Coach’s Corner: Pipestone Area
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Another season has come and gone already on the sidelines of the Pipestone Area Arrows. This season for us had a ton of question marks coming into the season on positions to fill left vacated by a good group of…
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Continue ReadingAnother season has come and gone already on the sidelines of the Pipestone Area Arrows. This season for us had a ton of question marks coming into the season on positions to fill left vacated by a good group of Seniors that graduated in 2022. All those questions were answered with exclamation points as the season went on, we had a lot of good performances each week from different players. It was an extremely young team across the board, a lot of first year players touching the Varsity Field for the first time as well as sprinkling in some experienced players from last year. We finished the year at 8-3 and fell one game short of the State Tournament, bowing out to the always talented and disciplined Jackson County Central Huskies. We have a good group of Seniors with some intent to play college football as well as some surprise upperclassmen and some players to watch for the ’23 season! Get to know the Arrows’ team below!
Class 2023
QB/DB- Kellen Johnson Kellen Johnson 6'5" | 205 lbs | QB Pipestone Area Schools | 2023 MN came off a stellar Junior year looking to add to it as a Senior. He had a new challenge this year having a completely new receiving corps. and secondary. He stepped up in a big way and did a good job stepping into a leadership role this year. He continued to show his arm strength this year, but also added some new speed into his athleticism this season. That turned him into a speedy QB that was tough to bring down when he got moving. Defensively, he did a good job being the communicator and getting everyone in the right position. He also stepped up and was one of our sure-handed tacklers, both in the box and in the open field.
OL/DL- Caden Miller Caden Miller 6'3" | 300 lbs | DB Elkton-Lake Benton | 2023 MN showed a lot of improvement from last year. Both physically and mentally on both sides of the ball. He was burying kids left and right when he was blocking, both drive blocking and pull blocking. His footwork and hand technique showed major improvement, which helped him on both sides of the ball as well. The RB’s loved to run to his side of the line of scrimmage because he gave them a lot of running room when he down-blocked and pulled. Defensively, he had a good season showing experience, he engaged his blocker quickly, shed the block and plugged the run gaps perfectly on each play. He stayed close to the line of scrimmage and took away cut-back lanes in the backfield, taking good angles to the ballcarrier. Once he had you wrapped up, you weren’t going anywhere.
OL/DL- Jayden Hoss Jayden Hoss 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Pipestone Area | 2023 State MN also showed vast improvement from last season. His pad level on offense was much better along with a much quicker first step. He also gave the RB’s running room when he down-blocked. He moved his feet well in pass protection and kept good hand technique. He was shuffled around the O-Line throughout the season and stepped up and each position (OG & OT). Defensively, he did a much better job being patient and not hurrying up the field on each snap. Instead he identified the play and made his move accordingly. He also did a good job staying tight to the line of scrimmage and plugging run gaps on each play. He made some good tackles running down the ballcarrier from the backside.
TE/LB- Rogen Smidt made many improvements across the board on both sides of the ball. He stepped into a large role on offense, at FB and TE. He was a good lead blocker from both positions and helped spark the run game in every game. He also emerged as a reliable target in short yardage situations and in the red zone. Defensively, he stepped into a big leadership role and helped get the defense in the right place. He did a great job getting his reads and doing his responsibility on each play. As usual, he was a good guy to send on a blitz when we needed pressure and he made the play almost every time. He timed snap counts perfectly and made a big hit at the point of attack.
DL- Steadman Fenicle stepped up in a big way on the defensive side of the ball. He plugged up both A gaps from the NG position and kept the opponents run game in check all season. He could also put a good pass rush on and get the QB under pressure and have him force passes quicker than he wanted. He gave a good sense of speed on the D-Line, making it extremely hard to block him and keep him from making plays in the backfield.
WR/DB- Colton Fey came out for his first year of football and filled his spot in the lineup in a big way. Starting at CB right away, he turned into the guy that would take on the opponents best WR and did a good job keeping them in check. He was always in good position to make plays on the ball and would come through in big situations that would swing momentum in our favor. He was also a very sure-handed tackler on the perimeter, showed no fear at anyone and stuck his nose in and made the play. Offensively, he was a fairly reliable target and cashed in a couple TD’s this year. He had good hands and was very physical running the ball after the catch.
