Quote from: Walston Hoover on November 17, 2005, 01:37:07 PM
OK, I take back everything I said earlier,
If your son inherited your talent for home brewing, then he DEFINITELY belongs at Wartburg.

LOL, I haven't shared the college home-brew schnapps recipe with him yet!  He's already distracted enough by girls. 

It was discovered later that the batch that did me in had a fatal flaw.  It's basically everclear, water, sugar, and peppermint extract (or cinnamon oil, if that floats your boat).  Boil (NOT the everclear!), then chill.  Unbeknownst to the rest of us, one of our dork housemates decided on his own to TRIPLE the peppermint oil because, in his words, "I like peppermint".  I wasn't the only one it made sick, but I WAS the lone desk hurler.

Oh, my younger and stupider days.

WartHog,

That is a MONUMENTALLY funny story.

I don't have ANYTHING to match that, but I did partially barf ON one of my final papers when I was a sophomore.  It had less to do with nerves and more to do with the home-brew peppermint schnapps we made the night before and stupidly consumed in the parking lot before our final.

My instructor (who was VERY cool and a partier himself) followed me outside, talked me through finishing the "job", let me go clean up, made me clean off my desk (much to the amusement of my buddies), gave me a clean test, and said "Congratulations, now you have 15 minutes to complete a 45 minute test".

By God's Grace, I was amazingly focused after ejecting the ill-swill and got a "B".

SpeedKills,

I would have to agree with you on Gustafson.  I met him briefly on my son's recruiting visit at Cornell.  Very nice young man and a powerfully built dude.  We were told that he already holds the Cornell record for squats.  He squated 335 thirty seven times.... 37!  That is unreal for a 235lb linebacker... plus he is extremely fast.

I can't imagine how a team would not have to scheme against him... his downfall was being on a 2-8 team, which is not fair but how it usually goes.     

Walston Hoover:

Excellent comments.  I've visited Wartburg a couple of times with my daughter when she was college-shopping.  Phenomenal music program.  She ended up going to Iowa as an Elementary Ed Major and Music minor... She loves the bigger environment, whereas my son likes the smaller school feel.  Indeed, Wartburg is an excellent school and a solid FB program.

DutchFan:

That is funny and very coincidental!  Yes, the old South Central Conference.  Still exists, slightly different look.  Still has Chariton and Davis County, though.  It's weird to see Sigourney and PCM/Monroe instead of Pella and Knoxville.  Sigourney was no treat this year... that team is killer (12-0 and playing in the 2A title game this Saturday)

I never minded Pella... we were too busy "hating" (and beating) Centerville!  Besides, we beat Pella in FB both of my Varsity years, so it's easier to like the town!  We split in Basketball, but man were there some tall Dutch guys on those teams. 

FlyingDutch,

Thank you very much for sharing your son's story.  I applaud him for giving it a shot at Iowa.  I'm guessing that his 2 years there certainly made him a better player, and it appears he is getting some nice playing time already for a 1st year player.

As I mentioned, all of the IIAC schools are going to offer a world-class education.  Some are stronger in certain areas of study, but for the most part it's a push.  That actually makes the decision easier, as we can focus more of the athletic environment... coaches, facilities, etc.  We are looking forward to spending more time with the coaching staffs at other IIAC schools, and it will certainly come down to where he feels the most comfortable.  Other than lots of letters and phone conversations with other schools, the only 2 he/we have had the chance to visit are Cornell and Central.  As I also mentioned, Central has set a pretty high standard and impression so far.  Coach Bentz at Cornell is also excellent, and Ryan is doing an overnight there this week.

I'm familiar with most of the IIAC communities, but none more than Pella, as I played sports at Davis County HS way back when Pella HS was part of the SE Conference.  Beautiful community and people.  My wife is a Coe alum and was around the football program alot, as she dated a Coe player while she was there.  Her main concern for Ryan is the right academic environment.

Thanks again! 

Quote from: iabeaver63 on November 15, 2005, 12:16:48 PM
BV is where it's at...if you are looking for a good school, great personal environment, and insane facilities!  I played at BV and my best friends played at Coe...they all have said that if they would have visited BV it would have been a no-brainer just based on facilities and overall small-town environment.  BUT...if your son is thinking more that he'll enjoy a city environment, nothing will beat Coe right now for football.  I think the sports facilities need some major work, but where it lacks in facilities it grows in sense of family, and direction from the coaching staff.  It's pretty hard to argue with the success they've seen since Raeburn has been on board.  there is a real intensity around the program, and it excites everyone around.

overall, if your son wants to play some great football in college, there's no better place than IIAC.  Stay away from cyclone country, btw.

iabeaver, thanks for the insight.  Why can't Storm Lake be a bit closer!    I think that is the only thing going against BV, especially with all of the comparable schools closer.  It's quite possible that we are being short-sighted.

We did get to see BV play against Central last weekend, and there are some fine players on the team.  My first observation is that BV needs more numbers.  The disparity between Central and BV as far as number of players was very noticable.  The upside to that is that my son said, "I think I could go there and help right away".  He's sometimes a bit too cocky for his own good!

