Kansas Pregame Feature: Husky turnaround no fluke
By: Robert Falkoff
Kansas Pregame.com
Posted: October 21, 2009 - 7:04 PM

As they crossed the seven-game marker, Blue Valley Northwest's football team could reflect with pride on how far it has come in one calendar year.

Through seven games of the 2008 season, the Huskies were 0-7. But thanks to patience, persistence and an unshakable belief that prosperity was right around the corner, Northwest began a meteoric rise that has them 6-1 this season and a bonafide threat to make some lasting memories in the 6A Kansas state playoffs.

How does a program go from 0-7 one year to 6-1 the next with essentially the same cast of players? Coach Mike Zegunis points to the constant improvement of his returnees from '08 and the fact that a quarterback shy on starting experience has blossomed right before his eyes.

Senior Koby Chadick waited his turn last year as the Huskies turned it on late with Michael Peterson entrenched as the starting quarterback. Peterson wound up earning a scholarship to Central Missouri and Chadick took over this year in what has been a smooth and efficient transition.

“For somebody to step in and have very little varsity quarterback experience up until this year, it's incredible how well he has played,” Zegunis said of Chadick. “I think he's one of the top football players in this whole metro area.”

The Huskies get it done offensively with a sophisticated passing attack. Chadick's favorite target is 6-1 wideout Matt Ornduff, who caught touchdown passes of 85 and 37 yards in Blue Valley Northwest's 27-21 victory over Olathe East on Oct. 15. Earlier this year, Ornduff caught four touchdown passes as the Huskies came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat Bishop Miege.

Zegunis, who coached at Olathe East before coming to Northwest, can only marvel at the complete package that Ornduff brings as a wide receiver.

“He's the best I've ever coached at the receiver position and I've coached some good ones,” Zegunis said. “He's got good enough speed that he's going to get by people and score touchdowns. He's got phenomenal hands, the best hands I've seen. And then, he knows how to run routes and get open He's deceptive and teams have a heck of a time defending him because he's so elusive.”

Ornduff said the Huskies never lost faith last season when their record fell to 0-7. Blue Valley Northwest won its final two district games to reach the playoffs and went on to the second round before falling in the final seconds when Blue Valley recovered a fumble for a touchdown to end the Cinderella run.

“It had been a rough season, but we had hope because of the way the playoff system works here,” Ornduff said. “We had been stepping it up the previous couple of weeks, even though we had losses. We were getting people in the right roles and by the time the year ended, we knew we could play with anybody.”

The Huskies came back this year with hunger and focus.

“The way the season ended, with that disappointing playoff loss to Blue Valley, it left a bad taste in our mouths,” Ornduff said. “Plus, we wanted to come out this year and prove that the way we played down the stretch wasn't a fluke.”

Zegunis points to a dedicated effort in the weight room, where players put in the work to get stronger.

“I've got kids who bought into it and never gave up,” Zegunis said. “They were 0-7 last year, but never let that defeat them.”

The Huskies crossed a big hurdle on Oct. 15 by winning their first district game. After zooming to a 27-7 lead on the strength of Chadick's passing, Northwest had to hold on in the second half. Olathe East closed within 27-21 and was driving for a winning score. But linebacker Grady Marcuson stopped Brandon Willingham on a fourth-and-2 run from the BVNW 30 with 2:08 remaining.

“They (Olathe East) came out fighting and made it pretty darn scary,” Zegunis said. “If we want to be a championship football team, we've got to put teams away when we get 20 points up on them. But again, I give Olathe East's kids a lot of credit for fighting back.”

While Marcuson provided the big defensive play, it was the Chadick-Ornduff combination that provided the big offensive play. Scrambling to his left early in the second half, Chadick somehow spotted Ornduff breaking free on the broken play and threw across his body for the completion. Ornduff then eluded a couple of defenders in the open field en route to the spectacular 85-yard touchdown play.

“The amazing thing about Koby is that he never gives up on a play,” Ornduff said. “We have that chemistry where he can kind of tell what I'm going to do. He saw me break it deep and made a great throw to get the ball to me.”

With that kind of razzle-dazzle offense, the Huskies are hopeful of ending the regular season with a bang and then carrying momentum into the playoffs.

Bottom feeders through seven games last year, the Huskies are now riding high through seven games this year. Now they just want to add even more material to what has already been an inspirational rags-to-riches story.