Published: August 28, 2008 08:34 pm         

Bigger, stronger Cronk runs wild

Patriots back had 219 yards against Rockville

WEST LEBANON, Ind. — Seeger senior running back Ethan Cronk is one of those guys who has to be the best at everything.

Whether it’s football, cards, hunting or lifting weights, Cronk turns everything into a competition.

“I’m very, very competitive,’’ Cronk admitted. “Sometimes, I will cheat at cards.’’

But one thing that he didn’t cheat at during the offseason was his work in the weight room.

“During the winter, the spring and the summer, he and I would be in that weight room trying to beat each other,’’ Seeger senior offensive lineman Galen Waters. “We pushed each other to get bigger and stronger for this season.’’

The results showed on the football field on Friday night as Cronk rushed for 219 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns as the Patriots came up on the short end of a 45-38 contest with the Class 1A second-rated Rockville Rox.

“He was a workhorse for us and he helped define our offense,’’ Seeger football coach Brian Moore said. “He proved on Friday that if we can block for him just a little, he can make a lot on his own.’’

Waters said it didn’t surprise him that Cronk had that type of game.

“He is one of the best running backs that we’ve had here,’’ said Waters. “I think he can run for more than 2,000 yards this season.’’

Cronk also returned the compliment to Waters and the rest of the offensive line.

“It was definitely a great experience, but I have to give all the credit to my linemen,’’ said Cronk. “During the game, I could see that they were doing a great job. It was the best blocking game that I’ve seen from my perspective at fullback.

“Even thought we lost the game, and it was definitely a tough loss, the whole time our linemen just kept opening up big holes. That’s going to go a long ways toward our success this season.’’

So will the extra time that Waters and Cronk put in at the Seeger weight room.

Being an ultra competitive person, Cronk had one simple goal while working out with Waters.

“Basically, since I’ve been at Seeger, Galen has been way bigger and way stronger than me. I set my own personal goals to catch up with Galen,’’ Cronk said. “I haven’t quite caught him yet, but we are pretty close.’’

Moore, like every other coach, believes competition is vital component in life.

The difference between Cronk on Friday night and the one that played a year ago was clearly visible.

“I’ve put on a bunch of weight this summer and I’ve grown something like two inches,’’ said Cronk, who is now about 6-foot, 2-inches tall and he weights in at 220 pounds.

Waters quickly admits that it would be difficult to tackle Cronk.

“He can either run over people because of his size or he can run past them with his speed,’’ Waters said. “That is a very good combination for a running back.’’

When Cronk is not on the football field or in the weight room, he tries to get out into nature to do a little hunting.

“I try to hunt year round,’’ he said. “If I have some free time and there is a season, I’m going to be out there.’’

His favorite activity outside of football is deer hunting, which typically conflicts with the postseason football tournament in

Indiana.

“That doesn’t bother me, because there are multiple seasons for deer and I’ll give up the one to make a deep run in the tournament,’’ he said, pointing out that someday he would like to travel to Canada to hunt a moose.

Cronk said that his love for hunting came from his father, Seeger assistant coach Scott Cronk.

“He is my running back and linebacker coach, so that can cause some dilemmas,’’ Ethan said.

Up next for Cronk and the Seeger Patriots is a road game against the North Montgomery Chargers. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (EDT).