The Edina boys brought home not only another win to tack onto their 6-1 record in Wayzata on Friday, but more Hornet pride in the stellar football team this season. While it’s easy to focus on the points scored that allowed Edina to obtain this record, it’s also important to recognize the points that were prevented by the Edina defense. To get the inside scoop on the Edina defense, Zephyrus interviewed star defenseman Nick Mertes.
Q: What position do you play?
A: I play defensive end and a little bit of middle linebacker.
Q: When did you first start playing football?
A: I started playing football in second grade playing flag football when my dad was a coach.
Q: What’s your favorite football memory?
A: My favorite memory might be my freshman year when I suited up for my first varsity game which was against Wayzata, or my first varsity start which was against Lakeville North my sophomore year.
Q: Who’s your favorite team to play?
A: Probably Eden Prairie because there’s a lot of history between us, and a lot of losses were handed to the Hornets by Eden Prairie.
Q: Do you have any pre-game rituals?
A: Usually I take a nap after school and put on the pregame playlist, not much though.
Q: What kind of music is on the pre-game playlist?
A: A bunch of rap with some interesting songs mixed in there.
Q: Who’s your professional idol?
A: My professional idol would probably be Ray Lewis because he plays with a bunch of heart, and when I think of a solid football player I think of Ray Lewis and how much he’s brought to the game.
Q: Who do you look up to on the Edina team?
A: Coleman Foley because he’s always putting in the extra work and Miles Lerner, too, because they’re always in the weight room, and they’re always pushing our team to our limits so we can be the best that we can be.
Q: What is a typical day at practice like?
A: I start out with watching film and the team meeting. Then, we’ll go out to practice and start out with individual time for each position and then bring it together and do some team time. Then we’ll finish up with some special teams.
Q: What are your plans for football in the future?
A: Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to play in college. My grandfather, my father, and currently my brother are all playing college football or have played college football, so it’s a dream of mine to play in college.
Q: Do you have anything you would like to add?
A: We’ll give it our best run in the playoffs.