Their dreams have come true

Since starting their organized football careers in the third grade, Lance Berends and Kooper Ebel have been teammates and friends. They've had different on-field roles, but they are similar in one important respect: They are truly impact players.

Their level of performance at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn has not only impressed their coaches, but also those of opposing teams. Starting as sophomores, they have been recognized each year as the top lineman and the offensive MVP, respectively, of Class A District 1.

They are the only H-M-S players to be recognized with special individual district awards for three consecutive years. Both appreciate the recognition and its significance.

"That's just a big token of respect that the other teams in the district think of me that way. It's an honor," Lance said. "It means all my hard work had paid off and I credit it a lot to my coaches. All those guys were a key piece in teaching me to be a good player."

"It's definitely an honor to be able to win the offensive award three years in a row," Kooper reflected. "Especially as a young guy, I know it was really an honor because I don't think I was necessarily the guy for that position.

"We have a tough district," he added. "It showed this year and I think there are a lot of guys that could be up for these two spots, and I think it's an honor that those guys appreciate us and show us respect. We appreciate it."

Playing on the offensive and defensive lines is nothing new for Lance. He's been a lineman since the duo's Midwest Youth Football League days.

"It's never bugged me to be a lineman. I like blocking and tackling and doing dirty work," he said. "I'm all right with it. I've always been on the line."

He found a place on the Hawks' offensive line as a freshman and also contributed on defense. But it took a while before Lance settled into the pace of varsity football.

"I just remember thinking the game seemed so much faster in high school and I had a pretty big adjustment period," he recalled. "I wasn't as strong or as big as the guys I was blocking and block-sledding, so I was like, 'Dang, I need to get in the weight room. I need to get stronger, get bigger so I can match up with these guys better.'"

He did just that, gaining the weight, quickness and knowledge necessary to be an impact player as a sophomore. In addition to anchoring the offensive line, Lance recorded 76.5 tackles on defense, including 19 tackles for loss. He was named all-district lineman for the first time.

Lance's defensive stats dropped off slightly as a junior, but rebounded in 2022 to include 15 tackles for loss. His presence on both sides of the line forced opposing teams to account for him in their game plans.

"I probably saw a little bit of that my sophomore year. I didn't see much of it my freshman year because I was new and I wasn't near as good," Lance admitted. "But probably my sophomore year was the earliest I saw some of that and then saw more and more as I got older and better."

He enjoys the camaraderie with his teammates on both lines.

"It's pretty tight. You've got to talk and work together, so it's a pretty tight bunch."

While Lance's role has been steady throughout his career, Kooper has adjusted to new responsibilities, especially on offense.

"Up until middle school I played running back. It's a similar job to quarterback. I'm just not throwing the ball every once in a while. I was always in the backfield running the ball," he said. "I was never on the line, so I probably always played in the backfield on offense and defense."

He was introduced to the sport at an early age by his father, H-M-S graduate Korey Ebel, who was a two-time first team all-district linebacker and is currently on the Hawks' coaching staff.

"I've played football as early as I can remember. My dad played college football and he got a ball in my hands right away," Kooper recalled. "I've always been around the game and I fell in love with it really early."

He learned more about it when he was in the sixth grade, when then-head coach Tyler Horkey invited Kooper to work out with the high school players.

"He was a big impact on me. I remember being out there with the older guys, three and four years older than me. That built a lot of confidence and I was able to get a lot of skill from that to take to the field."

Kooper was the starting quarterback as a freshman in the Hawks' triple option offense. He rushed for 406 yards and four touchdowns, and completed 20 passes for 470 yards.

While acknowledging he was confident in his ability since an early age, Kooper credits the coronavirus pandemic layoff with helping raise his confidence to a new level.

"We had Covid my freshman year and we had all that time off. We were able to get in the weight room an extra couple of months and hit a growth spurt," he recalled. "I know my sophomore year I was really confident coming out. That was a big turning point in high school."

Kooper rushed for nearly 1,000 yards that fall and passed for just over 700, earning him the first of his three district offensive MVP awards. But the next spring Horkey announced he was leaving the program, which meant changes were in store.

"I remember we were all in kind of a panic because we had just come off one of the better records at H-M-S. That triple option – we all really enjoyed that. We ran that triple option all through middle school and then the first two years in high school.

"Coach [Jay] Eilers' offense, one thing I really enjoyed about that was I was playing quarterback but I also got to block, so that was really cool. I got to get involved in the blocking."

The offensive linemen don't mind the extra help and appreciate the opportunity to help teammates be successful.

"I think it's just awesome. We've always been a tightknit group," Lance noted. "We're all good friends. I was friends with Connor [Dodd]. I'm great friends with Kooper. I'm friends with Travis [Kamradt]. I've been close with everyone so when I see them succeed and I know that the O-line is a big part of it, it's just awesome. One of the best feelings is when you see your running back, or quarterback in our offense, run to the end zone untouched. That's just awesome."

Lance admits he doesn't always see how those big plays develop.

"Sometimes if I see Kooper reversing field and I can get in front of him, I try to. But a lot of times that stuff happens behind me and I end up seeing it downfield or on film, and he's an awesome player."

Runs that looked like broken plays develop because Kooper has the vision to see openings in opposing defenses.

"That's how my game's developed," he said. "I know year-after-year the game just clicks. I see little things I didn't see last year or didn't see last week because we coached it up the week before and we watched it on film."

As a junior, Kooper rushed for 1,216 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. This past season, he doubled his rushing total to 2,511 yards while scoring 32 times. He also had his best passing season in 2022, with 51 completions for 824 yards.

He is quick to credit the linemen for their role in his and the team's on-field success.

"They do it all. They're the heart and soul of our offense, and our defense, too. Everything starts through those guys. So any run that I have, or any of my teammates have, any of the glory we get starts with those guys," Kooper said. "And a lot of those big runs that I have are because they gave me the opportunity that I only have to beat one guy at times. That's pretty easy. They're doing all the work and I just get the glory, unfortunately. They should be getting all of it."

Both are now focusing on basketball. But they will again put on helmets and pads, only the next time it will be as college players.

Lance has committed to the University of Northern Iowa, where he expects to initially play defensive line. That is fine with him, for he admits he likes defense better.

"I'll come in as a defensive end, I think, and then as I get bigger I might go farther inside, defensive tackle. I guess I could end up playing offense, too, but that's the plan for now."

Kooper will head to Ames to play for Iowa State, where he's projected as a linebacker.

"At this time, I'm still listed just as an athlete, so I guess I could still end up on the offensive side of the ball, but they see me playing as an outside linebacker there. I'm really excited to get down there."

Neither has a clear-cut idea what they will major in, but they have some things in mind.

On the field, both are aware that UNI will play at Iowa State in 2023.

"That will be a little different. Different jerseys, but that's pretty cool," Kooper said.

"That will be weird," Lance added. "We're both pretty big competitors. We've been buddies for years but the competitive side might take over in that respect. We'll be buddies again after the game."

That's not surprising, considering what they've experienced together.

"Kooper and I used to ride together on the shuttle bus from Hartley to Sanborn in seventh and eighth grade, and talk about high school football and hopefully wanting to play college football one day," Lance recalled. "It's kind of surreal that it's all actually coming true. It's dreams come true, and it's awesome."