August 29, 2018 By Chris Varney
The last two years have been pretty lean in victories for the Grinnell College football squad. With less than 40 players on the roster, the Pioneers have been extremely short handed and it has only produced 1 victory last year and a winless team in 2016. This year, the numbers are still down but Head Coach Jeff Pedersen says that the quality is better.
The issue will be youth on offense. Grinnell will start a freshman at quarterback — Jake Kaplinski won a three way battle in camp between another first year player (Matt Siff from Maryland) and Sophomore Connor Headrick. Kaplinski — 6’1″ 185 from Newbury Park, CA (suburb of L.A.) — threw for over 1200 yards last year as a senior and then his season got derailed by a concussion and he missed a couple of weeks. He came back and his team at Westlake High made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs in his division. Pedersen likes his approach to the position, how he handles himself and how he runs the offense.
Kaplinski will have two other first year players at running back with Danny Carter (6’1″ 185, New Berlin, WI) and Dustin Saia (5’9″ 170, Sioux City, IA) handling the position. Carter is a straight ahead back who makes subtle but effective moves to keep the defenses off balance. Saia was the leading receiver for the West High last year so catching the ball out of the backfield will be big plus he has a quick burst of speed that will help once the hole is there. The Pioneers have experience at WR led by Juniors David Taylor and Max Hill. Taylor is a deep threat and Hill is strong across the middle.
Defense will be a big strength for Grinnell College led by Senior LB Ryan Slager who was the nation’s leading tackler the last two years in a row. Slager became the all-time leading tackler in Grinnell College history in the final game of last season. He is about 100 tackles away from becoming the NCAA all-time leader in tackles. Slager will be on side and Senior Hassan Thompson will be on the other. Thompson is a dynamic pass rusher who has converted from DE. Jeff Keele will anchor one defensive end and he usually draws a double team from the opposition. That will put pressure on Sophomore Clint Sabah on the other side and NT Tom Henehen who can fill up the middle.
The Pioneers have veterans at safety but are young on the corners. Seniors Vinny Pavoni and Ben Lim provide a lot of experience in the middle for Grinnell while Freshmen Sal Kargbo and Chaz Del Mar will provide coverage on the outside. Del Mar (6’3″ Harvest, AL) has a lot of size that is sometimes rare to see at CB in the Midwest Conference. Kargbo (5’8″ Davenport, IA) went to the same high school (Central) as Rick Johnson and Freshman Anthony Johnson who start at the inside linebacker spots.
The offensive line will start just one senior — Cole Riley (6’1″ 260) — at the left guard spot but Coach Pedersen likes the size coming into this year. Sophomore Packard Otto (6’3″ 290) returns at left tackle and big Alex Austen (6’3″, 330) will get the start at right tackle. Sophomore Nat Jordan (5’11” 240) returns at right guard and Sophomore Nicholas Pero (5’9″ 240) will start at center. Three other freshmen, all over 280 pounds will provide depth and see occasional playing time.
Grinnell College will not be a contender in the Midwest Conference but if the young QB and running backs can put some points on the board and keep the defense off the field, the Pioneers will be competitive again this year. Grinnell opens up this Saturday at Lawrence University, coverage on 1410 KGRN and myiowainfo.com. Pioneer Pre-Game at 11:30, Kickoff at Noon.