Kragness will continue football career at SMSU

COLFAX — Colfax senior Ben Kragness won’t be ending his football career as a Viking after signing a National Letter of Intent to play for the Division II Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs in Marshall, MN next fall.

Kragness drew attention from  SMSU the summer after his sophomore year when the Colfax coaching staff got his name out along with stats and videos to them and a few other schools. Several other colleges were interested in the 6’ 2”, 260-pound offensive and defensive lineman.

“I had some interest from bigger schools in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota  but I liked the smaller size of SMSU,” Kragness said. “I liked the coaching staff, the players and their academic programs so I think this will be a good place for me to go,” he added.

Colfax head coach Mark Maloney agreed the school would be a good fit for Kragness.

“Right now they are looking at him to play in the offensive line,” he said. “But when thy muscle him up from their weight program, he could be used on defense instead. Playing on one side of the ball will really make a difference for Ben, allowing him to concentrate on one position. SMSU has a new athletic complex and their program is really picking up the last few years. Ben has a strong work ethic and he should help the team improve over the course of his career there.”