Colfax football team says goodbye to nine seniors

COLFAX -— Nine seniors played their final football game for the Colfax Vikings in October including some with several years of varsity experience and some with just one year. Although the season didn’t work out as planned as the Vikings finished with an 0-9 record due to injuries to key players and other team problems, this group of seniors held their heads up and played hard until the end of each game.

Jarrod Rudi

Quarterback Jarrod Rudi threw his first two touchdown passes late in the season of his freshman year and took over the starting spot as a sophomore where he threw for 905 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and a pair of two point conversions. He was named the Second Team All Conference punter after averaging 32.6 yards per kick with seven of his 29 punts landing inside the 20 yard line. Colfax finished 5-4 that season and 3-3 in conference play which put them in the playoffs where they lost to Edgar in the first round. They would not have made the playoffs however, without some late heroics by Rudi in the Spring Valley game held at the UW-Stout stadium where he completed a pair of fourth quarter passes, the second one resulting in the winning score with just seconds left in the game. In his junior year, Rudi added defensive back and place kicking to his repertoire, meaning he seldom left the field. The team improved to 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in conference, sending them to their second straight trip to the playoffs, where they again bowed out in the Level I game against Chequamegon. Again Rudi made a huge play, this time on the defensive side as he helped stop a Spring Valley ball carrier on a two point conversion which would have given the Cardinals a win on the Viking’s home field late in the season. In nine games (the Ellsworth game was cancelled due to frequent lightning), Rudi completed 49.5% of his passes for 820 yards and passed for seven touchdowns and ran for 265 yards and three scores. Oh, and he booted 26 of 35 extra points.

On defense, he led the team in interceptions with four and made 18 tackles and assisted on 13. After upping his punting average to 41.2 yards per punt, Rudi was selected as the First Team All Conference punter and Second team placekicker.

As mentioned before, several factors resulted in many players, including offensive lineman having to play in unfamiliar positions which did not bode well for the spread offense the Colfax coaching staff wanted to implement this year. Despite leading the conference in a stat no one likes to claim, that being getting sacked the most, Rudi also managed to lead the conference in pass completion percentage at 58%, in passing yards with 1,080 and in touchdown passes with 11. Those scoring passes went to various receivers, including to himself when he snagged a batted pass and ran for 64 yards against Grantsburg. He was second on the team in tackles with 34 with four of them for loss of yardage, and had 11 assists with one interception and a fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown against Durand. He led the conference in punting with a 43.1 average and was again named First Team punter, to go with Second Team quarterback, showing his versatility. His offensive totals include 2,831 passing yards with 30 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, 695 rushing yards and seven touchdowns and three two point conversion runs.

“Jarrod was one of the best all-around athletes in this area and had a great attitude whether we were winning or losing,” head coach Mark Maloney said.

Zach Meyer was a three year player on both sides of the ball for the Vikings and was expected to do some running as a fullback this season. But with injuries to those other players, Meyer stepped up and went back to the line to help protect Rudi, resulting in a Second Team All Conference selection for his efforts.

As a sophomore, Meyer was a tight end and caught two passes for 28 yards, and defensively collected 25 tackles with four going for lost yardage for second on the team, and assisted on 27 more tackles.

Playing linebacker, he finished second for the Vikings in tackles as a junior with 66 solo and assisted tackles and again was second in tackles for loss of yardage with four while sacking a quarterback once. He led the team and was third in the conference in tackles as a senior with 60 solo tackles and 15 assists.

“Zach was a quiet leader for us and played wherever we needed him without questioning it,” Maloney said.

Jacob Steinke

Jacob Steinke was one of the kids whose career ended with a broken ankle in the fourth game of the season. As a three year varsity player at wide receiver and defensive back, Steinke hit the weight room hard in the off-season and was looking forward to playing a big part in the new offense as a senior. He managed to catch nine passes for 87 yards before his injury, returning 13 kickoffs for 234 yards and an 18.0 average, and returned a punt for 25 yards. He also recorded nine tackles.

Getting playing time his sophomore year, Steinke caught five passes for 62 yards and one touchdown and as a junior was second on the team in receptions with 11 for 201 yards and two scores. From the defensive cornerback spot, he ended up with 15 tackles, 13 assisted tackles and a QB sack.

“Jacob was one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached,” Maloney said. “Who knows what would have happened with him and our team if he had stayed healthy.”

Jake Floodquist

Playing on the offensive line, defensive line and at linebacker, Jake Floodquist saw varsity time for three seasons with the Vikings. He was third on the team this year in tackles with 30 solo and 13 assisted tackles with two of them for loss of yardage. He forced a fumble and the sure-handed lineman took two short kickoff returns for eight yards. In his sophomore and junior seasons he came up with seven tackles and eight assists and blocked for 1,000 yard rusher Jeremiah Wait as a junior.

“Jake filled in nicely on the offensive line and at the linebacker spot when we needed it,” according to Maloney.

Ben Christianson

Ben Christianson filled in at just about every position in the offensive line in his three seasons at the varsity level and eventually moved into the defensive line as well. He accumulated eight assisted tackles and as a senior, brought down opposing ball carriers 22 times, twice behind the line of scrimmage, while forcing one fumble and recovering another.

“Ben was one of our returning letterwinners and continued to improve as the season went on,” Maloney said.

Stephan Snyder

Stephan Snyder saw a little playing time as a junior but came on strong as a senior lineman on offense and defense. This year he recorded 18 solo tackles (one for lost yardage) and 10 assists while forcing a fumble and recovering one in the Mondovi game. He ended the Vikings season against Durand with his one and only rushing attempt.

“Stephan did a nice job on the defensive line this year and was forced to fill in on offense due to injured players,” Maloney stated.

Ross Taylor

Also playing on the line for both sides of the ball, Ross Taylor played a little varsity as a junior but made his name this year with 30 tackles, placing him fifth on the team. He assisted on seven more but his biggest one was for a loss which resulted in a fumble that he recovered against Grantsburg. The turnover allowed Rudi to throw one of his touchdown passes just a few seconds later.

“Ross lacked varsity experience coming into the season but he learned fast,” Maloney said.

Tyler Dawnson and Andrew Yolitz

A pair of newcomers this year, wide receiver/linebacker Tyler Dawson and lineman Andrew Yolitz had to deal with injuries throughout the season. In eight games, Dawson came up with 13 tackles, while Yolitz, in just five games had 11 tackles with one for a loss of yardage.

“Tyler helped out tremendously on defense when he was healthy, and although Andrew’s inexperience showed, he continued to get better as the season went on,” Maloney added.

Maloney, who tendered his resignation at the October school board meeting, coached this group of kids from the start of their varsity days.

“I have some fantastic memories and had a lot of fun coaching for Colfax High School,” he said. “It is without a doubt hard for me to walk away from coaching after seven years here and 23 years total but I will keep in touch with the Colfax assistant coaches and will be over to watch future games. The future looks bright for Colfax football and with the professional staff who all have a passion for coaching, not just during the season but year round, the team will be in good hands. I appreciate the opportunity I had to coach here and I wish these kids the best of luck in the future,” he concluded.