Recruiting Report: Zach Schroeder (2019)

As <strong>Zach Schroeder</strong> went last season, so did the Paynesville offense. The versatile junior averaged more than 150 combined yards rushing and receiving, along with two touchdowns per game in the Bulldogs victories. In their losses, Schroeder averaged less than 90 yards combined and found the end zone just once -- a score late in the state semifinal loss to Caledonia. Schroeder, <a href="https://www.northstarfootballnews.com/minnesota/rankings/prospect-rankings/2019-rankings/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #800000;"><strong>who’s ranked No. 113 in NFN’s Class of 2019</strong></span>,</a> said the seeds of his breakout season were planted well before his team’s first game. “I was in the weight room 4-5 times per week and doing drills on the field the other days,” Schroeder said via email. “My teammates and I also worked hard in practice. Everyone was constantly pushing me and everyone else to get better every day.” Bulldogs coach <strong>Max Meagher</strong> said Schroeder played a big role in the locker room too and credited the team’s closeness as something that helped propel the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record and their first state tournament berth since 2011. “We had great team chemistry on our team last year which was a result of an entire team of players that were focused on doing their job and making their teammates better,” Meagher said via email. Schroeder was also Paynesville’s top tackler last fall. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder notched 90 tackles from his safety position, with two interceptions. “He is a fearless hitter,” Meagher said. “He provides great speed on the back end of our defense.” Schroeder earned All-District honors and was named the Mid-State Subdistrict 1 Receiver of the Year in 2017. His recruiting interest after the breakout season has been mostly Division II and III schools around the upper Midwest. “Colleges would be getting a competitor that will out work his opponents and is driven to be the best,” Meagher said. “He will over perform at the collegiate level. His raw athleticism and explosiveness are off the charts.” Schroeder does not currently hold any scholarship offers, something he hopes to change attending individual prospect camps at both North Dakota State and the University of Minnesota this summer. “Minnesota State-Moorhead has been recruiting me the most,” Schroeder said. “I attended their junior day and am planning on attending one at Bemidji State.” Schroeder’s other hobbies include a host of outdoor activities, including hunting and fishing, a variety of water sports and snowmobiling. He also competes in baseball and trap shooting at Paynesville and sings in two choirs. His eclectic interests are part of the reason he said he’s not entirely sure what he wants out of his entire college experience as he enters his senior year. “I do like the smallish class sizes and not a huge campus,” Schroeder said. “I am thinking about going into aviation for a major, because I got to fly a plane when I was in Boy Scouts and I really loved it.” <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/6820583/5a4ab90b02b2aa29242435e2" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>