Prep Zone: Marian Central football's Gatz commits to Southwest Minnesota State - Northwest Herald

Joe Gatz has a plan regarding his football career at Southwest Minnesota State.

The Marian Central senior offensive lineman knows the Mustangs coaching staff likely will redshirt him as a freshman. After that, he wants to be in the lineup … a lot.

“They redshirt most freshman, but their guards will be seniors," said Gatz, who projects as an interior lineman. “They’ll have two open spots. I hope to be able to compete in my redshirt freshman year.”

Gatz (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) committed to NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State coach Cory Sauter last week. Gatz will sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday after school in a ceremony with quarterback Billy Bahl, who will sign with D-I Miami (Ohio). Wednesday is the first day of the signing period for football and soccer players with NCAA scholarship (D-I and D-II) schools.

Gatz began talking with SMSU, located in Marshall, Minnesota, about a year ago and was impressed with Sauter and his staff. Sauter played six years in the NFL as a backup quarterback, and offensive line coach Brian Frana played at Eastern Illinois with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Gatz’s size and ability also drew interest from D-II schools St. Cloud (Minnesota) State, Minnesota-Mankato and Ferris (Michigan) State. He also was looking at NAIA schools Robert Morris and Grand View.

“The coaching staff really set it apart for me,” said Gatz, a two-year starter for the Hurricanes. “Great guys, great personalities. I really felt comfortable there. I felt myself sitting in there. They showed extreme interest in me, and I looked into it and thought I could play there.”

Gatz said Frana liked that he comes from a pass-oriented offense.

“My pass blocking really set me apart,” Gatz said. “Coach [Frana] liked my blocking for my size. Coming from Marian, we’re that much ahead of [some linemen] because of our pass protection.”

De Chant to Loyola: Hampshire sophomore Peyton De Chant recorded one of the more remarkable freshman softball seasons ever seen with a .529 batting average, 10 home runs and 51 RBIs. So it’s no surprise De Chant already has committed to a D-I school.

De Chant recently told Loyola coach Jeff Tylka she would become a Rambler after high school. Loyola took advantage of its proximity to see De Chant play almost 20 games last summer with her travel team, Taylor Made Titans of Lockport.

“The process wasn’t quick, it took 2 1/2 years,” De Chant said. “As I went through it, Loyola kept popping up at games. I went to visit the school in Chicago and fell in love with the campus. It was a long process, tiring. I wanted to end it.”

Source: southwest - Google News http://ift.tt/1tUPeNv