Pigskin Preview: North Iowa’s returning seniors matter amidst flock of underclassmen

(ABC 6 News) — The North Iowa Bison are entering 2023 with the goal of opening the offense’s wings, an important one considering the team shares their 8-man district with tough units like GTRA and West Bend-Mallard.

Versatility and speed will be key and it begins with the offensive line, a unit that co-head coach Dan Frerichs hopes to be more physical this year.

When looking back on what was a nagging issue for the Bison, Coach Frerichs noted, “A lot of it was blocking up front whether it was defense or on our offensive line, we need it to get stronger, more physical up front.”

Coach Frerichs praised his players for training to become a more stout line, saying, “They’ve been in the weight room a lot this summer. Our guys have been working their butts off up front this year. We’re working on new steps and a lot more quickness.”

“We’re bringing back a bunch of seniors this year that are going to be playing key positions and doing a lot of work for us and this year, we’re planning on spreading the ball around and spreading the guys out a lot.”

The Bison have 9 returning seniors, all looking to retain their chemistry with each other while forming bonds with the underclassmen, 16 of which are freshmen on the roster.

“I feel like just — going out there and depending on each other and trusting each other,” senior quarterback/linebacker Brogyn Greensky discussed. “I feel like trust with teammates plays a big role on the team. It’s the little things, a part of football and not just going to State and winning every game. I think coming out here, competing with each other, having fun…”

“I feel like we’re all motivated, we all really want to win, get to the (UNI) Dome,” senior wide receiver/safety Charlie Schaefer added. “Just tell (the underclassmen) when they’re doing a good job, trying to help them when they’re not doing something quite correctly. Just trying to get them to perfect their game, get ready for when they get to be seniors.”

The Bison’s first game of the year is at Clarksville this Friday at 7 PM.