Quote from: Da One on November 15, 2005, 12:13:28 PM
I also forgot to mention Luther needs some help up front Defensively.  They played 3 freshman in there front seven this year, so if a kid is ready he will get a chance.  They play a 3-3-5 and a 4-3 blitzing Defense.  I know they are looking for players to come in and contribute.  They lack a pass rushing D-end.  Most of all Coach Hefty is a players coach.  He is always 100% honest with the recruits and players in the program.  I agree with the others, check them all out.  That is the only way you and your son will know what is the best fit.   Good Luck

Good Luck to Coe and Central.  Represent the IIAC well!!

Da One, thanks for the insight on Luther.  Ryan has talked with the staff during the season, and I honestly can't say why he isn't considering Luther more.  As with the other schools, the academics are fantastic.  The FB program also seems to be on the rise.

Pass Rushing DE is where Ryan "made his mark" at the Iowa camp.  He is 6-2/215 and many of the national caliber DEs at that camp were bigger, so he relied on his speed.  He has worked hard in the weight room the last couple of years (benches 290 and squats 440).  He ran the second fastest 40 of all DEs at the Iowa camp (electronic 4.72), so that is what he used against some of the 300 lb OTs he faced there!  BTW, the Mercy Acceleration program in CR is fantastic... Ryan has been attending there for about a year, and they do a great job.

He says he doesn't really care where he plays, as long as he can contribute.  He has the frame to play DE at 230-235 or DT around 245-250.  He also started at left OG in HS and says he'd bulk up and play that if they need him to.  His love is DE, but I'm pleased to hear him say he's open-minded.

I can't tell you how much we appreciate everyone's thoughtful advice.  My parents were/are farmers in Southern Iowa, and really didn't give me much direction other than "we'll support wherever you want to go".  That is not a knock on them, as they are fantastic parents... they just didn't know.  My counselors in HS also weren't much help.  I was accepted at Iowa State to pursue engineering, but then attended an Indian Hills computer science seminar.  I ended up going to Indian Hills for my AAS, then went to Iowa for my bachelors degree (simply because I thought it would be fun to be a Hawkeye!), and got my Masters at Drake while working my first couple of jobs in Des Moines.  My choices have served me well in my career, but I wish I'd have known more about my choices.  I was a pretty good HS football player, was lightly recruited by Iowa State (walk on opportunity), but never even considered private colleges because I thought they were cost-prohibitive for my parents.  Only much later did I learn that I might have been able to attend a D3 school for much less than what I thought.  I know that sounds ignorant, but it's all I knew at the time.  I desperately wanted to play more football, but thought it was a pipe-dream.  Now all I do is wonder "what if"?  I don't want my son to ever wonder the same.  

Coocoo:
Good points about the urban environment at Coe.  Everyone is different, but the urban environment is actually one of the few things my wife didn't like at Coe.  It won't be a major factor, but less distractions in the smaller community MIGHT be a better fit for Ryan.  We certainly look forward to getting to better know Coach Raeburn and his staff in the coming weeks.  He can certainly envision himself playing there.

DutchFan:
Wow, your son's situation does sound very similar to Ryan's.  If we do make the UWW trip, we'll definitely look for you.  I probably want to go more than him, mainly because I just love any football game, and I'd love to experience the D3 Playoff atmosphere.  Last night, he said he's not sure there is much more to learn by going, as he is already extremely impressed with Central.  I think Coe and Central just need to pull 4 combined "upsets", and we'll watch them duke it out in CR, like you suggested!  Also, we have Iowa season tickets, so there is a good football game to go to Saturday against Minny.  I simply enjoyed the game in Pella last weekend more than any game this year at Kinnick!

So many great choices.
We agree that there isn't a bad academic choice in the IIAC.  Ryan has his priorities straight as far as academics being FIRST.  

Even though it's a secondary consideration, the largest variable seems to be the football programs.  Right now, Ryan is thinking Central, Cornell, Coe, and Wartburg.  He's excited to learn much more about Coe and Wartburg before he makes his choice.

From a football-only standpoint, Central has set quite a benchmark for the following reasons:

1. Staff.  The coaches said all the right things regarding academic priorities, caring for the players, and their general philosopies.  More importantly, it was obvious they were very sincere.  With 8/10 of the staff being Central Alums (very unusual), there is a real sense of pride and family.

2. Strength & Conditioning.  They are one of the only D3 programs we are aware of that have a full-time S&C coach.  He worked under Doyle at Iowa, and we know how good Doyle is.  The weight facility is 7400 sq. feet, ranking only behind Iowa in the state.  Like Doyle at Iowa, they do a bio-mechanical analysis of every player, and tailor workouts and nutrition for each individual.  Extremely impressive.

3. Tradition.  Not that winning is everything, but it IS more fun than losing!   When a program is conference champs 23 of the last 42 years and hasn't had a losing season since Eisenhower was President, that does get your attention.  On a very minor note, we really liked the overhead helmet thing before every kickoff.  Impressive with over 100 guys on the sideline... gave me chills when I first saw it.

Thanks again to all.

