Sunflower Slate

PHOTO FROM TEAMKONG.NET

Today, in Florence, Ala., Nate Dreiling took his place among the greatest players in NCAA Division II history.

Pitt State’s sophomore linebacker and the MIAA defensive player of the year had 15 tackles and blocked a punt in the Gorillas’ 35-21 win over Wayne State for their first NCAA D2 title since 1991. Chuck Broyles told me an interesting story about Dreiling’s recruitment for a story in today’s Eagle, and I’m not sure what else I can say about the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Hutchinson High product that hasn’t already been said. His ability to lead on and off the field is unparalleled.

So let’s talk about the future.

If you know anything about Dreiling, this one title isn’t going to be enough. And with PSU’s best offensive player back in John Brown, a repeat or three-peat isn’t out of the question. Without a doubt, they’ll be the preseason No.1  next year.

Possible pitfalls? Living a normal life in Pittsburg or anywhere else in the state for that matter is going to be impossible for Dreiling & Co. for the rest of their time in Gorilla uniforms. On one side, you’ve got a crazy/rabid fanbase that is going to be dissecting their every move and the amount of love they’re about to be showered with … wow.

On the other side you’ve got expectations that will be almost impossible to live up to … not to mention every single football player in the MIAA right now is dreaming of when they get their shot at PSU next season.

I’m not placing any limit on what this group is capable of. When you’re picked to finish 5th in your conference and you win the national title, you’ve shown everyone that anything is possible.

Congrats to the Gorillas and all their fans — this is a day you’ll remember for the rest of your lives.

TA

PS. Thought this song was fitting

By TONY ADAME
The Wichita Eagle
PITTSBURG – Jasper Sanders stepped on the scale recently, and when the numbers started to light up past the 200-pound mark, pockets started to empty.
The Butler Community College sophomore running back, for some reason, couldn’t fathom his own success.
“I was sitting there watching him, laughing, basically telling him just to deal with it,” said Jasper’s father, Jeff. “That’s what a couple of years in the weight room will do to you. He kept telling me ‘it’s got to be 199,’ like there was no way he’d gotten that big.”
In two years with the Grizzlies, Sanders has blown up in more ways than one. Headed into Saturday’s Citizens Bank Bowl matchup against No. 10 Trinity Valley, Sanders had rushed for a team-leading 894 yards and 13 touchdowns.
A full qualifier out of Kansas City Piper, where he played quarterback, Sanders transformed himself in two years into what he thought he could be – a Division I running back. Several MIAA schools wanted Sanders out of high school, but when Division I offers didn’t come he decided to go to Butler, where his father won a national title as a defensive back in 1980 before playing for Northern Illinois and in the Canadian Football League.
“I wanted to give myself a shot at my dream,” Sanders said. “And Butler has turned me into a man.”
At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Sanders clocked a 4.37-second 40-yard dash during preseason testing. He’s got offers from South Dakota and Tennessee-Martin on the table already, but more could be coming – it’s just the nature of the beast in junior colleges. In a lot of cases, a player won’t know his college destination until the weeks before the semester starts.
“It’s a lot of uncertainty, which is hard to deal with,” Sanders said. “I’m trying to be patient and also enjoy the success we’ve had … I’ve won 22 games at Butler and we’re going for another one, which I think is pretty impressive.”
The winning has been impressive – Butler went 11-1 last year and lost in the national title game. The Grizzlies won Jayhawk Conference and Region VI titles this season and are 10-1 and ranked No. 3 headed into the Citizens Bank Bowl.
What’s probably more impressive has been Sanders’ ability to become the featured runner in a backfield with two other potential Division I running backs in freshmen Derrick Thomas (745 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Dreamius Smith (653 yards, 9 touchdowns). Last month, Sanders was named All-Jayhawk Conference.
“Jasper has always worked extremely hard,” Butler coach Troy Morrell said. “He’s kind of shy, and it’s been neat to see him kind of grow up around us the last two years.”

Sanders has come into his own in more ways than one – his twitter account — @Jasper_Sanders – is a favorite among Jayhawk fans. He’s constantly updating about his music tastes – rapper Drake in particular – practice sessions, upcoming opponents and college life in general.
“I guess that’s kind of part of me coming out of my shell,” Sanders said. “It’s all in fun. I’m a pretty positive person and I just want to make life fun and have a good time at what I do. I’ve made a lot of good friends at Butler and, like I said, I’ve grown up. But now I’m ready for the next step.

