The undefeated and unselfish Bangor Cardinals

Bangor a perfect 11-0 entering the state quarterfinals

BANGOR, Wis. — The undefeated Scenic Bluffs champion Bangor Cardinals are putting up numbers that are simply hard to believe.

The Facts:

An average margin of victory of five touchdowns.

Four shutouts on defense.

Three running backs with over 1,000 yards rushing.

Two wins away from state.

And one key team attribute: Unselfishness.

“The biggest thing for us is really our team chemistry,” said Head Coach Rick Muellenberg. “Our older guys take the young guys under their wing. Like I said they are very selfless. Nobody really cares who gets any credit. It really comes down to, we want to do what we can to help the team, and help each other. That has been the story all season.”

The three man attack out of the Cardinal backfield is dominating thru balance. The constant rotation of carries allows each back to stay fresh throughout the game. The three unselfish attitudes behind the design, means the focus is on winning and not individual stats.

“It has been great,” said senior Seth Zabel. “These two guys are great here. Three guys in the backfield that are all threats, is really a great thing for our team. Even when someone comes off a big game, the next week they are not expecting more carries than the rest. It is a very unselfish backfield.”

Junior Andrew Piske is leading the way. Currently fourth all time in school history with 1,700 yards on the ground on the season. But all Cardinals agree, credit must go to the unsung heroes of the offensive line.

“All five of our starting linemen have been there all season long, and both of our tight ends that we run,” said Mullenberg. “With all of those pieces in there, it really works well together.”

This Friday night Pepin/Alma comes to town for what will be the battle of the unbeaten.

“We are down to the final eight,” said Muellenberg. We have been here before. It is tough, the road is tough. We face a great team on Friday in Pepin/Alma. That is very similar to us. So it is going to be a good match-up.”