Recruiting Report: Nicholas Peterson (Benilde-St.Margaret’s 2020)
Nicholas Peterson (6’3, 200 lbs.) is a 2020 graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret’s who just completed his senior season playing QB for the Red Knights. Although their season ended prematurely in the section 5AAAA finals vs. SMB in an epic 36-30 loss on their home-turf against…
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Continue ReadingNicholas Peterson (6’3, 200 lbs.) is a 2020 graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret’s who just completed his senior season playing QB for the Red Knights. Although their season ended prematurely in the section 5AAAA finals vs. SMB in an epic 36-30 loss on their home-turf against the 4A defending state champions, Peterson displayed a strong arm with good accuracy and kept BSM in the game with both his arm and his leadership. This has been a theme all season as well, as the duel-sport athlete who plays in the AAU circuit with the MN Comets in the winter led the Red Knights to a 9-1 season while throwing for 1200-yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019. Looking to play football in college has been a dream of Peterson’s for a long time now, and I was fortunate enough to get an interview with the senior a week ago regarding his collegiate future as well as some other topics about the Brooklyn Park native. Peterson’s recruitment is still ongoing, so make sure to remember this article when the QB commits somewhere later this year. Nick Peterson first five games: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8202404/5d9a8d93ff0cac0cf4e1689f
NFN: Hello, Nick and thank you for your time. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your football journey up until now.
Peterson: “My name is Nick Peterson and I grew up in Brooklyn Park. I still love there and commute to Benilde everyday. I started playing football in 2nd grade through BPAA football program. Every year starting in 4th grade we would put together an “all-star team” made up of other kids from different teams and leagues after the season. I have had the fortune to play with numerous kids over the years and played games in multiple states such as our 8th grade year when we played in a national tournament in Las Vegas. I am in contact with many of them still. I am also a top-100 rated NorthstarHoops basketball player (currently ranked 78th). I am not just an athlete and have a 3.75 GPA and am a member of the National Honor Society at Benilde. I love the comradery of football and how it is the ultimate team game. You need all 11 players on the same page and if one guy isn’t doing their job it affects the entire group. I love anything competitive and football allows me to act out in that fashion. I run a 4.9 40 and bench 220 and squat 345. This year I completed 76 passes on 125 attempts for a 60.8% completion rate with 1,228 yards and 14 TDs compared to only three picks. In 2018 I threw for 924 yards with 11 TDs as well. My sophomore year I also started at CB for six games and had three interceptions and 8 PBUs.”
NFN: Good stuff. Tell us a little bit about BSM’s 2018 season and some highlights and lowlights from that. What did you guys learn from it and how was your season personally as well?
Peterson: “2018 was going to be a rebounding year with the loss of 23 seniors and a successful run. The cupboards were bare and we had a lot of gigs stepping into roles with limited experience. Joe Marinaro was a junior captain who was set to start on both sides of the ball but was unable to play due to a broken back which allowed Isiah Smith to step in at RB and was able to rush for nearly 1,000 yards. In addition the schedule was very difficult. BSM played two top-1p 5A schools-Chanhassen and Waconia-and two top-10 4A schools in Orono and Holy Angels. Going into sections we were the #6 sed and there were three teams in the top-5 in 4A in our section alone. We drew Holy Angels who had beat us earlier in the season on their field and no one gave us a chance. We upset them 17-10 and then had the opportunity to play undefeated Providence.
Peterson at an SDSU gameday visit.We also beat them on a defensive stop in overtime. The section championship put us against SMB and it was a back and forth game but we lost 16-14 with the difference being an errant snap of a punt causing a safety. SMB went on to beat all other competitors handily on their way to a state championship and that ate at us all year as that could have been us. Personally I statistically struggled more than I would have liked-as a team we really had issues with dropped balls which was a combination of timing and many young players. Our dependence always was focused on the running game and that carried forward to 2019. I grew up a ton that year and was really challenging myself to be a leader heading into 2019. Stats are great but the desire to win has always been the most important goal I have had.”
NFN: How did that translate then to 2019? What were your guys expectations coming into the season?
