Did anyone see Jacks recruit Mike Steffen play football this year. At 6'5 and blessed with speed I wonder if he will be redshirted or will get an opportunity to play as a freshman.
I have seen Steffan play quite a few times. I think he could really be a factor in a year or two. But in my opinion I think he should redshirt this year.
These two are pretty big and tall (Paula 6'3", Steffen 6'5", which generally means they're a little slower out of the blocks and then finish strong. Don't think it's really possible to translate into 40 times....
Quinn Hendel 6'3 210 lb linebacker out of talent rich Wayzata High School will walk-on at Iowa State. He had other walk-on invites from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Colorado. Quinn had scholarship offers from Northern Iowa, SDSU and NDSU.
May 25, 2005 - What does the future hold for the senior athletes of the Northwest and Foothills?
For most students, making the switch from high school to college is a difficult step. For others, transforming from a Tiger or Falcon into a Saluki or a Wildcat can be as arduous as it is confusing.
Such will be the task for dozens of senior athletes graduating this month from the eight Northwest and Foothills area high schools. Whether success on the high school level will translate into prosperity on the fields, courts and diamonds of college remains to be seen.
Although the University of Arizona and Pima Community College are a popular destination for many, others will land far away from the nest in which they were raised - in more than a dozen different states. . . .
Others who will be making the trek out of state include football players Ryan McGinty of Mountain View, who is Columbia-bound, Ryan Crawford of IRHS, who heads North to South Dakota State and Kyra Thompson who leaves Foothills to play volleyball for Rutgers University in New Jersey. . . .
Instate Jacks football recruits did well at the State Track Meet. Jordan Paula of Brookings finished 5th in AA 200 with 22.47 time. Mike Steffen finished 1st in B 200 with time of 22.88 Nice to have both speed and size joining the Jacks.
Does anyone know if 2005 recruit Adam Monke started class this spring and participated in spring ball? It was mentioned in an article that he graduated in Decamber and many kids that do that these days enroll in college right away.
RB from NE signed. Interest from UNO, NDSU, UNK and Iowa State (walk-on). Looks like the contact was a former NE linebacker who interviewed for a coaching position. Smaller back with nice H.S. numbers and success.
Monke, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound running back for Arlington, has accepted a scholarship offer to play football for South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D.
"Everyone in Brookings is like a big family," Monke said. "It seemed like a good fit for me. All the coaches were extremely nice and I'll get a chance for playing time right away."
Monke, a two-time Fremont Tribune All-Area selection, rushed for 1,637 yards and 24 touchdowns last fall. He rushed for more than 3,000 yards in the last two seasons while helping the Eagles to consecutive Class C-1 state football playoff appearances.
The Jackrabbits compiled a 6-5 record last season in their first season at the NCAA I-AA level. Playing at the Division I level has been a long-time goal of the son of Dave and Sheila Monke.
Other schools that were recruiting Monke included the University of Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota State University, and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Iowa State was interested in Monke as a walk-on.
The South Dakota State coaching staff found out about Monke through conversations with Arlington High School graduate Clint Brown. The former University of Nebraska linebacker interviewed with the Jacks for an assistant coaching job a few weeks ago.
Head coach John Stiegelmeier, who just finished his eighth season with the Jacks, and his staff impressed Monke.
"They wanted to recruit me as a person, more than an athlete," he said. "That was the No. 1 selling point."
The Jacks do return a solid running back next season. Anthony Watson, who will be a junior in the fall, led the Great West Conference in rushing as a sophomore.
"They want to have a dual-back attack," Monke said. "They want to have two guys rush for over 1,000 yards."
According to Monke, the Jacks only have a commitment from one other running back this season and that player may switch to another position. The backs that played behind Watson this year were walk-ons.
Monke graduated in December from Arlington. He is taking classes at Metropolitan Community College and working out seven days a week at Gold's Gym in Omaha.
He looks forward to playing at the next level.
"After I committed, I really couldn't quit grinning," he said. "I'm taking classes to get a head start on (school). I can get right at it in the fall."
Never mind the answer is in this article! I'm excited to see this kid get on the field.
Not even two-a-day practices in extreme heat could diminish Adam Monke's enthusiasm as he prepared to play in the Shrine Bowl.
"It's all about football," he said during a phone interview from Lincoln on Friday. "It's pretty much eat, sleep, breathe football so I'm in heaven."
Monke, a standout at Arlington, is one of several area players who will compete for the North in tonight's Shrine Bowl at Lincoln's Seacrest Field. Kickoff for the annual all-star game is set for 6:30 p.m. . . .
Monke had a standout senior year for Arlington, rushing for 1,637 yards while being named the Tribune's honorary All-Area captain on offense.
He graduated in December, and - unlike most of the other players in the game - did not participate in track or baseball or any other spring sport.
That doesn't mean that Monke was sitting around doing nothing, though.
He lifted weights six times a week and also worked out on the track.
"Coming into camp I made sure I was in shape and it really paid off," the South Dakota State University recruit said. . . .
On Tuesday, Monke and his North teammates visited the Shriners Hospital in Chicago.
It was an experience Monke won't soon forget.
At the hospital, he befriended a 6-year old girl with prosthetic legs and played basketball with her in a wheelchair.
"It's extremely humbling," Monke said. "It's amazing how much we take for granted every day compared to those kids up there. It was an amazing trip."
Although the Shrine Bowl is an all-star game and therefore is a more relaxed setting than normal, Monke and his teammates will be looking for a victory tonight.
"That's why we play the game," he said. "It's a competitive sport. All high school and college athletes go out to win."
Monke also has enjoyed his time away from the field during his time at the North camp.
"It's been a great, great camp and you meet a lot of new guys and get a lot of good camaraderie with all the guys you've been playing against the last four years," he said.
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