Football season has begun. It is our favorite time of the year. Fall leaves, warm chili, family and friends, and football season. Nothing gets better than that! We are especially excited this year as it is Nate's final season playing Bearcat football. He is such a great teammate, leader, and captain of his team. Here is an article that highlights Nate as senior, captain, and #21 :)
Bearcat
Football 2012
Safety Nate DeJong enters
his final season at safety at Northwest Missouri State as a changed man.
Well, his core principles
are still intact. His work ethic is unquestioned, and DeJong is willing to help
the younger players get better.
“He is great with the young
guys, and that is something I really try to get across to our older guys,”
Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said. “I always see him coaching the young guys up.
That’s something I really appreciate from him.”
As Dorrel said these words
after practice early Tuesday afternoon, he looked at DeJong and his growing
beard and his leaner body and talked about the change that only a married can
understand.
“He got married,” Dorrel
said. “That was the big thing for him this summer.”
On May 26, in their hometown
of Rock Rapids, Iowa, Nate DeJong married his high school sweetheart, Sabrina.
Sabrina, who graduated last
spring from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, might be one reason DeJong
has shed a few pounds while adding muscle mass.
“It is nice coming home to a
nice, cooked meal after practice instead of making my instant whatever for the
night,” DeJong said.
The trait that quickly comes
across when talking to DeJong is his willingness to give others credit.
A year ago DeJong finally
got his chance of extended playing time after spending three seasons in the
program. He started 12 games, recorded 32 tackles, recovered three fumbles,
including one that led to his first collegiate touchdown.
Obviously, DeJong put the
things he learned the previous three seasons to use and took advantage of his
opportunity.
While DeJong mentioned the
part about making good use of the opportunity, he gave credit to secondary
coach Ken Gordon for the success he enjoyed a year ago.
“Last year I got my turn. I
like to thank Coach Gordon a lot for the things he did,” DeJong said. “The way
he coaches definitely benefitted me. I like to give a lot of credit to him.”
And to Dorrel’s eyes, DeJong
is in better shape than he was a year ago. DeJong admits he is in the best
shape he has been in since joining Northwest in 2008.
DeJong, though, didn’t talk
about all the running and weight lifting he did this summer.
Instead, DeJong praised the
work of Joe Quinlin, Northwest’s strength and conditioning coach.
“I think Joe did a great job
with us this summer,” DeJong said. “Of all my years of being here, this is the
best shape I’ve been in going into the season. I feel good. I am trying to get
some speed. That is the leaning up part.”
This senior class is no
different from any other at Northwest. They want to go out with a national
championship.
A year ago, the Bearcats had
a fine season by most Division II football programs’ standards. Northwest
finished 11-3 overall and advanced to the quarterfinals in the Division II playoffs.
But two of those losses came
against rival Pittsburg State and the last one was the most painful. The
Bearcats fell to the Gorillas in the quarterfinals. Pittsburg State went on to
win the Division II crown.
“If you need any more
incentive than that then I don’t know what else can drive you,” DeJong said.
“We strive to be on top every year. Seeing your most hated rival win it like
that, it pretty much lights a fire. If it doesn’t light a fire you shouldn’t be
a Northwest Bearcat.”
The thing that has made
Northwest so successful year after year is its ability to focus on the
immediate task at hand.
Presently, the Bearcats are
getting prepared for a long season and slowly implementing the game plan for
the home opener against East Central Oklahoma at 7 p.m., Aug. 30 at Bearcat
Stadium. East Central is a non-conference opponent.
Northwest will play three of
the four new teams joining the conference this season so the schedule is
different from previous years.
“I’m excited about it,”
DeJong said. “There will be some new offenses for us to see and some new
defenses for our offense to face. Let’s see what they bring. I really don’t
know much about them.”
DeJong does know about the
Northwest defense. He is like a lot of his teammates who started on defense for
the first time a year ago. They gained valuable experience while winning.
“I expect a lot. I’d say the
sky is the limit for our D,” DeJong said. “We added a lot of new guys last year
and a lot of those guys are back. I expect us to be the backbone of the team.”
DeJong is definitely one of
the defensive players the coaching staff is counting on.
“He had a great season last
year,” Dorrel said. “He does a great job of being really physical. He tackles
in space and plays the run. He does a good job of not getting beat deep.
“He’s a great leader. He’s a
team captain. He’s a great student-athlete.”
And he’s happily married to
his high school sweetheart. DeJong has put himself in position to have his most
enjoyable season at Northwest.
(Don't ask me about the beard)
So proud!!!!
Sabrina