Peterson: “After falling just short last year we had a mission of getting back to state and having success once we got there. The guys were working their tails off al winter and summer in the weight room. This year’s group was really close- we didn’t have any egos and once someone to get a little full of themselves the senior leadership would get them grounded again. When you come to BSM the focus ever since the 2016 state run has been around a running game- a physical pounding with a relentless defense. Coach Hanks embodies that hard work and physical nature in the way he talks and challenges us. Many of the members of the team definitely enjoyed that and grabbed on to that theme. We are not a flashy team and there are times I wish we would have opened up the offense with all the talent we had but it is hard to argue with the success. The school has tremendous support for the football team. And the football players love to support soccer and the women’s sports. Being a smaller school we have the benefit of knowing mostly everyone and cheering on our friends and classmates. I love the school and the high expectations both academically and athletically.”
NFN: Let’s hear about the 2019 Red Knight season in your own words.
Peterson: “We had great anticipation heading into the season. We had many seniors and returning starters, and decent depth in most areas except our line which proved helpful as Isiah went down but we had people to step in. Joe Marinaro, George Wolfe, Malik Roberston, and sophomore Camden Royal all had great seasons. We started a little slower than expected with tight games against Orono and Chanhassen which is when I broke my wrist and was really worried about my season being over. Thankfully it was on my non-throwing hand and I was able to get back out there after only missing one game. My first game back was against Holy Angels for homecoming and the offense took off with 540 yards rushing so I was able to ease back with limited contact and our backs carrying the load…What BSM does that many other 4A schools don’t is we play a grueling schedule. This year we played five 5A schools in our 8 game regular season. How many did SMB or Fridley play or for that matter the outstate teams during the year? When you play these bigger schools they have multiple kids playing one way and have the ability to sustain an injury. When Elijah got hurt he wasn’t just an offensive guard he was the leading tackler on defense too. And we have lots of kids like that. Interestingly I would say my best games came at sections. Good teams had scouted us all year and saw we were a run heavy first, pass second team. So when they would line up 8 guys in the box I would read it and exploit them. After a while they backed off and had to honor our balance. I completed over 60% of my passes and averaged 240 yards per game against arguably our two toughest opponents. If I felt I had to do that during the season I may have thrown for many more yards but we took what the defense gave us. One of my highlights was watching Joe Marinaro play.
Peterson at Bemidji St. vist.Nobody has worked as hard as he has to get out on the field. His sophomore year he broke his leg at the Duluth team camp and was out most of the year. Junior year he broke his back and took the year off. To finally see him out there with the two years of pent up work just destroying people on both sides of the ball was great. Having never dealt with an injury and then getting hurt my senior year was tough to overcome as well. The SMB game was on the calendar from day one. We knew how good they were and wanted another shot at redemption. To lose by two points the year before with so many questionable calls really bothered us. The game was a battle of momentum. SMB had it early and we had no answer for their talented wide receivers. Offensively we were too conservative and tried to force the running game which they bottled up. As we opened up the offense the defense seemed to bring the energy too. Again not to blame the officials but we had 2 TD’s overturned and one was a 90-yard run at the end of the game. On their final drive they called a helmet to helmet penalty and that gives them 15 more years. They are an amazingly talented team but it was a tough way to go out.”
NFN: What can you tell us about the recruiting process, who you’re interested in and have been in contact with, and what you can bring to a college program?
Peterson: “I went to a ton of camps the last 3 years and I love learned and connecting with the coaches and getting a first-hand look at the schools. I have been realistic about my college expectations. So many times the kids that are getting the calls early are the 6’6, 280 lb. kid or the ones that run a 4.4 40-yard dash. I am not a combine player and if you add in the fact that our team is a run first program, statistically my numbers don’t jump off the page. I need a school that can see me as the leader, a fundamentally sound player, reliable, and a player who can come into a game and make the plays and read to win. Someone that looks a little deeper than the stat line that can see my abilities and I think I have proven that if the team needs me to make the throws I can, but at my core I want to win and have success. I also want to go to a good academic school. My education is plan A period. I have spoken to many of the D2 schools and some of the better D3 one. Took a couple visits to SDSU. I love the city of Sioux Falls, Duluth, and the St. Cloud area. I am also interested in seeing where the basketball recruiting could take me. i am looking to make a decision sooner rather than later and hope to find a good fit so I can start focusing on what’s next.”