ROCKTON—There isn’t a single doubt in Hononegah head coach Brian Zimmerman’s mind that Estin Fichter has what it takes to play football at the collegiate level.
After all, the senior showed off both the incredible work ethic and attitude during his time on the Indians that are needed to take that next step.
At the campus of Hononegah High School on Wednesday afternoon, Fichter made his future official by signing his letter of intent to play football at Division III UW-Platteville.
“Being able to go to the next level, it’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Fichter said. “Platteville felt like home. I didn’t meet any other staff that spoke to me like they did. The program itself, they’re building it up. They got their new head coach, and I just love everything going on there. I’m glad I get to play there.”
The Pioneers finished 7-4 overall last season and went 4-3 in conference play. Ryan Munz is entering his third year at the helm.
Zimmerman praised his running back for toiling away since he was six years old to improve as a player and added he is one to lead by his actions.
“He’s an easy guy to have as an athlete because he just does everything we ask him to do,” he continued. “He came along with Lucas Poppe and the two of them were a 1-2 punch. They had a little bit of different styles. While Poppe sometimes came right at you, Estin could find a hole and stretch a play a little bit.”
Fichter said he had played in the backfield since he was a kid, and he was a strong presence his junior year with 562 yards on 115 attempts with four touchdowns.
A hamstring injury delayed the start of his senior season, but Zimmeman applauded the back for overcoming the obstacle.
“Estin came back, worked his tail off and got right back in the rotation,” he said. “And then he’s such a good athlete that we had an opportunity to play him at outside linebacker. He filled in that role really well, and he probably saw more time defensively in the second half of his senior season than he did on offense.”
Playing on the defensive side of the game was no problem in the eyes of Fichter.
“It was the hitting,” he said about what made him fall in love with football as a kid. “So playing on defense (again) was a blast. I love playing running back, but defense is something that I was super excited to play. I was a little worried at first because I hadn’t played it forever. But it was so much fun, and I felt like a kid when I was out there.”
Of course, Fichter still made a huge impact on the offensive end. He scored four TDs and ran for 323 yards on 68 carries in a crowded position group that included Greyson Motter and Poppe. It was his second-straight season averaging nearly five yards per carry.
“We’re all super close there,” said Fichter of the RB room. “We all brought something to the table and no teams could account for us. It was great to be back there with those guys and I wouldn’t want to change that.”
And the backfield is where Ficther plans to stay at with the Pioneers in the WIAC, one of the tougher Division III conferences in the nation.
“I’m super pumped,” he said. “I’ve always loved the competitive edge. So, having a conference where some of my buddies go to that I played with in high school will keep a little rivalry going.”
Fichter will double major in business management and psychology.
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