Commitment Report: Alex Folz (2019)

The Spring Grove Lions' football program is coming off two-straight undefeated, state championship seasons. At the center of that run has been quarterback and defensive back Alex Folz. Folz has known nothing but success on the football field. Now he is ready for a new challenge. Folz recently committed to play college football for Minnesota-Crookston - a program that has won fewer games in the last six seasons than the Lions win in a month. Folz likes what the future holds for his football future and believes he will be an important cog in the resurgence of the Crookston football program. Despite the success last fall, the Lions' season didn't start smoothly. "We graduated nine seniors last year, and seven of them were starters," Folz said. "Coming into the year we knew we were going to have to develop some guys who hadn't played much as starters. We were patient as the guys came along. About three games in we started to click. One we found that there wasn't much we couldn't do." Folz said the defense was strong all year and wore offenses down. The key to the offense was using Folz differently from last year. "On offense, a lot of people overlooked my teammates. People thought it was just me when the guys around me made great plays on their own. I kind of had an easy job. Our line did a great job opening holes." For Folz – it was the journey more than the destination. "This was the closest group I have ever played with," Folz told northstarfootballnews.com. "We were always together. We always showed up together lifting, and we enjoyed practice. It was a season I really enjoyed. To enjoy your senior season of football was something else. I am thankful for those guys and those experiences." Possibly with the best team he has had in his years as the starting quarterback, Folz had his best year personally. "We put in a lot of work this offseason and the guys gave me countless holes to run through and plenty of time to throw the ball. My stats were twice as good as last year. I took better care of my body this year and didn't have any injuries. It all came down to having fun. If I didn't have so much fun as I did, I wouldn't have as good a year." At the next level, Folz is going to play quarterback. "After playing so many years in the offense, I developed how to read defenses. I would come up to the line, go through my checks and pre-determine my first option and if the defense jumped on my first option, I was good at coming off and going to my second and third option. If that wasn't there, I could always use my legs. I think that is my biggest strength – I don't think you see a lot of quarterbacks run through people and run like a running back." To have success at the next level, Folz is focused on the mental side of playing quarterback. "I need to be able to make quicker decisions in the pocket, and I need to become a better leader. I have to be able to coach guys up and coach myself up when things don't go right. If I can do that with the coaches help, I will be successful at the next level." Although he is in the weight room often for football, this winter Folz is playing point guard on the one loss Springfield basketball team. This spring he will play all over the diamond for the baseball team. In the summer he will be focused on football. "Recruiting started slow – which I expected because we are not the biggest school," Folz admitted. "I just went to camps and tried to get my name out there. I knew I had to keep working on myself." Folz was considering Winona State, Southwest Minnesota State and a couple of Division III schools, but it didn't take long to commit to Crookston. "Crookston was the first one to offer," the two-time state champion said. "I went there on a visit, and I didn't need much more after that. I loved the area and the campus and I loved that they wanted me to play quarterback." The future Golden Eagle isn't concerned with his new school's recent history. "The coaching staff was honest with me. They told me they hadn't had the best years and told me why. They told me they were looking to build on it and they didn't try to hide anything and tell me things were great. I loved that they were straight forward and honest. I love the offense and what they are doing up there. Some great things are going to come out of there – I can tell. I want to be a part of that." The last two years, Alex Folz conquered the world of nine-man football. Now he is ready to be a part of a new challenge. If he has half the success at Crookston as he had a Spring Grove, both player and school will know they made the right choice.