320 Recruiting Report: Jack Pelzel/St. Cloud Cathderal (2021)
ST. CLOUD– Northstar Football News heads to the 320 to chat with St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders 2021 QB Jack Pelzel who is the second Crusaders we’ve chatted with this football offseason the other being 2022 WR Zach Plante. We chatted with…
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Continue ReadingST. CLOUD– Northstar Football News heads to the 320 to chat with St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders 2021 QB Jack Pelzel who is the second Crusaders we’ve chatted with this football offseason the other being 2022 WR Zach Plante. We chatted with Pelzel about his 2019 season, what’s on his recruiting trail, and much more.
Get to Know Jack Pelzer
Pelzel is QB1 for the Cathderal Crusaders of St. Cloud. He took over as the starter for the Crusaders during the last 6 games of his sophomore. In 2019, he, unfortunately, broke his hand which kept him out most of last season but he played with a club over his broken hand towards the end of the season during his comeback as he “wanted to help the team any way I could,” to close out the Crusaders season. Pelzel has a great football IQ and great leadership skills that will lead him as a new captain for the Crusaders in the 2020 season as excited to get back there and start taking snaps again. His biggest strengths are his throw power on his deep balls and using his key timing on the short routes to hit his receivers where they need it.
Two Best Parts About QB
The control of being QB1 and being a part of every offensive play, are the “two best” parts for Jack Pelzel playing quarterback for St. Cloud Cathedral.
College Interest/Elevator Pitch
Pelzel is looking for a “strong academic school” that also wants him to play on the football team. He’s gotten a large bulk of junior day invites from the likes of Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Moorhead, St. Olaf, Gustavus, Concordia-Moorhead, and the Johnnies of St. Johns. He’s also been in contact with Washington University (St. Louis), Bethel, and was invited to Division I Ivy League prospect camp at Cornell (Ithaca, NY). Here below, is Jack’s elevator pitch to any schools recruiting him and any school that hasn’t recruited him yet:
Some things I would bring to a college program would be my strong work ethic, leadership, and character. I do my best to lead by example for my team.
Offseason Goals
The Cathedral football coaching staff, like most staff, want Pelzel to get bigger and stronger before next year. Jack has set a goal to add 10-15 pounds this offseason of muscle by August. He has been hammering the weights and the calories, working out 5 times a week to get his body to where he wants it to be to meet his goals.
Jack’s Mentors
Jack has many strong mentors in his football and everyday life. His first mentor is his dad, who played football for Minnesota-Duluth. His strong passion for the game has helped Jack with the mental side of the game of football. Jack, his dad, and his little brother Sam have a little fun, sneaking onto Clemens Stadium at St. Johns and throw the football as much as they can as their father/sons bonding with the game of football. The biggest coaches on the field that have mentored Jack are second-year Crusaders head coach Jason Klinefelter and assistants Coach Cross, and Colin Munoz.
Learning from Last Season/2020 Goals
The biggest thing Pelzel learned from last season was overcoming adversity. “My broken hand kept me off the field most of the season and it was a struggle for me to sit on the sidelines and watch my team play without me,” Pelzel said about the adversity he faced last season. Pelzel took in learning new positions when he could play with a club on his hand and filling in the gaps where his team needed him. He also learned not to take the game for granted, as you just don’t know when your team is going to be up in high school football. After a rebuilding year, Pelzel is hopeful for the Crusaders this fall. With a strong receiving core including Zach Plante, and good running backs and a “get bigger” mentality on their offensive line, the Crusaders have set a goal to win a home playoff game next Fall as their main goal after being in rebuild mode last season and winless the season before that.
Pelzel is a 4.0 student at St. Cloud Cathedral and got a 27 on the ACT. Pelzel on film has a strong deep ball and with his strong football IQ, can run the option well as you can see here.