Ryan Slager Named Troy Barboza Most Courageous Player

First year Ryan Slager from Orland Park, IL was named the 2015 Troy Barboza Award winner.  Barboza played for the Pioneers in the mid-80's and went on to a career in law enforcement.  He went undercover to help take down a major drug operation in Hawaii.  As he was waiting to testify in the case, he was tragically murdered.  Each year the Pioneers honor the player who has displayed the most courage throughout the past year, and that definitely fits with Ryan.

Asked to start at inside linebacker from day one, Ryan rose to the occasion.  Posting 18 tackles in his first game against Beloit, Slager filled a need for the defense immediately.  He recorded 17 tackles against Illinois College, 19 against Knox, and 15 in the season finale against Lawrence.  All told, Slager accounted for 134 tackles on the year.  His 13.4 per game was good for second in the country.

As impressive as his debut was, we look for even bigger things from Ryan over the coming three years!

Former D3 Player Fares Better vs NFL Competition Than vs Grinnell College

Former Monmouth College quarterback Alex Tanney (of trick shot quarterback fame) took the first regular season snaps of his NFL career this past weekend for the Tennessee Titans.  Tanney has been on the practice squad of multiple NFL teams during his career, and played about half of a pre-season game for the Dallas Cowboys several years ago.  I believe this past weekend was his first shot in the regular season though, and he played well.  In fact, by completing 10 of 14 passes for 99 yards, Tanney played significantly better against NFL competition than he did against the Grinnell Pioneers in their 2010 contest.  In that game, we held the pre-season D3 Player of the year to a 0 for 1 for 0 yards performance in our 17-15 victory over Monmouth.
To be fair, Tanney was injured during the first drive, and missed the rest of the game, and the rest of the season.  While we certainly weren't celebrating his injury, it was a huge victory for us, and one that we will always celebrate.  For his part, Tanney took advantage of a medical red-shirt and came back for a very good senior season, and eventually his shot in the NFL.  Congratulations to him, it is always nice to see D3 players get their chance, and it's even better when it's a fellow Midwest Conference athlete.  Best of luck to Alex Tanney.

Emmi Sandoval Named co-Kriegel Award Winner

Sandoval on his way to a school record 94 yard kickoff return

Along with QB Sam Poulos, Emmi Sandoval was named co-winner of the Steve Kriegel Pioneer Award.  Emmi was asked to move from WR to CB as a first-year and then battled injury as a sophomore and junior.  Injuries and frustrations continued to follow him throughout the off-season leading up to his senior year.  Come reporting date this August, we really weren't sure what we were going to get with Emmi this year.  What a pleasant surprise!  Emmi came in healthy, in great physical condition, and with a great attitude.  He was rewarded with his best season yet, leading the team with 38 receptions and 458 yards.  He also had five receiving td's and one kickoff return td, a school record 94 yard return.  More importantly, Emmi was a positive influence for the entire offense, and embraced a role as a leader and mentor for our younger players.

Emmi has graduated at the semester and is returning home to join the workforce and apply for graduate school.  Congrats Emmi.  Best of luck!!

Former Pioneer Chris Jarmon Gets Shoutout on Monday Night Football

Chris Jarmon (right) during his playing days as an all-conference OL

Former Pioneer offensive lineman Chris Jarmon gets some nice recognition during the Monday Night Football broadcast this evening.  Jarmon interned for both the NFL Network and ESPN during his time at Grinnell, and accepted a position at ESPN immediately after graduation.  His first assignment was working women's soccer, but he was quickly moved to the Monday Night Football crew in their research department.  Looks like his hard work over the years is not going unnoticed.  Great to see you get some recognition Chris!   Keep up the good work!

Sam Poulos Wins Steve Kriegel Pioneer Award

Poulos eyes his target

Named after longtime local coach Steve Kriegel, the Pioneer Award is one of the highest honors we bestow on our players.  Over the years Coach Kriegel was involved at South Tama High School, Grinnell High School, and Grinnell College.  He was loved and respected by all for the way he cared for and pushed his student-athletes.

Sam was a four-year starting quarterback for us, starting from day one.  His highlights included leading us to an upset victory over Monmouth in 2012, being a part of the Division 3 Play of the Week during that upset victory, and throwing five touchdowns in the season finale in both 2014 and 2015.  Along the way Sam made many plays with his feet and his arm, and always providing a fighting spirit.

Sam will be headed to France after the new year to continue his playing career.  Good luck Sam!

