Woodward-Granger football has big playoff dreams

Last year’s first game of the season saw Woodward-Granger surrender the Battle for the Bridge trophy to Madrid for the first time since 2016. And in Woodward, no less, much to W-G head coach (and alum) Cory Crnkovich’s dismay.

But in hindsight, that loss has provided a swell of hope in Woodward this season. At least, as much hope that can come from blowing a two-score lead in the fourth quarter to a school’s rival that had just one winning season in six previous seasons. And now, the Hawks have a test ahead of them with a trip to the Tigers’ turf on Aug. 30 to open the season.

Week 1

That loss to Madrid was a major blow out of the gate considering both the personal ties involved and a “what-if” scenario with Woodward being out of position on a big punt that led to a Madrid score and effectively the win. But that win for the Tigers turned into 11 straight wins and a trip to the UNI-Dome, making it more of an encouraging moment than a lingering gut punch for Woodward.

Speaking after the Hawks’ second practice this season, Crnkovich said that he and some players traveled to watch the Tigers play in their state-qualifying game, scouting well-ahead of this year’s opener, seeing just how close Woodward was to making a major move themselves.

“I think the kids kinds of have a sense like, “We’re that close to a one-point loss to a team that beat us and made it that far.’ That gives us a lot of confidence,” Crnkovich said.

Fixing Weak Spots

Crnkovich added that along with the special teams mishap that helped lead to Madrid’s comeback, the Hawks’s 21-20 loss to Interstate 35 two weeks later also has an impact on this season, as the team missed multiple PAT’s. For as much emphasis that will be placed on an offense that kicked into high gear last year, Crnkovich said that they’re looking for more consistency in that often forgotten facet of the game. Had they solved some of those issues in 2023, Woodward could have very well been 6-3 instead of 4-5 at the end of the day.

If Woodward can put those little things in place — like more efficiency from two new kickers coming from soccer backgrounds — Crnkovich said he has hopes the Hawks can bring home a district title. While South Hamilton is the defending champ and won 50-0 last year, Hamilton graduated virtually its entire defense and could be vulnerable, giving Crnkovich high aspirations, especially with Hamilton coming to Woodward this season.

Building Blocks

After having a bit of a quarterback controversy midseason, the Hawks now have an experienced quarterback instead of starting fresh, as Talan Fuson steps in as the clear leader under center.

His first game with starting duties turned into a 46-0 homecoming win, offering a dual-threat ability like Carter Moran brought in 2021 and 2022, leading the Hawks to winning records both seasons.

“He’s grown so much from that last year of experience and knows his role and done a very good job on the leadership end. So as long as he stay healthy, he should be rolling,” Crnkovich said, adding that the receiving corps with the top three leaders Max Dalton, Kane Mahler-Moreno and Chandler Drake all returning should be a nice safety net.

With all-state running back Oliver Potter graduated, Fuson is the team’s returning leading rusher, but Potter’s younger brother Oscar Potter looks primed for a big role as a well as a junior, both at running back and as a linebacker. Though, Crnkovich couldn’t stress enough that Oliver often “made plays he probably shouldn’t have, flying sideline to sideline,” leading to a wide margin on the team’s tackling leaderboard.

This year’s defense will be much more team-reliant, requiring better communication, something that the team saw working well together at a summer camp at Simpson College.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Woodward-Granger football has big playoff dreams