2024:
WR/DB- Rysley Borman stepped up huge for us on both sides of the ball. At WR, he emerged as a favorite target throughout the season, even breaking an individual receiving record for yards in a game, and tying the receiving TD’s in a game. He is more of a possession receiver, one you want to get the ball on a third down, but has a sneaky speed that can gash a big play if you don’t respect him. Defensively, started at Safety, then moved to CB, which turned out to be the right move as he was excellent in man coverage one-on-one, coming up with a couple INT’s.
OL/DL- Jackson Melcher was a difference maker on both sides of the ball as well. Defensively, he held down the DE spot and held his contain perfectly. He had the awareness you didn’t need to teach, knew where to be all times on every play and made the plays that came his way. He his a very good tackler, both in the pile and in open space. He has the football speed to run down plays from the backside, or to get himself in position to turn the play inside. He will lay a big hit when squared up. Offensively, he stepped up midway through the season and helped spark the run game and give time in the pass game. He picked up blitzes well and kept good pad level all the way around, very strong kid.
DL/RB- Hudson Burnett played a couple different positions on defense and played them both well. He finished the season at DE/LB which is where he shined the most. He is also a very good tackler, especially in open space, which shows his quickness as well. He did a good job delivering a pass rush on the plays we sent him. He could also drop back in pass coverage and give the D-line time to get to the QB. Once he had the ballcarrier in his grasp, he wasn’t getting away, he made sure he broke down and was in a good position to make the tackle.
2025
WR/DB- Landon Quist Landon Quist 6'4" | 200 lbs | ATH Pipestone Area | 2025 State MN became a reliable target for the offense. He was one of the better possession receivers with a good set of hands and a nice, big frame. He ran routes good enough to get open, and was tough to bring down after the catch. He always had the awareness to find the sticks and get the first down. Halfway through the year he got some snaps at Safety, which he played really well as well. His awareness had him in good position at all times. His instincts led to a couple INT’s. He also stepped up and made some tackles in the run game as well.
RB/LB- Nehemiah Ostermeier Nehemiah Ostermeier RB Pipestone Area | 2025 MN started off the season at LB/DE which he played really well. He had instincts to play the position well. He kept his contain and flew around the field and made tackles. He could also drop back in pass coverage and would be in good position to make plays there as well. He moved to RB after a couple games and became a vital part in the offense. He has good vision and finds the open space, but he is patient enough to let blocks develop as well. He has a sneaky quickness to him that can come back and hurt the defense at any time. He became a good target out of the backfield, which created mismatches for the offense.
WR/DB- Trevor Chaulsett started off the season playing both ways and stepped up to help both sides of the ball be successful early on. Defensively, he has the speed to run with almost anyone and he is always in position to make a play. When his responsibility picked up on offense, he was told to focus on that more, which he did well. He was a good slot receiver that could be a good vertical threat, or something scary in the short game. He was good at creating yards after catch too, first running good routes to get open.
DL- Bentley Pater came on to the defense late in the year and did everything that was asked of him. He was a very good tackler and played many positions on defense well. He engaged his blocker well and held his contain with his strength. He shed his blocks well and took good angles to get to the ballcarrier, then made his tackle.
K- Nohel Vivanco Nohel Vivanco 5'6" | 165 lbs | WR Pipestone Area | 2025 MN was a game changer in special teams. Not missing many PAT’s and hitting a 48 yarder in practice, he also added a couple touchbacks this season. He would also fly down the field and make tackles after kicking the ball. One time belting a frontline guy on the other team’s Kick Return and recovering the kick as well.
2026
WR/DB- Cayden Zephier had a huge role on both sides of the ball as a freshman. The youngster stepped up to the plate and delivered each time. He has lots of speed that will burn the defense on deep routes. He has good hands and concentration to catch the ball in traffic and good awareness to know where the sticks and sideline are at all times. His speed and agility were also killer on special teams, getting some big returns there as well. Defensively, he was the kid we wanted out the facing a speedy time, so he could run with their speedsters and keep them in check as well. Pretty good tackler as well.
ATH- Austin Musch contributed to the offense late in the year. Getting quite a few snaps at WR, but a couple at Safety as well. He has a lot of raw talent, such as speed and strength added to his big frame as well. He has good hands and route running ability, this year of experience will benefit his come next season.