Barrett Morrissette Named Abe Rosenbloom Award Winner

Morrissette with his family on Senior Day

Barrett Morrissette was awarded the annual Abe Rosenbloom Award for the 2015 season.  The Rosebloom Award is given each year to the outstanding offensive or defensive lineman for the Pioneers.  Barrett joins last years recipient, Rich Renteria, as outside linebackers that have won the award.

During his four years as a Pioneer, Barrett had a tremendous impact on special teams, as a running back, and as a linebacker.  He was the undisputed leader of the defense this year, and he'll graduate holding the single game record with two blocked punts in a game.

Congrats to Barrett on a fine career and a bright future.

The Dave Antrim "Every Play Matters" Memorial Scholarship

Center Jonathan Antrim '09, as big a fixture on the OL for four years as was his father Dave Antrim in the crowd

One of the greatest aspects of coaching at the Division 3 level, and at Grinnell College in particular, is getting to know the families of our student-athletes.  We recruit nation-wide, and even internationally, so there are some families I will only meet once or twice over a four-year period.  There are others, however, who are fortunate enough to make it to nearly every game, if not every single game.  One such parent was Dave Antrim, father of Jonathan Antrim '09.  From the moment Jonathan declared his intention to enroll at Grinnell, Dave became one of our biggest fans and supporters.  A driving force behind our Parents Pre-Game Tailgate, Dave was a regular at both home and road games.  Unfortunately, Dave recently passed away, but he left behind a large legacy both at Grinnell and at his high school alma mater, Salina Central.  As a result, Jonathan and the rest of the family have established the Dave Antrim "Every Play Matters" Memorial Scholarship.  The scholarship will be awarded each year to a Salina Central graduate that plans to play football at the collegiate level.  I can't think of a better way to honor a great man.  Thank you to Dave and to the Antrim family.

Former Pioneer Running for State Representative

Former Pioneer and US Marine corps veteran Pat Ritter is running for state representative in District 55 in Iowa.  Running on a platform of "investing in education, promoting the creation of good jobs, and taking care of our seniors and veterans," Ritter is a perfect fit for the district where he grew up.  Please check out his announcement on the Iowa House Democrats page.  

Ritter is looking to become the second Pioneer to be elected as a state representative.  Charles Blake is currently the representative for Arkansas' District 36, which includes his hometown of Little Rock.  Thanks for your service Charles, and good luck to you Pat!!

Graham Fisher Named Dick Ullrich Award Winner

The Pioneers hosted their annual banquet last Friday, and Graham Fisher took home one of the major awards of the evening.  Already named first-team all-conference for the second time (and all-conference for the third) Fisher took home the Dick Ullrich Award '34, presented annually to the best offensive or defensive back.  To my knowledge, the Ullrich Award has never been presented to a special teams player.  Fisher was not at the banquet, as he was capping a record breaking career by kicking and punting at the National Bowl in Miami.  Fisher returned home Monday in time to learn of his selection as a second team all-region punter by D3football.com.

Fisher averaged 41.7 yards per punt this past year, the 8th best single season in Midwest Conference history, and his 38.3 yard career average is 6th best.  He's 5th in punts inside the 20 with 17 in 2014, and 2nd in career punts inside the 20 with 62 (the record is 63).  Graham is also tied for 9th in MWC history with a 50 yard field goal against Beloit in 2012 (he also kicked a 49 yarder against Beloit this fall).

Graham has a lot to look forward to with the upcoming baseball season, but he will graduate as the best punter in Grinnell College history, and one of the best in MWC history.  Congrats Graham!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Pioneers!

If you've watched the news at all recently there is quite a bit going on right now, there is a lot to be concerned about.  I hope we're all able to set that aside today and spend some time with family and friends reflecting on all we have to be thankful for.  Enjoy your day!

Poulos Signs In France

Poulos connects with Sandoval for the first TD of the 2015 season.

Following in the footsteps of former Pioneer quarterback Sean Pfalzer, Sam Poulos has signed with the Thonon Black Panthers in France.  Details are still coming, but this is a great opportunity for Sam to continue his playing career at a high level.

See the writeup on Thonon's facebook page here.

Good luck Sam!

What to do After a Long Recruiting Trip?

Immediately go on a long family trip!!

Headed for the Mountains!

After spending four productive recruiting days in Georgia, we packed up the family and hit the road.  We've made it to Colorado to join Grandpa and Grandma, and Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins for the Thanksgiving in the Rockies.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Two Pioneers Name First-Team All-Conference

Two Pioneers were named to the first-team all-conference team.  Graham Fisher was named an all-conference punter for the third time in four years, and first-team for the second time.  Fisher led the conference with 41.7 yards per punt, a yard and a half ahead of his closest competitor, and more than three yards ahead of the the next.  Graham's per punt average is a school record, and eighth best in conference history.

