offense, and major props to them.

Special Teams: The special teams have done pretty well overall this year. Seniors Bryan Gish and Vince Fritz have been punting masters this year. I don’t think Gish has missed a single field goal or extra point this year. On the defensive side, they have done a good job of stopping a lot of returns short and covering their zones (if you don’t count the 80 yard return BVSW’s Johnny Dunlap had for a touchdown). Offensive wise, they have done a good job of blocking and allowing the returner to gain as many extra yards as he can. A few fumbles on the catch earlier in the season have appeared to be cleaned up.

Defensive Line: This part of the team features the same guys on the O-line, and they have done an overall fantastic job. These guys give opposing quarterbacks something to worry about, and have caused multiple losses in yards and sacks this season. They have done well under pressure on 3^rd/4^th and short situations by stuffing the run and preventing any further gains or downs. Probably the best example of this was against BVW when it was 1^st and goal from the one yard line and the defense stopped the Jaguars on all four downs. That takes some serious talent, and there is no denying the line is a special group this year.

Linebackers: Seniors Kyle Pottinger (until his injury), Alex Wagoner, Aiden Ellis, and Ryan Jones and juniors Caleb Hughes and Spencer Adam have been unstoppable in the linebacker position. They’ve done an excellent job enforcing the defense and making sure nothing good happens for the opposing offense in the middle of the field. The middles have done a great job making sure opposing running backs regret trying to force their way through the middle, the Sams have done a great job containing the tight end, and the Wills have protected the weak side and stopped any short passes to the running back or full back. 

Second Level: Let’s start with the corner backs. Seniors Jaquwan Stone, Jack Truitt, Vince Fritz, Kyle Harrison, and Tejas Patel have done an excellent job of being—to put it simply—completely disruptive. Opposing wide receivers have to really work in order to catch a pass, and the corners have adjusted to different offenses and adversity beautifully. Harrison especially seems to have an eye for interceptions has he’s collected a few picks this year. The safety position features similar guys with the addition of senior Jordan Carroll who has also picked up an important interception and made many drive ending tackles. The safeties have also done an incredible job of keeping everything in front of them and breaking up deep passes as well as making any stops need.

So there you have it. The reasons that the football team is facing so much success. Each and every guy on the field (most of the time) is doing his job and then some. As we near November and what will eventually mark the end of the season, I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this year’s team has made BVNW proud. But for now, let’s focus on cheering on our boys as far as they can go into the post season. And that starts with everyone in the Pound showing up for their game against Olathe East Friday. These guys have worked extremely hard to get to where they are now, and they deserve our support.