Ethan’s Endres running wild
DWU RB leads GPAC in scoring for a school that was ‘toward the bottom of my list’Dakota Wesleyan University football coach Brad Pole didn’t have a good feeling after his first recruiting meeting with running back Josh Endres in 2008.
By: Chris Aarhus, The Daily Republic
- Josh Endres
Dakota Wesleyan University football coach Brad Pole didn’t have a good feeling after his first recruiting meeting with running back Josh Endres in 2008.
Endres was a senior at the time, coming off an all-state season in which he helped guide Emery/Ethan to a state championship. However, when Pole went to visit him, the two had a quiet meeting in which Endres didn’t say much.
“I don’t know what he’s interested in, but I don’t think it’s us,” Pole remembered. “I got a sense like, this guy isn’t interested at all. I wasn’t even sure if he was going to go on and play.”
In some aspects, Pole may have been right.
“I’d say right away, (DWU) was toward the bottom of my list,” Endres said. “I didn’t think too much about it.”
But colleges came and went without a commitment from Endres and at a late stage in the process, Pole remembered the power back from Ethan.
“We let him lie; let things filter out,” Pole said. “I talked to his coach. … We got him in for a visit, and he decided to come.”
Endres said, in the end, it came down to his potential teammates. DWU’s roster is filled with area athletes, many of which Endres competed against in high school.
“I knew a lot of guys from around the area that I played against,” Endres said. “When it got down to it, I liked what they had here.”
The Tigers’ patience has paid huge dividends.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound sophomore leads the Great Plains Athletic Conference in scoring with 10 touchdowns and has 452 rushing yards, good for fourth in the conference. Endres and the Tigers host Hastings College (Neb.) at 1 p.m. today at Joe Quintal Field.
“We knew when he got here, he had a lot of skills,” Pole said. “He’s not the most impressive guy when you look at him, but he’s very dangerous on the football field. He can punish you, but he can make you miss at the last minute and get that extra yard.”
Endres shares regular time with Raymond Blossom, an all-conference selection the past two seasons. The two have been instrumental in the Tigers’ ground game, which is third best in the GPAC at 185.4 yards per game. Blossom has seven rushing TDs and is fifth in the conference in yards per game with 72.4.
“We just kind of build off each other,” Endres said. “We have two different running styles. It really helps each other.”
It’s a two-headed monster that Hastings College has to deal with, and Endres has been hard to stop as of late, rushing for at least 100 yards and two TDs in each of his last two contests.
Nonetheless, Pole said he expects to see a Hastings team bent on stopping the run.
“They’re going to be a tough team to deal with,” Pole said. “They’re very good defensively. They have big kids that run well and they have a good secondary.”
The Tigers are looking to get back on track after dropping their last two games, despite having fourth-quarter leads in both. A 3-0 start created quite a buzz, but now the Tigers are in danger of falling to .500.
“We just have to execute and lay off the penalties,” Endres said.
DWU is the most penalized team per game in the nation, averaging 122 yards. Pole said the coaches have taken issue with it in practice and are looking to see significant improvement.
“You take two penalties away from us and we’re 5-0,” said Pole, whose team was penalized late in the fourth quarter of both losses. “Those are some things that have been severely addressed this week. We’ll see how we respond.”
Hastings (3-3) is led by senior quarterback Troy Huebert, who is sixth in the GPAC in total offense and passing yards per game. He’s thrown eight touchdowns this season, but also has 10 interceptions to his name.
Huebert’s No. 1 target has been receiver Justin Anderson, a senior with 33 catches for 385 yards. Pole said stopping Anderson is a big key to his defense’s game plan.
“He might be the best wideout we’ve faced all year in terms of a guy that can just really get down the field on you,” Pole said. “He runs by everybody. He creates some issues.”
The Tigers are optimistic they’ll have the services of safety Derek Washington, who missed last week’s game with an injured shoulder. Pole said Washington would play, though whether he starts will be a game-time decision. He was listed as a backup safety on the team’s depth chart, released Thursday.
When/Where: 1 p.m. today at Joe Quintal Field.
Last Meeting: HC won 36-14 in Hastings, Neb.
All-time Series: HC leads 15-1.
Coaches: HC’s Paul Mierkiewicz, 10th season; DWU’s Brad Pole, sixth season.
Forecast: Partly cloudy and 58 degrees with 14 mph winds from the north northwest.
Game Notes: HC defensive coordinator Tony Harper is a former DWU coach. … DWU’s only win in the series came in 2007 when the Tigers won 34-31 on the road thanks to a late field goal. … Punter Nick Tolsma is No. 2 in the nation and leads the conference in punting average at 44.7. … Russell McGuire is third in the nation with an average of 17.7 yards per return. … Kicker Leif Evers drilled two field goals and two extra points in last week’s loss. … The Tigers have yet to allow a point in the fourth quarter. However, they’ve given up almost half of their points in the fourth quarter. … Receiver Anthony Muilenberg caught eight passes for 84 yards last week.
Projected starters
Offense
Position: name, year, height, weight
QB: Jon Bane, fr., 6-4, 200
HB: Raymond Blossom, sr., 5-9, 185
H: Anthony Muilenberg, so., 6-2, 195
SE: Justin Sydney, sr., 5-10, 185
FL: Russell McGuire, jr., 5-10, 175
TE: Steve Bloch, sr., 6-4, 245
LT: Nathan Little, so., 6-3, 195
LG: Mario Palencia, jr., 6-2, 270
C: Eric Witte, so., 6-0, 260
RG: James Hansen, sr., 6-2, 265
RT: Kevin Calsbeek, so., 6-4, 280
Defense
DE: Aaron Rolen, so., 6-3, 250
NT: Brit Jones, so., 6-0, 250
DE: Zach Reker, so., 6-3, 240
LB: Dane Carlson, sr., 6-2, 250
LB: Mike Barnaud, so., 5-11, 230
LB: Jim Williams, sr., 6-2, 215
LB: Lucas Sieve, sr., 6-1, 220
CB: Jesse Holz, jr., 6-0, 180
CB: Jordan Gau, sr., 6-0, 190
S: Tom Jarding, jr., 5-11, 190
S: Marcus Watson, so., 6-1, 200
Special Teams
K: Leif Evers, sr., 6-3, 200
P: Nick Tolsma, sr., 6-2, 220
Tags: college football, sports, ethan, emery, tigers
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