Players' Pride: Former Howard Lions Bolster Salisbury in DIII Drive

This Saturday the 12-1 Salisbury Sea Gulls face a daunting task in trying to beat the Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks on the road in the NCAA Division III playoffs quarterfinals. The 12-0 Warhawks are defending national champions and have won 42 straight games. They’ve made it to the national championship six straight years, each time facing Ohio’s Mount Union, and have taken home the title three times.

Helping the Gulls match-up against the Warhawks will be four former standouts: Freshman defensive back Curtis Ford , sophomore defensive back Drew Allebach, sophomore defensive back Calvin Ford, and senior slotback Tyler Curley. Having so many players from a single high school on a top DIII team is no small feat; it's estimated that only 1 in 17 high school football players overall make the leap from the scholastic to collegiate game. 

Patch caught up with two of the four former Lions, Drew Allebach and Calvin Ford, to gain some insight into their experience of college football, playing for both Howard and Salisbury, and driving to the DIII playoffs. The interview was conducted via email and has been edited for clarity.

What’s been a key to Salisbury advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals?

Allebach:  I think a big reason for our success this season has to do with team chemistry.  We obviously have a lot of talent and are very athletic, but we're also a pretty close-knit team and can depend on each other when we need to get the job done, which I believe gives us an extra edge over most of our opponents.

Ford: A big key to this year’s success is the way we all come together to be one big family and trust in each other’s abilities. I have never been on a team that has so much chemistry and that showed in our last game against Kean University. Even through three overtimes, we were able to keep our composure and discuss what we were doing wrong and what we had to do to win that game. I feel that that chemistry is strong enough to take us all the way to the championship. The sky is the limit for this team.

How did Howard High School prepare you to play college football?

Allebach: The biggest thing that prepared me for college football when I was in high school was probably the weight room.  We got a new coach, Bruce Strunk, my junior year and he really stressed getting in the weight room and getting stronger so we would be prepared to play in physical games on Friday nights.

Before Coach Strunk came to Howard, I was unfamiliar with the weight room, but I followed his lead and did his workouts and noticed a difference. I found when I reached the collegiate level, strength and speed is essential in order to compete with opponents because they're not 17 years old anymore, you're playing ball with grown men.

Ford: Howard High and Coach Strunk did a lot to prepare me for college football. He always pushed us to get in the weight room to get stronger and to always go hard at practice and carry it over to game day. I've taken that preparation with me here at Salisbury and it has helped me a lot so far in my college career.

What's the biggest difference between collegiate football and high school?

Allebach: That's probably the biggest change from high school to college, is that you aren't playing with teens anymore, every player on the field is a grown man.  Everything (the game and players) is faster, bigger, and stronger, and it's something that you have to learn to adjust to.

Ford: There's a big difference between collegiate football and high school football. One of the main differences that took its toll on me my freshman year was the dedication and time you have to put in for college football. You really began to realize how much you care for the game in college. Football in college is a year-round thing. There is never an offseason. Right after one season you begin preparing for the next; hitting the weight room, getting in the film room, spring practices, conditioning, etc. At the end it is all worth it though, especially with a season like this year. This is what we have played our whole lives for, a shot at a national championship.

Has having four graduates of Howard on the team helped you out?

Allebach: Having people from my high school definitely helped out as a freshman because I already had a couple friends.  College is obviously a huge adjustment from high school, especially being a student-athlete balancing school and sports, so having a few people you already know makes the whole transition a bit easier.

Ford: Having four graduates from my high school has helped me out, especially with one of those four people my brother (Curtis). I’ve known Drew Allebach since my freshman year in high school and he has been one of my closer friends ever since and I'm glad we graduated together and both decided to come to Salisbury. I’ve known Tyler Curley since I was in little league. His dad use to coach my older brothers, so I know him and his family very well. Overall being with these three guys has helped me out a lot, seeing their families in the crowd during the games makes me feel like I'm back at home again. It puts me in a comfort zone.

The Gulls face the Warhawks at 1 p.m. at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater on Saturday. 

This article has been edited to clarify the interview was with Calvin Ford.