Yngstrom: ‘Hard work,’ ‘chemistry’ drive Hawks

Monmouth University
off to best start
in school history
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Erik Yngstrom still gets that same churning in the pit of his stomach before a football game.

Only now, playing for Monmouth University, the churning is double what he experienced in high school.

"My stomach gets upset before every game," he said. "I can’t wait to get out on the field and play."

Yngstrom, a freshman defensive end from Freehold Township High School, has arrived at Monmouth University at just the right time. The games the Hawks are playing couldn’t be bigger, and he’s a part of them. That has his stomach churning more than ever.

Monmouth University’s football team is creating quite a buzz around campus.

Never before have the Hawks been ranked No. 1 in the country (among Division I-AA Mid-Majors). They are in first place in the Northeast Conference, 8-1, for the first time in school history (they lost their first game of the year, Saturday, at Central Connecticut State, 14-10), and are in line to play for the ECAC Championship for the first time — if they can win their remaining two games (Saturday at Sacred Heart and at St. Francis, Pa., on Nov. 15).

All of that has been enough to have the campus more excited about football than ever before.

Yngstrom has been soaking it all in. He knows he’s in the right place at the right time.

"It’s awesome," he said. "We have great team chemistry, and the whole school is into it. Students come up to you and ask you if you are on the football team."

When Yngstrom made his recruiting visit to West Long Branch last year, he knew that he and Monmouth were a good mix.

"I saw a bunch of kids that I got along with," he said. "There was good chemistry."

Yngstrom never thought, however, he’d be a part of a team that has gotten such a grip on the campus like these Hawks have.

"I’m happy to get in it and to have a chance to play," he said. "I did not expect this."

The former Freehold Township star has fit right in at Monmouth and has made a significant contribution as a freshman on a veteran defensive unit. Earlier this season against Iona, the 6-foot-2, 270-pound Yngstrom, who wears No. 93, tied the school record for sacks in one game (four) and was named the NEC’s Defensive Rookie of the Week as the Hawks won, 30-7.

Just like everyone else who has made the jump from high school to college football, Yngstrom has learned that it’s not the same game.

"The speed and size of the players is so much different than in high school," noted Yngstrom. "The are so many good athletes on our team. The game is much quicker."

Yngstrom is grateful he has had the opportunity to learn on the job from these Hawks.

"It’s been an awesome experience playing with one of the best linebackers in the country, Joe Sentipal, and on one of the best defensive lines in the country," he pointed out. "Joe is the best player I’ve played with or against. I’m trying to learn as much as I can from him, even though we play different positions.

"He’s a great athlete and so strong," he added. "He studies [the play] tapes every night. He knows what play a team is going to run before they run it."

Fellow lineman Sean Hefferon, a senior like Sentipal, has been the ex-Patriots mentor on the line.

"He’s taught me how to play each situation." said Yngstrom. "I’ve learned to run to the ball better.

"I’ve learned that you can’t give up on any play, you have to keep going," he added. "You have to play with great hustle. I try and learn something new each week."

If the game is different, so is the work involved.

"We have a great coaching staff that works hard," Yngstrom pointed out. "We work hard in practice. The players work hard and play hard. I know that I can take it to another step in the weight room."

As for the record start:

"We came out each week and played as hard as we can," Yngstrom said. "Good things happen when you play hard."

If that hard work can produce two more wins, the Hawks could see the postseason for the first time in school history.