A special ‘thank you’ to an unforgettable group

Every time Aurora coach Kyle Peterson opens up, there’s at least one thing, usually much more, to be taken from that message.
Friday night was a tough one for Husky Nation as its football season came to a crushing halt at the hands of Columbus Lakeview, 45-0. 
But, what a ride it was just to arrive in November.
After an 0-3 start and a thumping at title favorite Wahoo, the lingering question was where this team goes from that point?
Peterson’s message after the Wahoo game was well received given how the next two months unfolded.
“Let it go,” Peterson told the team after a 42-7 loss at Wahoo in the postgame huddle. “That was the message. If we allow negative thoughts to creep into our heads it’s going to linger and we can’t allow that. We have too much football to play yet this year to let that happen. We’re going to say that the new season starts this week.”
What followed was nothing short of spectacular -- seven consecutive wins, a district championship, playoff berth and opening-round win on the road.
Where does that success come from? Aurora’s run game is certainly a choice. The Huskies rushed for 2,225 yards during its seven-game win streak, averaging 318 yards on the ground per game. Aurora added 30 rushing TDs during the streak while averaging 47 carries per game.
The Big Red ended up with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in its QB-RB duo of Wyatt Pollet and Ian Jensen, the rare hard-hitting signal caller paired with the back who just never quits.
It started up front with the big uglies -- Tucker Theriot, Jake Molliconi, Angelo Holke, Gabe Gibson and Kayden Crosby. The work those guys did up front didn’t go by unnoticed by us or those trying to defend it.
One could also point to the Husky defense, which at one point this season pitched back-to-back shutouts against Adams Central and Lincoln Christian, something that hasn’t been done in A-Town since any of these players were born. 
What it really came down to, though, was something simple. Something that happens more often than not in this school, this program.
It’s senior leaders got up off the canvas, dusted themselves off and kept moving forward.
Collin Stolpe, one of those senior leaders who helped anchor both sides of the ball this season shared a positive message after the game of what it takes to play for and represent Aurora.
“The grit,” Stolpe said. “Even though you’re down, even though you get knocked down, you have to get up and keep fighting. You can always get better and put in more work.”
Coach Peterson’s message following the Lakeview loss was an ode to those seniors, the work they put in, their uplifting spirit for the entire team and unique leadership from top to bottom.
In Aurora’s final family huddle after the game, including every parent and fan who made the hour trek north, Peterson requested each underclassmen thank a senior.
It was incredible, really, watching 30-plus underclassmen not just thank one senior, but multiple with hugs, handshakes and chest thumps before ever once looking to their own family. 
Peterson mentioned in the huddle how unique and special this senior group of Huskies is and the admiration shown from the underclassmen in that moment was a direct correlation of the same respect those seniors showed the youngsters in the months leading up to that game, that moment.
Stolpe shared a similar sentiment about both his classmates and teammates. He went into battle every week with the same belief in the guy next to him. 
“Our class has always been really close and united,” Stolpe said. “That really played a big part in it. I don’t think I’ve had as close of brothers as I did this year. I wouldn’t want to do another four years with any other seniors.”
Watching those kids take their uniform off the final time doesn’t get any easier with years gone by. Only a select few get to do so under celebratory circumstances. 
The admiration shown from this Husky senior group and how that circled back from the future leaders of the pack shows where the program is at, where it’s headed and the pride the rest of us should have. 
“There’s so much you can take from being a football player but being a Husky and that family unity is just something special,” Stolpe said. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
We won’t either, Stolpe!
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.