Sir shedding Mound Westonka's lake boy image

The difference between the 2014 Mound Westonka football team and past teams is not immediately obvious. The White Hawks are 2-3, coming off their worst loss of the season, 48-0 at Glencoe-Silver Lake.

But a closer look tells a different story. Their three losses have come at the hands of traditional powers Hutchinson, Orono and Glencoe. Their most recent victory, 21-16 over Annandale, was their first Wright County Conference victory on home turf since 2010. And coaches from both Hutchinson and Orono praised the White Hawks for being a much improved team.

A big part of their growth has been the play of Charlie Sir, a senior quarterback. Sir is among a group of seniors determined to change the athletic culture at Mound Westonka.

"A lot of people think that we're the Lake [Minnetonka] boys who don't want to put in the work," said Sir. "We don't have the football tradition here that other schools have. We're starting to figure it out."

Staff writer Jim Paulsen talked to Sir about the White Hawks improvement and his hopes for the program's future.

Q: It's hard to talk about improvement after a big loss, but the consensus is that Mound Westonka is a much better team this year.

A: The [Glencoe-Silver Lake] game was a little rough, but I'm ready to put it behind us. We had an off night, but I don't think they're 48 points better than us.

A: This group of seniors has been close since fourth grade. We've got a bunch of motivated guys. Our goal all along has been to turn this thing completely around.

Q: A lot of football people have said good things about the team. Has the rest of your school noticed?

A: We're hearing people talking in the halls about football for the first time. After we lost to Orono, my history teacher told me this was the best football team he's seen at Mound.

Q: What's the key to getting better?

A: Keeping guys positive. We've been having success passing and we're controlling the ball more. Once we get the state of mind that we can do it, good things happen.

A: I like to try to mentor the young guys, especially the QBs. After the game, we'll talk about why I made certain reads or calls. One of the biggest issues we've had is that guys tend to quit as they get older. I want to pump them up, let them know how fun it can be.

Q: You dislocated your knee last year and went through rehab with NFL players. Who were some of them?

A: Kyle Rudolph was one. And Chad Greenway was there. Jermichael Finley of the Green Bay Packers. And there were some Buffalo Bills offensive linemen.

Q: They're some pretty big guys when you see them up close.

A: Oh, yeah. They're some impressive athletes. Kyle Rudolph and Jermichael Finley, they seemed like the most physically dominant guys.

A: I talked to Chad Greenway. He told me about pushing through the injury, about treating your body right and not taking any shortcuts.

Q: I know you don't want to be known as a "lake boy", but it's hard to live in Mound and not take advantage of Lake Minnetonka, isn't it?

A: Yes. Everybody I know in town goes to the beach or goes boating or jet-skiing. I like to go jet-skiing with friends and hit some waves. Some days, we'll park the jet skis in Excelsior and go get ice cream. It's kind of unavoidable.