Hard Hittin’ Recruiting Report: Danny Sandall (Wayzata-2021)

Being part of and contributing to a big school state football championship - regardless of state - warrants a certain notch in one’s pedigree of football skill. Almost like a Boy Scout’s litany of pins who can earn dependent on skill, helping a football team win the state championship in its state’s biggest classification earns a prep football player a level of prowess that is both as rare as it is coveted for college football coaches and recruiters. This Northstar Football News “Recruiting Report” featured athlete holds this accomplishment, and would no doubt also have the allegorical “Hard-Hitting” pin if the Wayzata Trojan football team also functioned as a Boy Scout unit. Meet Danny Sandall, Wayzata’s 5’7, 165 lb. FS/SS is a little wrecking ball of a defensive back who is going to be relied upon heavily next fall as the Trojans look to repeat as 6A state champions. Judging from his speed out of his breaks, tackling and pursuit ability, and knack for finding the football, Sandall is going to be a fun one to watch next season and would be a tone-setter from the defensive backfield for a college football program. The rising senior was kind enough to give Northstar Football News some of his time to discuss the 2019 championship run, stepping in as a leader next fall, his hopes for recruiting, and more. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2DDAig">Junior Year</a> [caption id="attachment_18012" align="alignnone" width="300"] #30 with the stick. [/caption] NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Danny! Please begin by telling our readers a little bit about yourself, what you love about football, and your measurables. Sandall: “I am from Plymouth, Minnesota and I started playing football in 4th grade. Some fun facts about me are I love to cliff jump. Some things I love about playing football are the bond you make with your teammates and coaches and you get to embark on a journey with your second family and compete and have fun. I am 5’7 and I weigh 155, and my 40=4.75.” NFN: It was an incredible year for you and the Wayzata Trojans. Please tell us what it means for you to be a Trojan, and what your career has been like at Wayzata. Sandall: What it means to be a Trojan is being a competitor and willing to commit and sacrifice for the team and going 1-0 at everything. My career at Wayzata has been amazing throughout my 4 years I have learned so much from my coaches and peers and especially this past season learning from the best and knowing what a championship team looks like.” NFN: Walk us through some of differences the program has seen since you were a freshman to now rising senior. What difference can you credit with having the biggest impact on the Trojans success this year? Sandall: “Some differences the program has seen has definitely been the leadership by everyone, all the players know what great leaders look like and how they lead now which is really good. Having the motto 1-0 has changed because we didn’t have that before and our coaches really put emphasis on that and all players know what it takes to go 1-0.” NFN: How was the 2018 season for you as well as Wayzata? What were some big games, low moments, and how did you build off 2018 to succeed in 2019? Sandall: “The 2018 season was really good for me because I grew a lot and learned a ton from my Teammates and coaches, a big game in that season was the game vs centennial because not a lot of people expected us to win and I got watch my brother play his senior year and I look up to him and seeing that made me want to go harder and push my teammates. I built off 2018 because we had a heartbreaking loss early and I was motivated to not let that happen again the next year and worked hard in the weight room and on the field.” NFN: How was are offseasons at Wayzata? And how was it playing defense with studs like Ukofia, Roques, and Demro? What have they taught you about the game that you can use next season? Sandall: “Off seasons at Wayzata are no joke we push each other every day after school and it gets really competitive when we play 7 on 7 and in the weight room we push each other past our limits and make each other better and stronger. Playing defense with Loshiaka, Anthony and Joe was incredible not only are they just football players but they push you and teach you more about the game then you know before and they were so passionate about winning and going hard every practice. They taught me so many things that will carry on to my senior year like pushing yourself past your comfort zone and really going hard at 2 a days and studying film.” NFN: Describe the 2019 regular season. How was it going undefeated? When did you know you guys were going to be legit, and how fun of a year was it just to be apart of an undefeated team like Wayzata’s? Sandall: “The 2019 regular season was so fun and amazing and going undefeated was incredible knowing that all the hard work we put off in the offseason payed off was the best feeling. We knew we were gonna be legit right away because the energy from everyone on the team was high no one wanted to slack around at practice and in film and we all know what we wanted by the end of the year and that was a state championship. It was so fun being a part of this team the bonds I made with my teammates will last forever and the memories will forever last.” NFN: Elaborate on the state playoffs and especially the championship game! What were some big plays and moments, and how was your performance? Sandall: “The state playoffs were fun and going and playing at the bank was kinda nervous at first but we got used to it really fast. The championship game was crazy just the atmosphere and the fans and kicking first play was fun flying down and making the play another huge moment was when [player_tooltip player_id="2491" first="Sam" last="Robertson"] almost took a kickoff to the house, that was crazy and I did good made the opening play on kickoff.” NFN: Now that you will be a senior, how do you feel to be a leader on the team? What are expectations like and do you feel any pressure from the results of this year? Sandall: “I love being a leader on the team, coaching all the freshman and sophomore and getting a lot closer to everyone even more. My expectations is to win another state championship and I know we have a target on our back because everyone is coming for us.” NFN: How about recruiting? Who are you interested in? And have you been invited to any camps? Sandall: “I’m interested in any teams, I haven’t planned any visits to schools, I haven’t been contacted my any schools and i don’t care if it’s D1 D2 or D3 I will look over anything. I haven’t been invited to camps.” NFN: What do you think you can add to a college program as a football player? Sandall: “I feel like I can bring a lot to a college program I love being a leader and I love pushing other people to be their best. I love playing football and I love going out with teammates and competing.” I’m looking forward to seeing Sandall lay the wood next fall for the Trojans, and I’m excited to see where his football career takes him. Stay posted for news on the safety as we head toward 2020.