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Augustana football stakes its claim
By Stu Whitney
swhitney@argusleader.com
Published: January 30, 2007
When the NCAA's football signing period arrives Feb. 7, area coaches will unveil their recruits and trumpet this year's group as the most splendid in all the land.
Of course, since the true value of any class can't be judged for several years, much of this signing day hoopla is speculative.
It's more instructive to look for recruiting trends - telling shifts in what type of talent a school draws and where that talent comes from.
In that respect, Augustana's excitement next Wednesday will be perfectly legitimate.
Coach Brad Salem's third recruiting effort is his finest yet - especially in light of recent developments:
Brandon Valley running back Nathan Mahone, who originally chose the University of South Dakota, rescinded that verbal commitment over the weekend and will play for Augustana.
Salem also nailed down Washington High's Sam Holsen, one of the state's most dangerous playmakers. He heads a group of at least five Sioux Falls players who will sign with the Vikings.
Other in-state standouts committed to Augie include Argus Leader Elite 45 captain Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen Roncalli) as well as Curt Truhe of Elk Point-Jefferson and Ben Wardell of Sturgis.
Obviously, no recruiting class is complete without out-of-state talent. But the Vikings' South Dakota haul, featuring several players who spurned USD, is too rich to ignore.
So what's going on here?
Salem and recruiting coordinator Steve Olinger have played up the school's new training facilities while selling a valid scenario of future Division II success.
But the trend also involves Sioux Falls, where the Vikings have worked hard to tighten their grip on the city's top prospects.
In addition to Holsen, they landed Roosevelt linemen Tyler Lynch and Louie Krabbenhoft as well as O'Gorman standouts Jordan Gerdes and Tom Jarding.
Salem, a Sioux Falls native who played at O'Gorman and Augustana, set the tone with a 2006 class that featured the Knights' Tyler Schulte and Ryan Isaacson as well as Roosevelt's Chris Janisch.
"What Brad did was make recruiting in Sioux Falls a priority," says O'Gorman coach Steve Kueter, who coached Salem in high school. "He has gone after the good city kids every year, and he's gone after them hard. There was a time when those players tended to go other places."
There were also times when Sioux Falls talent wasn't all that special. But the city's surging population and recent prep dominance has created a wealth of scholarship-level players.
The upper-crust athletes - Antonio Thompson, Dusty Coleman, Josh Mahoney, JaRon Harris - will reach higher and sign with South Dakota State or more established Division I programs. Roosevelt's Brad Iverson did just that by committing to the Jackrabbits on Monday
But Salem will make a play for the rest. . . . . . (read more)
Go State!
Augustana football stakes its claim
By Stu Whitney
swhitney@argusleader.com
Published: January 30, 2007
When the NCAA's football signing period arrives Feb. 7, area coaches will unveil their recruits and trumpet this year's group as the most splendid in all the land.
Of course, since the true value of any class can't be judged for several years, much of this signing day hoopla is speculative.
It's more instructive to look for recruiting trends - telling shifts in what type of talent a school draws and where that talent comes from.
In that respect, Augustana's excitement next Wednesday will be perfectly legitimate.
Coach Brad Salem's third recruiting effort is his finest yet - especially in light of recent developments:
Brandon Valley running back Nathan Mahone, who originally chose the University of South Dakota, rescinded that verbal commitment over the weekend and will play for Augustana.
Salem also nailed down Washington High's Sam Holsen, one of the state's most dangerous playmakers. He heads a group of at least five Sioux Falls players who will sign with the Vikings.
Other in-state standouts committed to Augie include Argus Leader Elite 45 captain Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen Roncalli) as well as Curt Truhe of Elk Point-Jefferson and Ben Wardell of Sturgis.
Obviously, no recruiting class is complete without out-of-state talent. But the Vikings' South Dakota haul, featuring several players who spurned USD, is too rich to ignore.
So what's going on here?
Salem and recruiting coordinator Steve Olinger have played up the school's new training facilities while selling a valid scenario of future Division II success.
But the trend also involves Sioux Falls, where the Vikings have worked hard to tighten their grip on the city's top prospects.
In addition to Holsen, they landed Roosevelt linemen Tyler Lynch and Louie Krabbenhoft as well as O'Gorman standouts Jordan Gerdes and Tom Jarding.
Salem, a Sioux Falls native who played at O'Gorman and Augustana, set the tone with a 2006 class that featured the Knights' Tyler Schulte and Ryan Isaacson as well as Roosevelt's Chris Janisch.
"What Brad did was make recruiting in Sioux Falls a priority," says O'Gorman coach Steve Kueter, who coached Salem in high school. "He has gone after the good city kids every year, and he's gone after them hard. There was a time when those players tended to go other places."
There were also times when Sioux Falls talent wasn't all that special. But the city's surging population and recent prep dominance has created a wealth of scholarship-level players.
The upper-crust athletes - Antonio Thompson, Dusty Coleman, Josh Mahoney, JaRon Harris - will reach higher and sign with South Dakota State or more established Division I programs. Roosevelt's Brad Iverson did just that by committing to the Jackrabbits on Monday
But Salem will make a play for the rest. . . . . . (read more)
Go State!
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