Prep football: Asher taking game to new level at Elmwood/Plum City

Sep. 1—ELMWOOD — Elmwood/Plum City senior Trevor Asher ranked second in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference after he rushed for 1,068 yards last season. A year later, Asher has already rushed for 467 yards and scored seven touchdowns in just two weeks.

He started making an impact as a sophomore during the 2020 season, and credits hard work and a sense of teamwork among the Wolves for his success and the team's success.

"We do a lot of strength and conditioning work in the offseason," Asher said. He said his work in the weight room and off the field is a big part of his recent success.

"These guys have my back," he also said with a nod toward his practicing teammates.

Elmwood/Plum City coach Mike Birtzer said Asher is the kind of football player he loves having, because, "he loves and knows a lot about football." Birtzer said there have been multiple occasions where he and Asher have had conversations lasting several hours after football games, just about football. The coach said it is common for Asher to just sit down and start chatting with him about the sport, and he is constantly impressed by Asher's knowledge and love of the game. He recalled one time he and Asher spent until about 2 a.m. talking about football after a game while Birtzer was doing team laundry.

"He really loves this game," Birtzer said.

The player himself is a student at Elmwood High School, and explained when he and his teammates are on the field, "there are no divisions between us," indicating among the Wolves, no one on the team differentiates between Plum City players and Elmwood players.

Asher said he likes it that his teammates have his back, and push him to get better. He also indicated many of the players have been on teams together since elementary school. He also implied a sense of team that extends from that sort of familiarity.

Birtzer said Asher's work in the weight room in the off-season added some bulk to the senior's otherwise somewhat lean six-foot frame. He described Asher as a player who could have several defenders hanging off him and still be driving his legs to gain extra yardage.

Asher's 467 yards collected so far this season, puts him at the top of the current Dunn-St. Croix rushing rankings. According to WisSports.net, Asher's seven touchdowns put him in a three-way tie for sixth place in rushing scores statewide. He is currently ranked third in the state for rushing yards. In Friday's game against Blair-Taylor, Asher scored the Wolves' winning touchdown on a 62-yard carry with only two seconds left on the clock.

Asher said his success last year, and so far this year is the result of, "a lot of hard work."

"It is kind of fun seeing that work pay off," he concluded.

Asher and his Elmwood/Plum City teammates open their conference season this Friday at Elmwood against Glenwood City. He and Britzer seem to be looking forward to the clash with the Hilltoppers.

Asher indicated he and the team are also looking forward to the challenge posed by teams like Spring Valley and Boyceville this season. The Wolves tied for third in the Dunn-St. Croix last year behind those two teams.

"You can see how each year he has gotten better," Birtzer said. "As a matter of fact, it's led him to getting into state for track and everything like that. He's a phenomenal kid, I can't find a better kid.

"One thing Trevor will flat-out tell you is that it's the guys around him that help him be where he is. And that's what makes them so special. When I think about him, and it's the fact that not only is he a great football player, but he is a good human being. I'm very proud of the fact that I'm the guy lucky enough to be his coach."