- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 414,755
- Reaction score
- 43
Apr. 9—BEMIDJI — Three Lumberjacks are heading to the collegiate football ranks.
Dawson Degelder, Ephram Boucher and Jack Caron, all members of the Bemidji High School football team, made their commitments to their respective colleges on Wednesday afternoon, continuing their careers into the next level of play.
Boucher and Caron will stay in Minnesota, while Degelder is heading over to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to compete.
Degelder wasn't sure he wanted to play college ball for the first few years of his prep career.
The idea was percolating during his junior year. But after his senior season, he realized he wanted to stick around the game.
"After my senior year, just having all the fun with the boys that I grew up with, playing football with, the family we created and the fun of winning games, and every practice was fun, too," Degelder said. "I just wanted more of that."
Degelder visited five different schools to find the right fit. Wisconsin-Eau Claire's reasonable price and business programs attracted him, despite it being the farthest of the five from Bemidji.
Ultimately, Degelder decided the lengthier drive was outweighed by the positives. Plus, Wisconsin-Eau Claire is only an hour-and-a-half from the Twin Cities, where he has some family.
"If I was close, I'd probably be wasting gas money just to come home to see my family when I probably don't need to," Degelder said. "It's gonna be a different experience because I'll be living by myself, so it'll definitely be something I'll have to get used to."
Degelder was recruited as a cornerback after playing on both sides of the ball for the Lumberjacks. The jump from prep to college is a big one, so Degelder is hoping to hone in on self-improvement in his freshman season.
"The goals (are) just to get better, get faster, improve on where I'm at right when I get there," Degelder said. "It's going to be different, being on a diet program, living by myself, but the goal is definitely just to get better and faster and eventually make my way to the starting spot on the roster."
Luckily, he'll be entering a program that has the tools to get him there.
"It's a really big school," Degelder said. "There's a lot of money going into the school, so a lot of technology going into the diet and the weight program and all that stuff. So they got everyone on a strict schedule, so I definitely think that the coaches will push you to improve and get better and faster and weigh more if you need to."
Boucher had a junior day visit at St. Scholastica last year. He almost didn't go.
Boucher's parents were unable to make the trip, but he wound up taking in anyways with one of his best friends.
Boucher loved the campus and the coaches, so St. Scholastica quickly rose to the top of his short list of schools. Located in Duluth, the college also gave Boucher the opportunity to live in a city that's a bit bigger than Bemidji and "experience something different." He visited roughly five other schools, but St. Scholastica still stayed near the top.
Finally, in December, Boucher officially committed.
"The players and the vibe I got from the school, I really liked it," Boucher said. "I don't know, I think just when you know, you know kind of (thing)."
Boucher wasn't even sure he would be able to play at the collegiate level until his junior year. That's when he started to receive some recognition from coaches.
"I never really had it planned, but once the opportunity arrived, I decided it's something I should take advantage of," Boucher said.
Boucher was one of Bemidji's top running backs this season, shining behind the strong offensive line by providing a ground-and-pound, wrecking-ball style of rushing from the backfield.
"I mean, everything," Boucher said when asked what credit he gave coaches and teammates for his success. "Getting me the ball enough and playing in an offense that highlights my skills, it helps when you're putting up film for coaches to watch. All credit to them."
One could say that Concordia College runs in Jack Caron's blood.
Caron's father coached at Concordia. His grandpa coached there for 15 years.
So when Caron realized he could play at the next level — he had always wanted to, but in his words, he "didn't think he could" when he started — it just made sense.
"My dad went there," Caron said. "I love the school, I love the coaches."
Football isn't the only draw for Caron, though. Academically, Caron is planning on going into pre-law or pre-med.
Caron gave credit to his coaching staff and his teammates as well, saying they were "everything" in his development and helping him get into the position to play at the next level.
Continue reading...
Dawson Degelder, Ephram Boucher and Jack Caron, all members of the Bemidji High School football team, made their commitments to their respective colleges on Wednesday afternoon, continuing their careers into the next level of play.
Boucher and Caron will stay in Minnesota, while Degelder is heading over to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to compete.
Degelder wasn't sure he wanted to play college ball for the first few years of his prep career.
The idea was percolating during his junior year. But after his senior season, he realized he wanted to stick around the game.
"After my senior year, just having all the fun with the boys that I grew up with, playing football with, the family we created and the fun of winning games, and every practice was fun, too," Degelder said. "I just wanted more of that."
Degelder visited five different schools to find the right fit. Wisconsin-Eau Claire's reasonable price and business programs attracted him, despite it being the farthest of the five from Bemidji.
Ultimately, Degelder decided the lengthier drive was outweighed by the positives. Plus, Wisconsin-Eau Claire is only an hour-and-a-half from the Twin Cities, where he has some family.
"If I was close, I'd probably be wasting gas money just to come home to see my family when I probably don't need to," Degelder said. "It's gonna be a different experience because I'll be living by myself, so it'll definitely be something I'll have to get used to."
Degelder was recruited as a cornerback after playing on both sides of the ball for the Lumberjacks. The jump from prep to college is a big one, so Degelder is hoping to hone in on self-improvement in his freshman season.
"The goals (are) just to get better, get faster, improve on where I'm at right when I get there," Degelder said. "It's going to be different, being on a diet program, living by myself, but the goal is definitely just to get better and faster and eventually make my way to the starting spot on the roster."
Luckily, he'll be entering a program that has the tools to get him there.
"It's a really big school," Degelder said. "There's a lot of money going into the school, so a lot of technology going into the diet and the weight program and all that stuff. So they got everyone on a strict schedule, so I definitely think that the coaches will push you to improve and get better and faster and weigh more if you need to."
Boucher had a junior day visit at St. Scholastica last year. He almost didn't go.
Boucher's parents were unable to make the trip, but he wound up taking in anyways with one of his best friends.
Boucher loved the campus and the coaches, so St. Scholastica quickly rose to the top of his short list of schools. Located in Duluth, the college also gave Boucher the opportunity to live in a city that's a bit bigger than Bemidji and "experience something different." He visited roughly five other schools, but St. Scholastica still stayed near the top.
Finally, in December, Boucher officially committed.
"The players and the vibe I got from the school, I really liked it," Boucher said. "I don't know, I think just when you know, you know kind of (thing)."
Boucher wasn't even sure he would be able to play at the collegiate level until his junior year. That's when he started to receive some recognition from coaches.
"I never really had it planned, but once the opportunity arrived, I decided it's something I should take advantage of," Boucher said.
Boucher was one of Bemidji's top running backs this season, shining behind the strong offensive line by providing a ground-and-pound, wrecking-ball style of rushing from the backfield.
"I mean, everything," Boucher said when asked what credit he gave coaches and teammates for his success. "Getting me the ball enough and playing in an offense that highlights my skills, it helps when you're putting up film for coaches to watch. All credit to them."
One could say that Concordia College runs in Jack Caron's blood.
Caron's father coached at Concordia. His grandpa coached there for 15 years.
So when Caron realized he could play at the next level — he had always wanted to, but in his words, he "didn't think he could" when he started — it just made sense.
"My dad went there," Caron said. "I love the school, I love the coaches."
Football isn't the only draw for Caron, though. Academically, Caron is planning on going into pre-law or pre-med.
Caron gave credit to his coaching staff and his teammates as well, saying they were "everything" in his development and helping him get into the position to play at the next level.
Continue reading...
