Football Notebook: Willmar lineman finds 'a really nice place to be' at South Dakota State

Jul. 11—WILLMAR — Hayden Venenga got a sense of belonging at Brookings.

That's what drew the Willmar football team's standout offensive lineman to South Dakota State University.

"It felt like they actually wanted me and they cared," Venenga said. "It seemed like a really nice place to be, so I wanted to go there."

On June 30, Venenga made his intentions known. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound lineman announced on Twitter that he committed to SDSU.

"It just felt like the right decision," Venenga said following Willmar's high-school football camp on Monday. He chose SDSU over offers from Division I Football Championship Subdivision schools in Indiana State and Western Illinois.

"I had been leaning that way for weeks and after talking to their coaches, I just decided to make the decision."

It didn't hurt that the Jackrabbits are coming off a wildly successful season. SDSU went 14-1 and won its first national championship over rival North Dakota State, 45-21.

"Playing to win, that's what everybody likes, right?" Venenga said with a smirk.

Venenga is set to play at the highest level in head coach Jon Konold's 15 years as Willmar head football coach.

"It's really exciting, first off, for him and the work he's put in and the ability he has," Konold said. "We're really excited for him to have that opportunity.

"For our program, it shows the work we've done and that reflects positively on us. I'm excited for him and the program is really excited for him. It's good to have it out of the way so he can get ready for his senior season."

The Cardinals' season opener is Friday, Sept. 1 at Big Lake.

"It is definitely a relief getting that all dealt with," Venenga said. "That's where I'm sticking with and I'm looking forward to senior year."

Willmar began its second week of its football camp on Monday as it prepares for the 2023 season.

Among 87 players registered for camp, the Cardinals have the bulk of their offensive and defensive starters back. The goal is to improve from last season's 6-4 mark.

"Some years, like last year, we're pretty inexperienced and it takes longer to install things and some things you have to touch base on," Konold said. "We have eight or nine guys returning on offense. Things install a lot faster and they take ownership of more of it. There's a sense of ownership and this is a group that wants to be successful."

The Cardinals named their five captains for the upcoming season: quarterback Cullen Gregory, wide receiver/defensive back Dylan Staska, center/defensive tackle Matt Strey, running back/linebacker Ramero Trevino and Venenga.

Where Willmar is trying to find key players are on special teams. The Cardinals are looking for a new kicker and punter. They're also looking for linebackers after the graduation of Mattix Swanson and Jaxxon Sjoberg. Finding depth at wide receiver and the secondary is also a focus.

Along with camp, the Cardinals are scheduled to scrimmage St. Cloud Tech on July 20. That will be the final bit of training before fall practices begin on Aug. 14.

Willmar is prepared for a tough schedule. After camp on Monday, Konold reminded the players that the four teams the Cardinals play at home this season — Marshall, Becker for homecoming, Hutchinson and Chisago Lakes — were responsible for all four of the team's losses last season.

"When you have a veteran group returning and they've had past success in the previous year, it makes you a little more confident against tougher opponents," Konold said. "They have that mentality that they have to be sharp every Friday night. ... It's a good motivating factor to know what's in front of them. If they're tired or they feeling like they don't want to lift, (the schedule) gives them that extra motivation."

Venenga knows this season could be challenging, but "It should be a fun one, though."

He added, "There's a lot of good teams, but I think we're a pretty good team, too."

Last season, New London-Spicer's path to a Class AAA state championship began in earnest with an overtime win in the Section 6AAA finals against Albany.

The Wildcats and Huskies won't wait long for a highly anticipated rematch.

The two teams face off Week 1 on Thursday, Aug. 31 in Albany.

"It's a huge game because there's a good chance we'll meet again," said NLS head coach Chad Gustafson. "It'll be a big test, for sure."

In the section title game, the Wildcats trailed Albany 14-6 with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. NLS forced the game into overtime following a Mason Delzer touchdown run and a Gabe Rohman extra point. In overtime, NLS' defense stopped the Huskies, then Delzer found the end zone again on a 10-yard run for the 20-14 victory.

NLS schedule doesn't get much easier beyond that.

They head to Foley — a Section 5AAA finalist last season — for Week 2. The Wildcats' first home game comes against Dassel-Cokato in Week 3, followed by a visit to Litchfield in Week 4. A Class AAA state semifinal rematch is set for Week 5 in New London as NLS hosts Watertown-Mayer. The Wildcats won the match-up last season at US Bank Stadium, 33-28.

The regular season wraps up at Glencoe-Silver Lake in Week 6, followed by back-to-back home games against St. Cloud Apollo and Annandale.

"Being a state champion, we'll have a target on our back," Gustafson said.

He added, "Every week will be a test. We want to compete as hard as we can and give it a good push in the playoffs ... We're trying to put the puzzle back together and see where the new pieces fit best and see where everyone can help us out."

After section realignment kept BOLD in Section 5A, the Warriors were hoping to make a district change to better prepare for a tough postseason.

That wish was granted. BOLD is moving from the Mid-State District to the Southwest West. Now, they'll have a regular season filled with teams from Section 5A.

"We're going into one of the top (Class A) districts in the state," said Warriors head coach Derek Flann. "The schools aren't as big but there's some awfully good football schools and awfully good football coaches down there (in the Southwest).

BOLD opens the season with a district crossover game against Windom on Friday, Sept. 1 at Olivia.

Two of the Warriors' biggest tests will be played at home. They host Minneota on Week 3 and Dawson-Boyd on Week 5. The Vikings are the defending Class A state champions and beat BOLD 21-0 in the 5A semifinals last season. Dawson-Boyd was 8-2 last season.

"Obviously Minneota's been the top team in Class A for probably the last decade," Flann said. "When we get to play them in the playoffs, we'll get to see them once in the regular season and then in the playoffs. Their offensive system is difficult to catch onto, so getting that extra game of reps really helps us."

Flann added, "Dawson-Boyd is another really good team. Granite Falls (Yellow Medicine East) seems to be on the uptick, too. ... You've got a bunch of real respectable, solid teams week in and week out."