Eight Mounders finish high school careers on gridiron

ELK MOUND — With eight seniors playing for the Elk Mound football team this year, including six who were three year letter winners, the Mounders improved from a 1-8 record the past two seasons to a 7-3 record this year. They not only won their first conference game in three years, they won four of them for a 4-2 record which put them in the WIAA playoffs where they lost a first round game to Bloomer.

Justin Erpenbach

Justin Erpenbach was one of those three year players who could be found in the trenches on both sides of the line He was named an honorable mention All Conference defensive lineman his junior year and while playing offense, he snared two passes for 11 yards with  one going for a touchdown against Chetek-Weyerhaeuser. He was a First Team All Conference selection as an offensive lineman this year and opened plenty of holes for his running backs including a 1,000 yard rusher. He is considering playing at the college level if his shoulder injury improves.

Ben Mack

Ben Mack, another three year letter winner as a running back and linebacker, rushed for 355 yards this season which was second on the team. He scored a rushing touchdown against Mondovi, caught a TD pass in the Flambeau game and a two point pass conversion against Colfax. In three seasons he rushed for 412 yards, and on defense his senior year, Mack had 26 solo tackles and assisted on 26 more while forcing one fumble.

Cole Tyman

Cole Tyman used his hands and feet to make his name known around the football field. As a tight end, he collected 20 passes in his three seasons for 245 yards and one touchdown which came this year from 42 yards out against Mondovi. He was the team punter and improved his average from 13.8 yards a game as a sophomore to 32.3 his junior year and 35.5 this season. He recorded 16 solo tackles and 20 assisted tackles this year as a defensive end. He was an honorable mention pick for the All Conference team as a tight end this year.

Alex Hollister

Alex Hollister played as a wide receiver and a defensive back for three seasons, catching 14 passes for 214 total yards. His senior year was his most productive as he snagged four passes and led the Mounders in receiving yards with 135. Three of his receptions were for touchdowns, including one each against Chetek-Weyerhhauser, Boyceville and Bloomer which put him on the honorable mention All Conference team for his efforts. On defense, he came up with 10 solo tackles and assisted on 19 more this year.

Chase Morris

Chase Morris spent most of his time as a defensive lineman but played a little running back in his three seasons with the team. Defensively this year, he was in on 26 tackles with 14 all by himself. He also ran for a pair of touchdowns including one each against Flambeau and Colfax and had a total of 38 rushing yards for his career.

Jordan VanSchoonhoven

Jordan VanSchoonhoven was another three year letter winner as a wide receiver and a defensive back for the Mounders. He snagged a pair of passes for 28 yards in his career and as a senior, brought down the opposing ball carrier 29 times with 12 of his tackles of the solo variety.

Colin Svee

Colin Svee played two seasons at the varsity level as a wide receiver and a defensive back. He had a pretty big game in the 20-13 win over Boyceville this year when he scored a rushing touchdown on a reverse, then scored another on a 30-yard reception. In two seasons he caught 11 passes for 187 yards and he was even more impressive on the defensive side this year when he led the Mounders in interceptions with two including a pick six against Glenwood City. He was also involved with 27 tackles including 16 solo.

Teegen Peterson

Teegan Peterson played varsity for two seasons as a wide receiver and a safety. He was involved with eight tackles this year with six of them solo and came up with a big interception against Glenwood City.

Two senior managers also lettered for the team including Elliot Johnson for three years and Noah Stamm for one year.

“This group of seniors were great leaders and they helped us get back on track,” head coach Dave Lew said. “They will not be forgotten for all they have done for this program and for our high school. They capped their senior year with a great season and we are very proud of them.”