‘Football family’: Why these linemen are a big deal at Kincaid South Fork
KINCAID — It’s not hyperbole to describe the Kincaid South Fork football team as a family.
It rings true in a big way not just with brothers Collin and Carter Elder but also with Connor Henley on the offensive and defensive line. They work together as a fearsome family unit, along with center Brody Pop and the rest of the team.
“Me and Connor (Henley) have been brothers since day one honestly,” Collin said. “Since I moved to Kincaid (in fifth grade), me and Connor just hit it off both being the biggest in class.”
Bringing the pain
Collin, 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds, and Henley, 6-3 and 300 pounds, are both towering seniors. The “Little Elder,” Carter, is a 6-4, 275-pound sophomore.
“We're definitely a big powerhouse and we get the push on people — most definitely,” Henley said.
They decimated Pawnee in a 34-6 victory in Week 8. They paved the way for nearly 300 rushing yards while harassing PHS defensively.
“After this year, it's going to be really hard not having two of my big brothers with me: Collin and Connor,” Carter said. “But I think after this year, we still got this momentum of this good team. We've got a lot of good lowerclassmen coming up and I think we can make it happen again next year. I really have faith in us.”
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Senior Vincent Edwards, who ran for 75 yards and a touchdown on just three carries, said those guards, Collin and Henley, helped set the tone for senior night.
“They're a really big offensive line,” Edwards said. “Really just hide behind those guys. They're just so big and strong, it's just hard to push them out of the way.”
Friends off the field
The Elders recalled countless bike rides and weekends with Henley.
“We've always been so close,” Carter said. “And when it comes to football, it's just a different atmosphere and it gets real when we come to football.”
They are the epitome of small-town football, to be sure.
“It's definitely up there size-wise and they pride themselves on it,” first-year coach Zack Hanlon said of the offensive line. “They come to the sideline, 'Let's run the ball, let's run the ball.' As the head coach, I can't be mad at that.”
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Henley was named Illinois 8-Man Football Association all-state on both sides of the ball with 85 total tackles, including 19 solo, last season. Henley visited the University of Illinois earlier this fall but is undecided. Collin is also undecided.
The Elders also play basketball in a coop with Edinburg, but they especially lap up football.
“It's our life, it's everything,” Collin said. “We've been in football since we were young. Our cousin plays for Rochester and we actually went to go see his eighth-grade night today (on Saturday). You can tell that it's the whole family now — everybody.”
Taste of the future
The Elders said the team carries a stronger team bond this season.
The Ponies (6-2) not only knocked off its rival for the first time in three years but also secured their most wins since 1994. They visit Decatur Unity Christian (0-8) on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the regular season.
“It's really special to us,” said Henley, a four-year starter.
South Fork moved to 8-Man in the COVID-19 2021 spring season under Buddy Brown. Last season, it reached the I8FA playoffs but dropped to Cambridge Ridgewood to end the year 5-5 overall before Hanlon, the offensive coordinator, took the helm.
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It was the program’s first playoff appearance since the ‘94 season.
Hanlon said the community has rallied around the team, which also includes a coop with Edinburg and Morrisonville.
“I think just last year getting a taste of that playoffs, now they're just hungry,” Hanlon said. “They realized last year that, 'Hey, we're capable of doing this. We have the potential to do this. Let's focus in practice and the talent is here, so let's put it together.’ But getting that little taste of the playoffs last year went a long, long way for these guys.”
Deep roots
Hanlon, a 2011 South Fork graduate, said he had to get acclimated to the nuances of the 8-Man game.
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He is expanding the playbook with a more prominent passing game via junior quarterback Jarred Tracey and even used Carter Elder as one of his menagerie of running backs against Pawnee. Carter scored the final TD on a 5-yard run.
“It's fun because you get to touch the ball,” Carter said. “You get to hit people. Sometimes it can be hard to remember everything, but scoring points is so much fun.”
Hanlon has a couple of family connections of his own in regards to the football team.
His dad, Jack, previously served as head coach and was the catalyst of the local JFL. Home games are now graced with his name at Jack Hanlon Stadium after he passed away in April.
The Hanlon-Kratochvil Coal Miner’s Cup also made its debut on Saturday. It additionally recognizes Pawnee’s Tim Kratochvil, who passed away in September. He was a football coach himself before becoming the Pawnee schools superintendent in 2020.
Hanlon’s brother-in-law, Josh Mulvaney, pitches in as an assistant coach to boot. That is until they reverse roles for the girls' basketball season.
“It's been pretty crazy, but it's a football family,” Hanlon said.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA football: Kincaid South Fork reaches most wins since 1994
