Underclassman to Watch Recruiting Report: Zach Cochnauer (Farmington-2022)

One of the cooler and more underrated aspects of writing for Northstar Football News is uncovering, tracking, and hyping up the younger upcoming prep recruits the state of Minnesota has to offer. Getting ahead on the recruiting trail of a future potential highly rated recruit and helping to disperse their film and get their name out there as a underclassmen is a very cooling feeling as a writer in my position. I also can’t help but think a good one has been found with this newest recruit for this report: Farmington OL [player_tooltip player_id="18431" first="Zach" last="Cochnauer"]. The 6’5, 285 lber. has an older brother who is a junior WR on the Tigers football team, but the sophomore is no slouch himself as he found himself as a starter on the Farmington OL at the end of 2019 and held his own against some of the Metro’s best such as Lakeville South’s Wisconsin commit and NFN #1 in the c/o ’21 [player_tooltip player_id="18025" first="Riley" last="Mahlman"]. With so much room to grow on his 285 lb. frame, quick/athletic feet that help him pull effectively, more than enough pop to put defenders on their butts, and a mean-streak to boot, Northstar Football News recently rated Cochnauer #13 overall in our c/o ’22 rankings, and we are very excited about #76’s potential. We are lucky to be one of the first media outlets to contact the Oklahoma City native, and the current sophomore was kind enough to give NFN some of his time to discuss his career as a Tiger so far, how he earned that starting spot on the OL, what it’s like blocking for NCAA create-a-player [player_tooltip player_id="18104" first="Zac" last="Janz"], what to expect from Farmington in 2020, and more. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2CD0cb">Sophomore Year</a> [caption id="attachment_18853" align="aligncenter" width="371"] Cochnauer with the block.[/caption] NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Zach. Please begin by telling us a little bit about yourself, some fun facts about yourself, and what you love about the game of football! Cochnauer: "I was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I started playing tackle football in first grade. Some fun facts about myself is that I play Varsity basketball for my high school team. My favorite college sports team is the Oklahoma Sooners. I enjoy playing video games with my brothers. What I love most about playing football is the feeling on Friday nights. There is no comparison to this feeling. It is the best feeling in the world. Height 6’5 weight 285 40 time 5.90 bench press 220 squat 355." [caption id="attachment_18858" align="aligncenter" width="352"] Cochnauer on NFN #1 [player_tooltip player_id="18025" first="Riley" last="Mahlman"][/caption] NFN: How was your 2018 freshman season at Farmington? What were some highlights and lowlights? Also, how did y’all make the jump from 2018 to your successful 2019 season? Cochnauer: "My freshman season highlight was the game against Rosemount. This was my favorite game because we played in the pouring rain on a very muddy & bad field which was half of a baseball field, these conditions just made the game a lot more fun. I also enjoyed playing with some of my buddies because after I got pulled up I just don’t really get the chance to play with them on my team. <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-jwli3a r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-1ddef8g r-qvutc0" title="http://team.My" role="link" href="https://t.co/nZFtjaRyje?amp=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-focusable="true">My</a> low point of the season was losing. I don’t like to lose. I hate losing because after the game it is not a good feeling, you just feel like you just could of done something to change the outcomes. The jump we made as a team from 2018 to 2019 was that we all bought into the culture. Everyone showed up to morning workouts in the offseason and put in the extra work to be better than what we were in the past. Farmington has a great strength coach which makes workouts for us and every day that push us to work hard & get stronger. Every player was showing up and giving it their 100 percent the whole time." [caption id="attachment_18855" align="aligncenter" width="352"] Cochnauer with the double team.[/caption] NFN: What were you expectations like for 2019? How did you crack the starting lineup? Also, what are you working on to better your game this offseason and what do you like about the Tigers program? Cochnauer: "My expectations for myself was to be on the field playing on Varsity and eventually start Varsity by the end of the season. I succeeded in both of my goals right away at the beginning of the season. My expectations for the team was to go 500.00 and get a home playoff game. I also wanted to win multiple playoff games. We ended the season above 500.00 and didn’t get a home game. We travelled to Shakopee and lost, falling short by a couple points. I cracked the starting line up in practice and I gave it my all every play. I never backed down from anyone in practice everyday and I showed up and competed. What the team has built on from last year is we keep getting stronger faster and smarter. We also have tons of experience in every position. Some things I am working on in the off-season is keeping my hands inside, my footwork on pulls and staying low. What I like about playing football at Farmington is the way Coach Fischer runs this program. It is bigger than football. We give back to the community and to the youth football players. Everyone is bought into the program and it’s a brotherhood. Everyone has each other’s back on and off the field." [caption id="attachment_18856" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Cochnauer (far left)[/caption] NFN: Is it fun blocking for [player_tooltip player_id="18104" first="Zac" last="Janz"]? He’s a great back to watch and hammers kids haha. what was the key to getting to your guys’ dominance in the rushing game? Cochnauer: "It is very fun blocking for [player_tooltip player_id="18104" first="Zac" last="Janz"]. He is a great leader and great football player. He is crazy athletic and fun to watch. If I miss a block, I know Janz will still make a play. The key to power in the run game is that he reads by the pulling linemen. if they get the wrong read the play usually is dead at the line of scrimmage, but when we hit the right reads we end up with big plays." NFN: Get into some details of the 2019 regular season? What were some big and important games? Cochnauer: "The first 8 regular season games were amazing. We went on a five game winning streak and the town was behind us cheering us on. The craziest games for the team were the Eastview and Rosemount games.The Eastview game was just a great game to be a part of. The defense was playing amazing and kept giving us the ball back. The Rosemount game did not go our way, but it was my first Homecoming game and it was awesome how loud & supportive our fans were." [caption id="attachment_18857" align="aligncenter" width="357"] A pulling Cochnauer.[/caption] NFN: What can you expect from Farmington in 2020? Also, how does it feel to be ranked on the NFN Top-40 for the c/o 2022? Cochnauer: "What you can expect from Farmington in 2020 is something special. Everyone on the team has trusted the process and is committed to the team. It feels great to be ranked in my class. It shows some of my hard work, but only makes me hungrier." NFN: Last but not least, what’s up with recruiting? Who are some teams you’re interested in & in-contact with? What are you looking for in a potential college? Cochnauer: "I have no planned visits to any school and I am open to any college. I have received a junior day invite form the University of Minnesota, which got cancelled by the virus. I have attended Minnesota’s Big Man Camp and plan to go to many other big ten schools camps this summer. What I am looking for in a school, is that I feel like I belong and that it has a community feel." Cochnauer’s recruitment is only getting started, and we at Northstar Football News are very excited to see where his football journey takes him. This won’t be the last you hear from big #76 on the Tigers!