Consistency a key to Hawks' success

As the football season moves into the playoffs, one thing has been a near certainty - North Fayette will be there.The Hawks have made the playoff field eight of the past 10 years.Bob Lape, in his third season as the head coach after 21 as an assistant to Ron Wymer at the West Union school, said the secret is consistency.“We have doing the same thing for years here,” he said. “It has worked well, and will continue to work.”A large part of that consistency is the longevity of the coaching staff.“Our assistant coaches have all been here a while,” Lape said, noting most have been at the school at least 10 years.Most of those assistants played for North Fayette, another key ingredient.“We understand what the tradition is and what we have to do to maintain it,” said Lape, one of five on staff who played for the Hawks. “We can relate that to the players.”Youth football in the West Union area also plays a big role.“This year's junior class is the first that was part of the youth program, which we start in the fifth and sixth grade,” he said. “The kids there run the same things there as we do on the varsity level. We feel it is important to teach them what we want to do at the upper levels.”The Hawks, 9-0 and ranked second in Class 2A, are led by senior Quarterback Reid Nuss with just more 1,000 yards in total offense. Junior fullback Jake Greco also had a big year, rushing for 1,197 yards.“Those guys played well, but it is really a total team effort here,” Lape said. “My fullback may get eight to 10 carries a game, as will the tailback. We may throw the ball eight to 10 also. Every one contributes. It is a total team effort.“The Hawks' offense sticks to the basics, doing what they do best.“We do the same things we did 15 years ago,” Lape said. “We will run dives, traps and the belly series. It is what we know, and what works well for us. You won't see us run the spread, or anything like that.”By Jeff Hare, Correspondent