Union football turns corner after many years of failure
RIMERSBURG — Turning around a struggling football program is no easy task.
Talent helps, but it's certainly not the only element. Patience is another ingredient to the recipe — not only from players and coaches, but the fan base, too.
Perhaps the biggest factor, though, is a genuine commitment.
This isn't demonstrated by simply showing up to practice every day for the few months of football season. It's a culmination of year-round dedication to the weight room, the coaching staff's system and most importantly, the teammates.
Guys like Taylor Smith, Brody Pollock, Austin Davis and Mikey Harris walked off the football field with the taste of victory just three times during their freshman and sophomore years.
The Golden Knights weren't strangers to taking a beating. It had been the fate of Union High School football teams for over a decade.
The current quartet of Union captains could've accepted the standard, gone through the motions and added to the legacy of losing.
Instead of quitting, they just worked harder, set an example and led the Knights to their first playoff berth in school history.
Union went 7-4 this season — not bad for a program that won seven games combined from 2003-09, which includes a victory by forfeit, along with a 30-game losing skid spanning '03-06.
Smith remembers when winning was the exception, rather than the expectation.
“Oh my,” he said while rolling his eyes. “My freshman and sophomore years, we won maybe three games combined in both seasons.”
That was before Dave Louder took the reins of the program, and the Union coach did it under the most difficult of circumstances.Coach Al Pryor took his own life on Sept. 4, 2010, and the tragedy undoubtedly left an imprint on the Union program.Louder guided the team through the unimaginable adversity as the Knights just tried to move on.“That's our aim. That's our goal,” Louder said after Union's first game following Pryor's death, a 44-16 loss to Saegertown. “We expect to put this behind us and become the team we know we can be.”Under the leadership of Louder and his staff, Union improbably found a way to regroup and won four of its final six games that year. The players kept Pryor in their thoughts throughout.Trent Corle graduated in 2010, but played an essential role in reversing the program's fortunes.“This season is for (Coach Pryor),” said Corle following the Saegertown loss. “All offseason he said to us we can go 7-3. Well, we're 0-2 and we have some work to do.”The Knights finished 4-6 that year, but never stopped working.As it turns out, the late Pryor was just one year off with his prediction. Union reeled off a 7-3 regular-season record in 2011.The Golden Knights possessed more talent than they had in the past, but there was something else, too.“Dedication,” said Smith, who threw for 1,220 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions this year. “It eventually paid off because we started winning.”The senior helped the cause by rushing for 553 yards and five scores, as well.
Davis led the Knights on the ground with 663 rushing yards and eight TDs.“Everybody is working hard. Everybody hits the weights,” said Davis. “We all try to set an example for the kids below us, to get them in there lifting. All summer, we tell them it's football season in the summer.”The passion for football was contagious and ignited interest all around the school. The result has been more numbers, more athletes and more wins.The excitement has led to a surge in youth football participation, as well.“We're getting kids down in the lower end coming up to work out and see our philosophy as a coaching staff,” Louder explained. “The kids are buying into it.”Pollock, who torched opposing secondaries this season with 29 catches for 490 yards and eight touchdowns, believes the four wins in 2010 gave uninspired athletes reason to give football a try.“The kids saw we started winning and like 45 people signed up,” said Pollock, who also had eight interceptions. “We just had the numbers this year and there's a lot of athletic kids that came out that haven't been there (in the past).”The growth in the program allowed the Knights to practice more effectively. Harris — who paced the team in tackles, averaged over 6 yards a carry and scored six total TDs — enjoyed the unfamiliar flexibility.“We couldn't really sub people in as much as we are now. ... This year is our biggest turnout yet,” said Harris. “We have so many people that we can bring in and out at so many positions. We have enough people to practice both sides of the ball at the same time.”
With the high school and youth programs suddenly booming in popularity, coupled with the Knights coming off their best season since — well, ever — there's no reason to believe Union will return to being a doormat.The unprecedented success has restored pride in its fan base. Louder didn't fully understand until speaking with a fan after a game.“You realize how proud he was to wear the blue and gold,” Louder said. “To have that Union hat on and not feel that (30-game) losing streak we had and all of the 1-and-whatever seasons.”Now, it's just a matter of keeping the momentum.“We're ecstatic that we're heading in the right direction,” said Louder. “There's a real buzz around school and the youth program is blossoming because of it.“Things are looking good.”
