More Than A Number: Meet Zach “BigZ” Strief
When I think of the most popular Cat player with the fans in the stands, I think Zach Strief. I have had the opportunity to talk to him on a couple occasions over the years and I can tell you that Zach is not only a solid football player but also a solid human being who represents his parents, teammates, and NU very well. A Great and personable kid who is easy to talk to so I caught up with him a few days ago and asked him the following questions.
Going into this football season, myself and other fans see you, Baz, and philmore as the leaders of the Offensive unit, as you look forward to the upcoming season what do you think are the best attributes or talents of the underclassmen or team in general that will make this a successful season?
Zach: I think the underclassmen right now are a really talented group of guys.
There is really talent everywhere and the only challenge is tapping into
that talent. On the line for example there are a lot of guys that are more
athletic or stronger then the people who played the position last year. The
difference is football isn't about running and benching, it’s about playing
football. I think if the Keenan's and Thiry's and Kim Thompson's can find a
way to tap into their talent, then we will have a very strong offense this
year.
Speaking of Baz, this guy led 5 fourth quarter or OT winning drives in one year, which is unheard of in college ball but nonetheless very Elwaylike and unique. In the stands, you guys had our hearts beating big-time, what was it like in the huddle….was it a feeling?…words?…attitude?…leadership?…that allowed the offensive unit to have these determined drives at the end of games?
Zach: First of all sorry about all the heart conditions we're responsible for.
I know my mother loses about 3 years a season on her life. I think what
happened last year was an extremely talented offense that operated
inefficiently. The scary/sad part is I think at any part of the season we
could have scored whenever we needed to. It was just a matter of getting
everyone to focus 100% on every single play. When we get to the end of
games and we're down, there is a definite mood change on the sidelines. It’s
a confidence and a coolness that our teams seem to be able to produce. It’s
probably a combination of the conditioning level of the team and the
character of the players, but we definitely look around and say... ok its
time to go.
You are the leader of the Offensive line and with 4 OL starters gone from a year earlier the competition must be fierce for the opportunity to start in one of those vacancies. Can you tell us how things shaped up in the spring and what your OL teammates are doing this summer to take advantage for OL playing time?
Zach: First of all the greatest thing that you can have on a football team is
competition. It makes everyone work harder because no one wants to lose their
job. The spring was good and a lot of guys got a lot of good reps. I think
Dylan Thiry looked really good. He obviously has some growing up and
maturing to do, but he has all the tools to be really good. Tripodi worked
relentlessly and seems to really want it bad. Offensive line is about 90 %
want to. Austin Matthews may be the most talented of the new guys and has
the potential to be a really good player. He has more than some maturing to
do but if he can clear that hurdle he definitely can be better than Trevor.
Ryan Keenan is by far our most athletically gifted O Lineman and once he
figures out how to play offensive line he is going to be an all conference
player. The young guys did really well too. Joel Belding got a ton of reps
at a couple different positions and has a great attitude. Alex Rucks
definitely gets my most improved award for the whole team. He made huge
strides and graded our really well in the scrimmages. Adam Crum is
extremely hungry and works harder than most guys. He will be a solid
contributor as will McConnell. Besides that a healthy Vince Clarke could
really shake things up.
Zach, you been here what 5 years….can you compare this years football team with the others?
Zach: Certainly better than 02... Thank God,... It is probably most similar
with 03. There are a lot of new guys that are really hungry just like in
03. The main difference is we have a lot more talent at the top of the
pack than we did then. Last years team was all veterans and it was a lot
different from this team. Talent wise though it will be similar.
What is the level of volunteer player participation in summer workouts?
Zach: Summer participation this year has probably been 4x's as good as any
summer since I've been here. That is not an inflated number either. We've
had about 45 guys make 95% of the workouts. For a team that only has about
55 on scholly for the summer, that’s really good. Of the ten who haven't
made 95 I'd say they've made about 85% which is much better than in the
past. So the summer has been huge this year and I think the fans and
coaches will all be extremely pleased come Kenosha.