Carlsbad football graduate could improve fortunes for Kansas university this fall
In 2022 the Ottawa University Braves football team finished 2-8. Head football coach Nick Davis said a signee from Carlsbad High School could help the team turn around when the season starts Aug. 26.
Jonathan Mendez signed a national letter of intent May 10 to play for the Kansas school this fall after wrapping up his high school career in Carlsbad last November.
He played in six games in 2022 at defensive tackle and offensive guard. Mendez had 13 total tackles and one sack for the Cavemen.
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“He’s a good fit for us. He’ll do a variety of things to help,” Davis said.
New Carlsbad High School head football coach Cale Sanders said the Braves are getting a hard working player that will be ready to play once practice starts in early August.
“He’s just that all around great kid who is kind of overshadowed with all the talent that we had. Especially toward the end of the year he helped us out a ton,” he said.
Sanders said Mendez helped the Cavemen on defense and offense near the season’s end.
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“Most of the stuff he did was on the defensive side of the ball and I was pretty much focused on the offensive side. We had some injuries late in the year and he was in the rotation all through the year and I think he got a heavier load dropped on him towards the end of the year with some injuries. He stepped up when we needed him for sure,” he said.
Sanders was Carlsbad’s offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2022. He replaced former head coach Oliver Soukup who left Carlsbad in January of this year to become an assistant coach at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.
“My 2022 season meant everything because I knew it was my last high school season, so I had fun and made the best of it,” Mendez said.
He said Ottawa University was a good fit to continue his football and academic career.
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As an incoming freshman he is not sure if he will start for the Braves who compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
“I would like to start playing as fast as I could,” Mendez said.
The NAIA governs athletics programs at small colleges and universities like Ottawa University.
The Braves were tied for ninth place in the KCAC, according to the conference’s website.
Davis said Ottawa’s major goal was improving on last year’s record and strive for continued improvement each week.
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“We hope to improve that record,” he said of the team’s 2022 finish.
Davis said Mendez’s ability during weekly practices might affirm if he has an active role with the team.
“He’s got the ability. He’ll determine whether he plays 800 snaps or two snaps,” he said.
While attending classes at the eastern Kansas university, Mendez plans to major in engineering.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Cavemen footballer Jonathan Mendez signs with Ottawa University
