Underclassman to Watch Recruiting Report: Cole Hentges (Sartell-St. Stephen/2023)

As I’m sure most of you know, one of my favorite aspects of writing for Northstar Football News is the being able to scout and discover Minnesota prep football players. One of the harder to earn joys within this space of scouting recruits is discovering an underclassman at the genesis of their football career with sky-high potential seemingly before everybody else does. With Northstar Football News’ most recent 2023 rankings/watchlist release, there is now a record of those studs who qualify for the above terms of having sky-high potential and are at the beginning of their prep football careers, and our #10 overall ranked prospect for the c/o ‘23 is a great example. Meet [player_tooltip player_id="19010" first="Cole" last="Hentges"] - Sartell-St. Stephen’s 5’10, 175 lb. QB1, & boy is he looking like a good one. With a ton of zip and accuracy on throws, coupled with a strong pocket-presence and the ability to use his legs to keep plays going, Hentges’ varsity highlights hardly look that of a 14-year old in his first varsity season starting at football’s hardest position. With so much obvious talent and so much football ahead of him, NFN was more than excited to get an early, in-depth interview with the c/o 2023 standout, and we hope you enjoy our discussion about Hentges’ freshman season at the helm of Sartell-St. Stephen’s offense, his football career prior to high school, early recruiting thoughts, and more. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2CDJ69">Freshman SZN 2019</a> [caption id="attachment_19141" align="aligncenter" width="300"] #9[/caption] NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Cole! Please begin by telling us a little bit about yourself, when you began playing football, what you love about the game and your 2019 stats and measurables! Hentges: “I’m from Sartell, Minnesota. I began playing football and sports in general since I was very young. My dad and I would always play catch, but I really started playing football in 3rd grade. I really enjoy cooking and fishing. They help me decompress and most people don’t know that about me. I love playing football because of the energy and brother hood. It makes your team feel, see, think, and do as one, and I think thats a valuable life skill. I’m 5’10, 175 lbs, I run a 4.83 40, I bench 180 lbs, Squat 320 lbs, and I can clean 205 lbs. I had 6 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing, 4 picks thrown, and 418 yds total, average of 46 a game.” NFN: Tell us a little bit about your football journey leading up to high school..what was your middle school football experience like in Sartell? Who were some good teams you played and did y’all find success? Hentges: “In middle school I was always hurt, so I never played. I became almost like a scout, I would sit back and watch and observe the game and learn. We lost a lot coming through middle school, but I think we learned from it a lot before we moved into high school. I do remember Sauk Rapids and Brainerd were the 2 best teams we played in middle school. It was a bit of a struggle, we had a 2 year losing streak going into the season, but by the end we felt better because we broke it, and beat a very good Alexandria team. The lowlight was all the losing, but the highlight was beating Alex and breaking the streak. That was a big moment for us all. I learned to never get to high or low emotionally, and just stay for the most part, calm and collected. I thought I had a pretty good year, I stepped up my game and helped bring home our first win in 3 years. Also my progression throughout the year gave me lot of confidence about my game.” NFN: Tell me about your first eight regular season games in 2019? Who’d you play? How’d they go? What were some big games and some of the best games for you? Also, who are your favorite teams to play against and why? What’s a big rivalry game and how’d the rivalry begin? Any good competition you’ve gone up against that stands out?” Hentges: “We played Chisago Lakes, Sauk Rapids, Tech, Bemidji, Moorehead, Brainerd , Alexandria, and Becker. We kept it close with Sauk, Moorehead, and Brainerd. And we beat Alex, that being our only win. Brainerd and Alex were my two best games by far, and they were pretty big games, just because we lost by under 5 to Brainerd, and we beat Alex, which was big for the teams confidence. I like to play Brainerd. I just have a chip on my shoulder especially when I play them. The Sauk Rapids rivalry is a big rivalry for us. They are right across the river from us, and for as long as a remember they have been a big rival for us. Bemidji is always a challenge, they always seem to have very good and well coached teams, and they are a challenge to beat. I had a up and down game, I think I got sacked a few times, and I only completed 3 passes, but one was for 70 yards and a touchdown. I think I just need to get better at taking what the defense gives me, and being better at the line of scrimmage and making decisions pre snap.” [caption id="attachment_19140" align="aligncenter" width="300"] #9[/caption] NFN: Although it’s early, what are some teams you’re interested in for recruiting? What are you looking for in a potential college? Hentges: “I have interest in the University of Minnesota, and really other D1 schools, although D2 and 3 aren’t out of the picture either. I haven’t been contacted by any other schools. I am planning to attend several camps around Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas. I don’t have much experience in the recruiting process. But I am looking for good education, nice a facilities, and more importantly, great energy and people.” NFN: With a top-10 Northstar Football News ranking for the class of 2023, do you feel that some of you hard work is paying off? Does this motivate you to work harder? Hentges: “It does feel nice to be recognized, and it does make me feel like its paying off. But I always want to work harder, because there is another 9 slots ahead of me.” NFN: Last but not least, what can you add to a college program, and what do you think you do well as a football player? Hentges: “I think I can add some fire power throwing the ball as well as running it. I think I can lead, and be decisive at the line of scrimmage with audibles, defense recognition, etc. I think I am a pretty good passer, regardless of the stats, and I think I can adapt and overcome adversity during the game.” Although it’s early, Hentges potential is non-disputable, and this won’t be the last time you’ll be hearing about the Sartell product. Hope you enjoyed!