Quote from: the_show on November 15, 2005, 12:08:32 AM
{Insert everything everyone else has said} and then add go to BV at the end!  8)

The Show... good point!  I have a cousin who is a BV alum and played football there back in the early 80's... He has been lobbying pretty hard for BV.  All of our families are from SE Iowa, and I think that the distance is the only downside my son sees...  15-20 family members have attended almost all of his HS games for years, and they'll go watch him play wherever in college.  We just hate to make them drive from Ottumwa/Bloomfield to Storm Lake for so many games! 

Dutchhawk and Kohawk,

Thank you again for the excellent advice.  I have heard some similar opinions about Cornell's structure.  We were there the weekend before last and had a good visit.  It may well have to do with the fact that the head coach was preparing to resign in 3 days, but neither my son or I got nearly the "good feelings" about the coaching staff as we did on our Central visit.  The academic part of the visit was excellent.  

We have the fullest confidence that he will do well wherever he goes.  He's been through a lot with his ADD, being tested every 6 months at The U of Iowa since he was 7 years old.  Based on his high test scores at The U of I, Dr Eyanson has always assured us that his challenges in the classroom have nothing to do with intelligence, but I think it took his ACT score before HE finally believed it.  I guess all of this has made me a bit over-protective!  

We look forward to meeting with the Wartburg coaches in a couple of weeks, as well as our Coe visit once they are free (hopefully not for quite a while!).  As I mentioned, my wife is a Coe alum and loved her experience there.  Interestingly, my wife went to HS in Fargo, and has many friends there.  I've never been there and we've kicked around the idea of going to the Coe game this Saturday, since we haven't seem them play yet.  UWW being so much closer is what is swaying us towards the Central game.
 
The only other non-IIAC schools we have seriously looked at are Upper Iowa, who has been heavily recruiting him, and Iowa who is encouraging him to walk-on (non-preferred walk-on).  He performed well at the Iowa padded camp this summer and made all-camp defense at DE.  He is much more interested in the D3 educational environment, along with a much better chance to play football.  

DutchFan, I'll definitely look for you if we end up going to UWW.  We were both very impressed with #10 last Saturday, that is for certain.  He seems to have excellent command of the offense, especially for a 1st year starter.  I also watched him a bit on the sidelines, and he appears to be a natural leader.  You should be very proud.

To both WartHog and DutchFan,

THANK YOU both for your excellent insights!

For some reason, I failed to mention Wartburg.  They have also recruited him alot this year, and my son is also very interested.  We just haven't made the time to make it there, but he very much wants to.  My older daughter was interested in Wartburg because of the Music program, and we did visit twice, so I am very aware of the excellent academics.  She ended up going to Iowa and is a soph. vocal major.  

I agree wholeheartedly about academics being first consideration.  All of the schools he is considering are strong.  My son was been disgnosed with ADD as a 1st grader, and was on medication up until his soph. year in HS.  He has done a tremendous job dealing with it, but it has affected his GPA in a traditional classroom setting.  His GPA is a very modest 2.72, but he scored a 30 on his ACT and is extremely bright.  This is one of the major reaons we like the Cornell "one class at a time" academic structure.  He is doing an overnight at Cornell later this week.

He is yet undecided on a field of study, but has particular (and wide-ranging) interests in Psychology, Architecture, and Exercise Science.

I do believe we will try to make it to the Central game this Saturday.  I LOVE college football!  I just need to dig up a bright red coat.  My sister in Lincoln could ship us some Husker coats, but I'd NEVER wear them!

Thanks again, and I am very glad I found this board.

Quote from: DutchFan2004 on November 14, 2005, 09:52:46 AM
Badgerwarhawk,


There isn't alot to tell.  We are kind of a blue collar team.  We are a very young team with alot of sophs playing.  We had the leagues leading rusher.  Like to run the ball first but we can throw it if we have to.  The d bends but doesn't break.  And the team seems to find a way to win.  If one side of the ball isn't playing real well the other seems to help find a way to win or the special teams seem to find a way to help win the game.

Hey DutchFan, my son is a HS Senior and being recruited by Central, as well as others.  We attended the Recruiting Day on Saturday and very much enjoyed an excellent game.  How many Dutch fans do you think will travel to UWW?  We are actually thinking about making the trip to support Central and get another look at the Central D Schemes.  My son is a DE/OLB and with Central switching the D to the 4-4 during the game, we would like to get a better feel about where my son might fit in best.

BTW, one of my son's other top choices is Cornell, as he really likes their "one class at a time" academic structure, and has gotten to know an assistant coach here very well.  Coach Reisland resigning at Cornell certainly threw a wrench into things, but he is attending to get an education first... at least that's what I keep telling him!  My wife is a Coe alum, so that makes Coe one of the schools being considered, along with the fact that it is an excellent school and football program.

All in all, I have to say we came away from Central EXTREMELY impressed.  Coach McMartin and all of the staff were very impressive, and the tradition and "family atmosphere" surrounding the Central program is amazing.  As a parent, the bottom-line is that Central impressed me as a place that will "take care" of my son very well... they really seemed sincere in their caring about the players developing as Students, People, and Athletes.

Any input is welcome and appreciated.  This is obviuosly a huge decision for my son.