Morrissette was named all-conference for the first time.  Barrett moved to linebacker for his junior and senior seasons, after playing running back for his first two years.  Morrissette finished the season third in the conference with 93 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss and two fumble recoveries.  

Other notable performances were turned in by Ryan Slager, who recorded a conference-leading 134 tackles.  That total ranked him third in the country (!) and is the fifth best season in school history, right behind David Ternes' 140 tackles last year.  As mentioned earlier, Emmi Sandoval set the new standard with a 94 yard kickoff return, and Sam Poulos threw five touchdowns against Lawrence, which ties for the third best single game total in school history.  Poulos finished both the 2014 and 2015 seasons with five touchdown passes in the final game.

You Won't Find Any Better

West Grand High School head coach Chris Brown earned his 306th victory Friday evening, tying him for the record in the state of Colorado.  While that is an amazing accomplishment, and something I'm sure he is very proud of, this win came amid some very difficult circumstances.  Please read the linked article for the story:  http://chsaanow.com/2015-10-30/with-heavy-hearts-west-grand-football-gives-coach-record-tying-306th-win/  The Mustangs were playing days after the passing of junior quarterback JD Guess.  An outstanding young man, JD was killed in a car accident on the way home from practice Tuesday evening.  Coach Brown, and all the assistant coaches that have worked with him over the years, always had the ability to prepare us to play our best while keeping the game in proper perspective.  Friday night's was the latest, greatest example of this.

Congratulations to Coach Brown, you won't find any better, and now the record books will show that.  Congratulations also to all in the Mustang family.  Way to pull together and lift each other up in such a tough time.  Best of luck the rest of the way!

Former Pioneer Excelling in NYC

Tefiro entered the all-time top-ten at Grinnell on this throw

Last spring Pioneer track and field athlete Tefiro Serunjogi accepted an offer as one of six new William R Berkley scholars for New York University's MBA program.  Tefiro swam as a youth in Uganda and was initially a swimmer here at Grinnell.  He spent the last three years of his Pioneer career as a thrower on the track and field team.  Before his senior year Tefiro interned for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City, and had to decide between an offer from Goldman Sachs and the opportunity to continue his studies as a Berkley scholar.  Not a bad option to have!

"This experience is opening my eyes to what I can and should be doing with my life, to think beyond what I thought was possible."

Read more about Tefiro's experience at NYU here:  http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/tales-in-possible/connect-possible-berkley-scholars-2015

Grinnell College Athletic Facilities - From Above

Our swimming and diving teams held an alumni event recently, and friend of the program Danny Engesser used his drone to create a stunning view of the northern part of campus, prominently featuring our athletic facilities.  The Bear Recreation and Athletic Center and Rosenbloom Field are both highlighted quite a bit.  This video is not officially connected with the college in any way, but it does a great job highlighting our campus.  Check it out and enjoy!!

https://vimeo.com/143093436

Kid's Camp a Success

Current and future linebackers

 We hosted our annual free kids camp yesterday, and once again it was a success.  There was a lot of learning and a lot of fun for the local kids,  hopefully some future Pioneers in the group!  Thanks to all who came.

Learning to Catch

Positive Thursday!

It's Positive Thursday once again, and the Pioneers got some encouragement from number 1 fan Frances Pedersen (1st grade).  In case you're having trouble reading them (she writes like her dad), Frances says "I believe in you! Be good out there!" and "Be awesome.  I love football so much! Go Daddy's team!"

After two road games, we are excited to be back on Rosenbloom, hosting Knox this Saturday at 1:00 PM.  The Pioneers last appearance at Rosenbloom was a 28-20 victory over Lawrence, and we're looking for similar results this Saturday!

Beecher Named Semi-Finalist for Prestigious Student-Athlete Award

Jacob Beecher #22, heads to mid-field for the opening coin toss

Senior safety/outside linebacker and team captain Jacob Beecher has been named a semi-finalist for the William V Campbell trophy.  The intent of the award is to honor top academic student-athletes playing football, and it comes with a $25,000 scholarship to be used on graduate school.  Fifteen finalists will be named in late October, and each of those will receive and $18,000 scholarship, and one winner will be named in December and will receiver the $25,000 scholarship.  Beecher is the third Pioneer in the last four years to be named a semi-finalist (TJ Schaid in 2012 and David Ternes in 2014).

Congrats Jacob, and best of luck in getting selected as a finalist!

Arrieta

I usually like to keep these posts at least somewhat related to Pioneer Football, but I'm making an exception today.