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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Football's Championship Season Resulted From a Six-Year Progression
By Bill Alden
For most of the fall, the Hun School football team made things look easy.
As the Raiders cruised to an 8-1 mark and earned the program's first-ever Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) title, they won most of their games by comfortable, double-digit margins.
But Hun head coach Dave Dudeck will tell you that his team's 2004 title campaign was the culmination of years of toil.
"This is not something that just happened, it was an evolving process," said Dudeck, who had guided the team to a 7-2 mark in 2003 and a 6-3 mark in 2002.
"When we got here as a staff six years ago, the goal was to first become competitive in the MAPL. Once we did that, then we started thinking about winning the league. The guys from that first year and the ones that came after them all have a part of this."
In achieving the MAPL crown by going an unblemished 5-0 in league play, Hun demonstrated a special blend of ability and commitment.
"We had a tremendous mix of talent and motivation," explained Dudeck. "Each one of these kids was highly motivated to succeed. I'm so excited about what happened this fall. It was fun to coach them."
For Dudeck, it was fun to see his defensive unit progress into a dominant force. "We were real, real aggressive and fast," said Dudeck, in assessing his defense which posted a shutout against archrival Lawrenceville in a 10-0 victory and gave up just six points in its win over Western Reserve (42-6) and seven points a game in its triumphs over Hill (26-7), Mercersburg (41-7), and Blair (21-7).
"We didn't change our scheme or anything like that. We just had enough talent to be real active. We were able to blitz more. The defense set us apart."
Another factor that set Hun apart was the addition of the gifted Myron Rolle, a junior transfer from the Peddie School.
"Myron is so very talented," said Dudeck of the 6'3, 210-pound gamebreaker who rushed for a school-record 1,501 yards and averaged more than 10 yards a carry.
"He was another piece of the puzzle for us. He carried the ball for us on offense. On defense, he allowed us to blitz. He did different things for us on defense and the other teams always had to account for him."
In Dudeck's view, however, it was the way that Rolle bought into the team-first approach that made him particularly valuable.
"We preach team to them all year and getting everyone to relish their role so we can be successful," said Dudeck, noting that Rolle will be one of the most highly sought-after recruits next fall by college football powers. "Myron was more into the team than his individual accomplishments. It was his first championship and that's what he wanted."
That MAPL crown was also the overriding goal for Hun's seniors, who were determined to win the title after falling just short the last two seasons.
"We are losing some great seniors," said Dudeck, whose Class of 2005 included quarterback Dom Natale, lineman Patrick Gallagher, linebacker Wellington Talkpa, tight end Richard Weidel, and running back Dean Petrone. "It's sad to see them go. They worked real hard to get the title. All of those kids will do well in college."
Dudeck, for his part, knows that his team can't get carried away with its success this fall if it wants to do as well next year.
"They want to win another MAPL," said Dudeck, whose team finished the season with a six-game winning streak.
"I'm thrilled inside but I want to stay humble on the outside. I appreciate the talent we had and how hard the kids worked. We just had to guide everybody and we will do that again next year."
