Photo: Eduard Henriquez
by Tara Adams
FLANDERS, N.J. – The sounds of high school athletes straining through workouts designed to test their limits filled the Marauder Dome in Flanders.
For the Union Farmers, the 35th Annual Chuck Mound Football Challenge wasn’t just a March weekend outing. It was preparation for future camps and the upcoming fall season. Twenty-five players represented the team at the event.
The Challenge is an off-season team combine in which players compete in NFL events, including the 40-yard dash, pro agility, broad jump and bench press. The event also includes football skills, drills and one on ones.
Players earn event points, leading up to the crowning of a team champion.
Photo: Eduard Henriquez
“I was really impressed with Chuck’s organizing of the event,” said Union Head Coach Barris Grant. “These kids now have an idea of (what is expected at football camps). There's more work to be done.”
The Ghosts of the Gridiron
That "work" is a heavy word in Union. It carries the weight of a storied program that once defined the gold standard of New Jersey football. From the legendary era of Lou Rettino to a trophy case crowded with state championship hardware, Union isn’t just a town with a football team; it’s a town with a lineage.
But for a teenager in 2026, a championship banner from years ago can feel like ancient history. Coach Grant is currently on a mission to bridge that gap, ensuring his roster understands that the Farmers name isn’t just a mascot, it’s also an inheritance.
“There’s a gap in what these players know about the past successes this program has had,” Grant admitted. “As a coach, I try my best to instill in them some things that they did back then. Union is a football town, and these new players need to understand what it means to have the Farmers name on your chest at all times.”
Union’s legacy isn’t limited to what happens under the lights on Friday nights. It’s also reflected in the players who leave the program and continue to set the standard elsewhere.
Coaches regularly point to alumni as examples for current players, not to glorify the past, but to show how the Farmers Mentality, such as consistency, discipline, toughness and attention to detail, translates at the next level.
One of the most prominent examples is Davison Igbinosun, who carried that approach from Union to the national stage. After developing into a physical, reliable defensive back, Igbinosun went on to start his last three seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning accolades and becoming a fixture in one of college football’s most demanding programs.
Now preparing for the NFL Draft, his trajectory has become a point of reference inside the Union locker room. It's tangible proof that the habits built there can hold up against elite competition.
The New Vanguard
If the Chuck Mound Football Challenge was a litmus test for that legacy, the modern Farmers are off to a blistering start. Two players proved that the program’s physical "Farmers Mentality" is alive and well:
James Elmera (OL): Named the Football Challenge's Offensive Lineman MVP, Elmera showed the grit and technical leverage that has defined Union’s front lines for generations. MVPs are voted on by the event's positional coaches and head football coaches based on overall performance in football and positional skills, such as one on ones.
Cameron Joseph (DB): Joseph turned heads by clocking a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. “He was smokin’,” Grant said. The 40-yard dash hand times are performed by certified timing officials.
Fighting the "Feed"
While the physical development is measurable in seconds and reps, the mental development is a steeper climb. In an era dominated by highlights and clout, Grant sees social media as the greatest opponent his players face.
The challenge is keeping them grounded when the digital world tells them to be superstars before they’ve earned a varsity letter.
“Kids compare themselves to NFL and college players,” Grant said.
And while the athletes will develop into good players, “You're not going to be Shedeur Sanders or Patrick Mahomes at 14-years-old,” he said.
To combat the digital noise, Grant preaches ELC, which stands for Elite Level of Commitment. It’s a simple, uncompromising code: be on time, put in maximum effort, and take pride in production. It’s about ignoring the "likes" and focusing on the relationship between the coach’s blueprint and the player’s response.
Keep Your Head Down
When a game gets tough or the pressure mounts, Grant’s advice is counter-intuitive to a generation taught to look for cameras. He wants them to find the same blue-collar toughness that built Union’s reputation decades ago.
“Keep your head down and keep digging,” Grant said.
Picking their heads up makes players aware of the noise around them, he explained.
It is this philosophy, working in silence and honoring the past by outworking the present, that defines the Farmers Mentality. As the camp season kicks into high gear, the goal remains clear: making sure that when players pull that jersey over their pads, they aren't just wearing a name. They're carrying a tradition.
