Recruiting Report: Zach Ahrendt: Luverne (2021)

*Cover Photo: Zach Ahrendt (70)- Greg Hoogeveen [caption id="attachment_15253" align="alignnone" width="300"] Luverne Offensive Line- Ahrendt (70)- Greg Hoogeveen[/caption] Zach Ahrendt is a 6'4", 280 pound Junior OL/DL from Luverne. Being the anchor on the line both offensively and defensively at Center and Defensive Tackle, he has a huge effect on the game with his size and skill. Ahrendt helped lead a stellar rushing attack from the Cardinals this season opening seams to run through and giving his quarterback time to throw. On the defensive side of things, he did the exact opposite, bowling his way through the offensive line to plug up the seams or rush the quarterback into a hard throw. I got the chance to catch up with him and talk about his upcoming Senior season as well as recap his Junior season. Check it out below! [caption id="attachment_15252" align="alignnone" width="300"] Ahrendt (70)- Greg Hoogeveen[/caption] NFN: Hello Zach, tell us about yourself and when you began playing football. Ahrendt: I've been watching football since I was young, but I started playing in 7th grade. We weren't a traveling school so we just played each other in middle school because our coach (Oye) wanted us to get used to playing the game first. Since I was bigger than my grade, in 8th grade I was moved up to the 9th grade team, so that's where it all started for me. NFN: What were your expectations for you and your team this season? What's it like playing for the Luverne Cardinals? Ahrendt: My personal goal was to improve my blocking and how I played on defense. My main goal was to work hard and be a leader to help the team play better. I played varsity my freshman and sophomore years, we had 4-4 records both years in the regular season so I really wanted us to improve that this season because we had a good team chemistry going. We worked hard in practice and improved our record to 7-3 for the season including the postseason. I love playing for Luverne, the coaches care about the players and are close to each of them. One thing the coaches have motivated me with is saying that we 'get what we deserve.' If we work hard and play our best, we deserve to have a good game. I think we have a great football program and I want to keep it that way. NFN: What do you love about football? How was Luverne's 2019 season and your season personally? Ahrendt: I love playing football because of the brotherhood. We finished the season at 7-3. We beat our rival school, Pipestone, for the Battle Axe. We play them every year for it and they had beaten us the past two seasons, it was the best game we played all season! We made very little mistakes and had a goal line stand in the final seconds to win the game 13-12. I thought I improved a lot this season being a lead blocker for the run game. We had a lot of big plays in the run game so that made me feel good. I had my best season on defense, I led the Defensive line with 29.5 tackles, doubling my total from last year. NFN: What are your expectations for next season, both for your team and you personally? Ahrendt: For next year I want to do the same as this year, and keep building. We need to get stronger and keep working on our team chemistry. Personally I want to get faster and improve my footwork. I want to improve on defense again and my awareness on offense. Overall I want to do whatever I can to help the team succeed. NFN: How's your recruitment going? Who have you been in contact with? What are you looking for in a college program? Ahrendt: I haven't had any contact with any schools yet, but I have attended camps that I was invited to. I want to go to a college program with coaches like mine in the sense that they care for their players, but also push them to have success on and off the field. Check Out Zach's Junior Season HERE: http://www.hudl.com/v/2CNsNq