North Vermillion continues to build

When he took over the reins of the North Vermillion football team, first year head coach Nate Crum knew he had to change the culture.

The Falcons had been successful in the past, but the squad endured an 0-10 season, ending last year with few players. 

Crum has since taken over, leading the Falcons to a 2-4 record and instilling a belief that they can play solid football during the final three weeks of the regular season. 

"It is that time of the year where you need to be firing on all cylinders heading into sectional. I think we are and we took a pretty big step last week. We weren't real happy after the Riverton Parke game, but we bounced back and that is good to see. We are there. I have seen six games and some JV games of these kids. We had to make a couple shifts as a staff to put kids in the best position to succeed at, and we want to try to help the kids get to where they need to get to be successful. There is always room for improvement. These next three weeks tell us where we are and who we are," Crum told The Parke County Post. 

Crum said the excitement surrounding his program is high.

"The belief is there now, and you can see it. They believe they can do these things. There's a couple games we were blown out in, and a few could of gone either way and we did some things to beat ourselves. We could really be here if we didn't do some things, and the belief should be there. The staff is there and the kids are there. We are excited. You want to play your best ball at the end of the year, and that is what we are striving to do. It is hard to bounce back from a season they had last year to where they are now. It is hard to get to the point where you believe again, and that is where they are at. I am proud of them," Crum said

Crum said he is looking to build a program through hard work and effort. 

"For me it is about building that culture, and getting to a point where you have years of success because of a season like this. You have to tell the kids this is what we are able to do because of this and we didn't have excuses, we worked hard and got better every day. People can look at Riverton Parke and point the finger and say they were down once and look at where they are now. If you put the time in and the effort in, it pays off. It has been shown time and time again in sports and football. You have to point those things out on a daily basis and make sure they believe it and understand it," Crum said. 

The Falcons throttled Attica, 51-13 last week.

In the win, quarterback Owen Hinchee was 3-of-5 for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Colton Medina rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns. 

Defensively, Emmett Walters recorded 11 tackles. 

"We moved the ball really well. We had one missed assignment on our first series and it kept us from scoring. Those are the little things you have to point out and have to get better at. We have not started great and every game, we have not started the way we need to start. Once we got there and got our second stop on defense, blocking a field goal, it kind of clicked. Medina took the ball 60 or 70 yards and that set the tone. He took another one up the middle on a long run. We hadn't had that outburst until then," Crum said. 

While the win was nice, Crum said his team has to learn to hate losing as much as it enjoys winning. 

"Games like last week are fun. Everybody likes to win, but you have to hate to lose. That's how you compete. That's how you win, and that's how you drag this thing out the next couple of weeks. You have to hate to lose, and that is one thing we have really talked about," he said. 

North Vermillion will look to continue its winning ways Friday when it travels to Parke Heritage (4-2, 3-1 Wabash River Conference). 

"They are a good team. They are second in the conference right behind Riverton Parke. This is a big game for us and a who are we type of game. What kind of team are we? Can we put two in a row together? Can we fight in a game we feel will be a close game and can you pull it out against a good team that wants to do what we want to do. They have a lot coming down the pipe for them, and they will be hungry. It will be a good game, and I think it will be a fun one," Crum said.