The football season is over for the NSIC....and I got to thinking that there's some players that I'm going to miss following and watching. I realize everyone has their favorites and this list isn't strictly a "best players" list, but instead guys that I will personally most remember from this Senior class. Feel free to chime in with yours..





Jon Wolf - Minnesota State Mankato
I knew he was good when I got to see him up close last year at Mankato. This year at USF, an entirely different deal. Dude hurdles a d-back who was standing (not diving at him). "He didn't just do that.." (yes, he did)

Wolf wasn't the most polished passer in the lot this year, but he was the best overall play maker. He was able to go against the grain when things turned sour on a play, able to pass when seemingly looking like he was running the ball (ok, so maybe it was a penalty as a lineman ran a post pattern), and he was able to keep defenses guessing whether he was going to stay in the pocket or tuck it an run for big yards.

Personally I will further recall Wolf as he was from Oak Forest HS, about 15 minutes north of where I spend my first 25 years of being....Homewood, IL. He was a Bengal. When I was a pup you didn't hear a lot about Oak Forest and football, so it really caught my eye when I did a roster review before USF at Kato last fall.




Zach Moore - Concordia

While Zach didn't have the type of year that many expect, it goes without a question that he was the #1 focus that teams had when game-planning against the Golden Bears. That said, I'm sure he will be in NFL draft / free agent talks in the coming months. He's that kind of physical talent at defensive end and at 6-6, 285, he's got a great frame.

My first time seeing Zach play in person was last year when CSP visited Sioux Falls. Simply put, he was better than advertised. People on the USF side were calling him Chris Doleman (a dominant Minnesota Vikings DE, for those that are too young to know the name). He was getting around end just too easily, and USF was struck with injury on the OL and further struggles to slow down his pursuit of the quarterback. I don't recall any 1 defensive lineman against USF that was causing as much trouble as he was. For me, when I think of CSP, I think of him.

....oh yes, he's also from the Chicagoland area. haha. He's a city boy from Simeon HS....think Derrick Rose, Ben Wilson, and current Duke all world hooper Jabari Parker.




Carrington Hanna - USF

....you knew he'd be on here....so don't start.

I can still recall talking to Tom Frederick (USF Announcer) about Hanna in 2011....when it was apparent that Taylor Perkins was a better fit for the QB position than Hanna was....and he was being moved to WR, well really more of a hybrid of h-back spot. Lots of balls out of the backfield, across the middle, etc. Anyway, he didn't exactly start off fast there and I said that it didn't seem like he had the hands for that role. Yup, I'm smart. He then catches a TD pass in the final game of 2011 at UND, and then from there he turns out to be one of the more loved Cougars that I can recall and oh by the way, he's got damn good hands.

When I think back to Carrington, I think of when he lined up at TE against Augie in overtime and caught a delay for a touchdown (the pic above), and with the xp USF won the first of the new/old rivalry with the Vikings.

Hanna was a big play touchdown guy, but instead a chains-mover like no other Cougar in memory. It seemed like each time he caught the ball it was for a first down. Like Zach Moore above, he also didn't have the type of year expected due to defensive focus, but mostly because the USF passing game just wasn't their focus this year..but instead a plowing zone-read running game. Hanna didn't complain and became a really good blocker in that system. He took pride in that role. His switch to quarterback in the middle of the year is well-documented, but as a USF fan I cannot tell you how reassuring it was knowing that we had him and his skill-set available to save the day at QB. His first game back (@Concordia), he throws for 400 yards and 5 scores. Ok then..

As the year finished, I heard that Hanna was at a USF hoops game and was on crutches. I immediately thought back to when I spoke to him after the Winona game and asked him how he was doing, as I'd noticed he limped off later in the game. He mentioned at that time (in confidence) that his knee had been bothering him but that he was going to keep playing on it as it was his last year. Well....after the season he went to get his knee scoped and they ended up doing surgery on his knee. Word is that he's not going to be ready for any Pro Day or any such next-level preparation.

I'm not sure that Hanna is quite a dynamic enough athlete overall to make it at the next level, but at the small college level he really stood out at times..while also carrying himself as a very respectful gentleman.




Phil Klaphake - SCSU

....after the performance at Mankato a few weeks ago, how could he not be on this list..?

Certainly Klaphake had a lot of help (from his teammates) in upsetting the #1 team in the country, but let's be frank....his throws over the top of the Mavs defense were just spot-on as the Huskies really took it to the home team in a way that none of us believed they could. It was stunning. Then he runs for a 70 yard touchdown and seemingly can't be caught in open field along the way. I recall just shaking my head in disbelief as I was watching the game. An amazing performance.

I recall my first time seeing Klaphake rather well. It was USF's first game at the NSIC/D2 level. This is why you can't judge a player in an absolute way based on the 1-time you saw them up close. One of this first throws against USF was a mistake of a deep ball that was easily picked. He struggled and didn't look sharp til the 4th quarter of the contest. In the closing minutes (with the game out of reach), I was able to see what all the hubbub was about. He starting making tough throws down the field and making plays with his feet. I had a feeling that on a typical day he was far more of the 4th quarter guy, and in the next 20 or so games of his career we saw a lot of that 4th quarter guy.





Craig Bagnell - Mary

The Gunslinger. The Brett Favre of this league, he's going to take chances and keep coming at ya and probably going to throw for a lot of yards. Now I realize that the last 2 years for Bagnell had injuries and then got suspended for teams rules at the end of the year, but I think most NSIC fans will recall him as the guy who you feared in Bismarck. Bagnell threw for over 9,000 yards and 72 scores, putting fear in opposing defenses from a team that otherwise probably wasn't striking a lot of fear into the rest of the league.

Personally....I went to a game at Augie in 2010 (scouting to see what was going on across town). Mary had this little quarterback who honestly looked like he was still in high school. It was freshman, Craig Bagnell. He made some plays with his feet, threw a touchdown. Augie was much better that day, but I recall thinking....I wonder if that guy will last in this league..? Yes, and became the all time leading passer for the Mary program.





Colby Ring - UMD

Colby was the leading tackler for the Bulldogs for the last 3 years, a defense that led the NSIC in yards per game this season. A pre-season All American, Ring continued to make big plays for UMD this year (pick-6 shown above at NWMSU).

When I got to see Colby up close was at the start of this year. I get to the game pretty early as I wanted to meet and chat with his father, who some of you on D2 know as Riverskater. So....I'm talking with his dad (John), and while I didn't know a lot about Colby before that game (other than his resume), I got a chance to see that he was the cover-boy for their season program.

John was very not bragging or being boastful in the slightest (actually a very classy and humble guy), but it was pretty neat to see how proud he was of his son. All the sudden I was also starting to realize that Colby was the leader of this Bulldog team. The same Bulldog team that never let my Cougars a chance to breathe in a 32-7 game that was totally one-sided. The Bulldog defense was also back, and I recall saying it back at that time. (I knew USF wasn't as bad offensively as that showing was seemingly indicating....Duluth was just very good in their front 7)

Needless to say it brought a big smile to my face when Colby got his pick-6 in the NWMSU game, as the Bulldogs were down quite a bit at that point and I had figured that it was going to be his final game.