I’LL RUN REGION VI PREVIEWS MANANA. UNTIL THEN, ENJOY.

MIAA

No. 9 Washburn (8-1 overall, 6-1 MIAA) at No. 2 Pittsburg State (8-0, 7-0), 2 p.m. — The Gorillas can clinch a share of the MIAA title with a victory today over Washburn, which has won the last two games in this series but hasn’t won three straight since taking four in a row from 1946-1949. The Ichabods, led by former Gorillas’ assistant Craig Schurig, have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in 6-foot-3, 227-pound senior Dane Simoneau, who has throw for 2,822 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Pittsburg State linebacker Nate Dreiling is fourth in the MIAA in tackles (70) and interceptions (3). Also good? I’ll be there. My pick: Pitt State

Other games

Emporia State (4-5) at Southwest Baptist (6-3), 1 p.m. — Southwest Baptist is having a nice season before it turns into MIAA mincemeat next year. So what’s that make the Hornets? My pick: Emporia State

Missouri Southern (3-5, 2-5) at Fort Hays State (3-6, 2-5), 2 p.m. –  Tigers will be a lot better in year 2 under Chris Brown. The school’s enrollment is going through the roof and it’s a pretty fun place to go. That can’t hurt recruiting. My pick: FHSU

KCAC

No. 13 Ottawa (7-2 overall, 7-0 KCAC) at Friends (4-4, 4-3), 1:30 p.m. — Wichita Southeast product and Ottawa All-American Clarence Anderson has been unstoppable the last two years against his hometown team. In 2009 and 2010 — both Braves’ victories — the 5-9, 170-pound wide receiver/kick returner has racked up 489 yards of offense and seven touchdowns. Anderson currently leads the NAIA with 1,464 all-purpose yards and younger brother Donald, a defensive back for Ottawa, leads the nation with 2.8 pass break-ups per game. Braves can clinch the KCAC title outright and a spot in the NAIA playoffs with a win today.

Other games

Kansas Wesleyan (4-5, 4-3) at McPherson (3-6, 3-4), 1:30 p.m. — Who is a bigger disappointment? I’d have to go with Kansas Wesleyan. Never bought the hype on McPherson going into this year because they’d lost so much from 2010 on both sides of the ball. My pick: McPherson

Southwestern (3-6, 2-5) at Tabor (2-6, 1-6), 1:30 p.m. — Tabor should have been better this year. Sequels are usually never as good as the original. My pick: Southwestern

Bethany (7-2, 5-2) at Sterling (4-5, 4-3), 1:30 p.m. — Warriors have gone in the tank toward the end of the season. Swedes are still playing for a possible NAIA playoff spot. My pick: Bethany

Bethel (1-8, 1-6) at Saint Mary (4-5, 4-3), 1:30 p.m. — What’s going on with Bethel? Can they ever be good again? Good season for Lance Hinson and Saint Mary. My pick: Saint Mary

I was in Hutchinson Saturday night for No. 4 Butler’s 28-10 win over No. 8 Hutchinson – No. 1 Blinn barely won, and No. 2 East Mississippi and No. 3 Arizona Western both won in blowouts, so it looks like the Grizzlies will stay put in the NJCAA polls.

Here’s some observations from what I saw:  

Not being able to throw downfield killed the Blue Dragons. Hutchinson QB Elliott Alford showed up Saturday morning with an injury to his right, throwing shoulder that was a surprise to his coaches and ended up a game-time decision after they mummified the shoulder. It was easy to tell Alford wasn’t right by his throwing motion … and the fact that he could do much more than float the ball past 20 yards downfield. Imagine if he’d been able to chuck it up to Cordarrelle Patterson — who Butler had no answer for — all night? Patterson had 76 yards receiving on 7 catches – mostly bubble screens and quick dumps — and his longest catch of the night was 40 yards, which came on a jump ball. Pro tip: Don’t show up the day of your team’s biggest game of the season with a mysterious injury. EA ended up turning the ball over, twice, close to Grizzlies’ goal line and cost his team any shot at winning. Also … how’d he hurt his shoulder?

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I’m headed to Hutch later this afternoon for the big game … will live blog from there. Until then…

JAYHAWK

No. 4 Butler (7-1, 5-0) at No. 8 Hutchinson (6-1, 4-0), 7 p.m. – Here’s my article that ran today in the Eagle. Blue Dragons are a changed team since that day in Colorado Springs … will be fun to watch. My pick: Butler

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