2014 High School Football Tour: East Union

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BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (WCBI) — Football is relatively new at East Union.

The school is going into its third year of playing competitively on the gridiron but that’s not the measure of success with the Urchins.

In their second year as a program, East Union won seven games and won their first playoff game in their first postseason appearance. Two years into the program, head coach Scott Duley is looking for what’s next for the Urchins.

“Our expectations last year were to have a winning season and hopefully get into the playoffs and we did that,” coach Duley said. “I that what we want to do now as a program is not only develop players but develop an expectation of making the playoffs every year.”

What is interesting about East Union is they don’t work out like a normal high school football team.

If you took a trip to Blue Springs during the summer, you can find coach Duley and the Urchins working out in the morning flipping tires and carrying rocks in a race.

It sounds like a workout session designed by Rocky Balboa, but that’s how coach Duley likes it.

“We spend 45 minutes in the weight room and 45 minutes picking up rocks and moving sleds,” Duley said. ” It’s important to get acclimated to the heat and used to working hard together. We try to keep it unorthodox so it makes it fun for the kids.”

Next season will have a new look to the Urchins: 1,500 yard rusher Blake Spruill has graduated along with the top five tacklers from last season.

Let’s be honest though, East Union doesn’t mind defying the odds. Even without a top running back, they have plans to make it big this year.

“More than half of our young men playing are new to our program,” Duley said. “Talent-wise we are in as good of shape as we’ve ever been. The kids at East Union work hard and their work ethic is through the roof. Our job as coaches is to get as much out of them as we can.”

More motivation for the Urchins going into the season is having a stadium of their own to call home. East Union had been playing their home football games at BNA Bank Park in New Albany the last two seasons.

That changes this year as East Union is in the final stages of their home football field that they hope will be the setting for many more victories to come not only this year but in the future.