Jeske announces his decision

Few players have enjoyed as decorated a senior season as Colby High’s Andrew Jeske. The big, brawny and athletic linebacker had a season that was filled with gaudy numbers and impressive awards.

Among these was WFCA first team all-state and AP second team all-state, along with All-Region and an invite to the WFCA All-Star game this summer. Along the way, Jeske finished second in the state with sacks, with 17.

“Actually, it kind of shocked me,” Jeske said about his senior campaign. “I know I put in a lot of work. No lie, I probably put in hundreds of hours of work this summer to improve.”

Yet despite these honors, the idea of taking his skills to the next level was not one that materialized until his senior year was very nearly done.

“I really didn’t know that I wanted to play college football until this year,” Jeske admitted. “My friends and family really pushed me to go play college ball, and I was lucky enough to get offers.”

Jeske received late interest from D-I programs like Drake University and Montana State, this year’s FCS national runner-ups, but as he says, “none of them pulled the trigger, but I did have schools all over the nation hitting me up.”

Jeske also received roster spots from top NCAA D-III programs, including UW - River Falls, UW - Whitewater, and more.

However, he knew he was capable of playing at an even higher division, and as his stats piled up, as the Hornets advanced through the postseason, more schools began to get in on the mix, including several NCAA D-II programs.

“I talked to a lot of schools in the Midwest, some in the Dakotas, some in Nebraska,” Jeske recalls. “So basically all over the place. The recruiting process started off real slow, as to be expected. For a long time, I only had D-III offers, and that was frustrating because I was seeing everyone on Twitter pulling the gun and committing to D-I and D-II schools.”

Jeske reminded himself that patience was the key, and so he kept working, kept grinding and kept letting his work speak for itself.

It helped that Colby enjoyed one of its best seasons in program history, taking at the trip all the way to Camp Randall where they hoisted up the gold ball after defeating perennial power St. Mary’s Springs in the WIAA D-6 title game.

Jeske was a key factor in that outcome, playing on the defensive and offensive line. He tied a WIAA D-6 state record with a pair of sacks, including a safety that was the final nail in the coffin. Those results on such a big stage opened some eyes and turned some heads.

“That’s when Winona and some of these schools really jumped on me fast,” Jeske said about his play at state. “They pushed heavily with their recruitment.

“But I’d say the biggest bump I got from my recruitment was being named second team AP. That put me in the top four in the whole state at defensive end. That was cool because I was in the same company as guys that are going D-I.”

As those awards piled up, Jeske says things began to build. Other D-II schools quickly followed, from Bemidji State, St. Paul of Concordia, Northern State in South Dakota and Chadron State from Nebraska all coveted the talented Colby defender’s talents.

However, the fact that Winona State was the first to offer, and stayed in touch with him, had made an impact on Jeske. Not to mention the fact they have a great nursing program, a profession Jeske hopes to pursue when he graduates.

“I’m going to be going to college for nursing,” Jeske says about his future plans. “Winona has a really good nursing program, and I know everyone’s goal is to get to the NFL, but we gotta be realistic for a second, and less than one percent makes it pro. So I know I got a good profession for the future there.”

Now that he’s achieved his dream of going to the next level, Jeske knows the real work is only beginning. He’s back in the weight room, hoping to get strong A WARRIOR IN THE TRENCHES - Colby Hornets starting defensive end Andrew Jeske grapples with St. Mary’s Springs Adam Wilcox in the WIAA D-6 state title game on Nov. 18 in Camp Randall. A first team WFCA all-state defensive end, and second team AP defensive end this season, Jeske was second in the state in sacks. He will be joining his brother Brent in the fall, where he will play for NCAA D-2 Winona State, after he announced his commitment via Twitter on Sunday.

enough to compete for playing time.

And as a preferred walk-on, he hopes to earn a scholarship with the Warriors. But for now, he’s enjoying the knowledge that he’s headed to the next level, and joining his brother Brent and Connor as the next Jeske to make the jump from WIAA to NCAA.

“It’s a dream. Like I said earlier, going into this season, I didn’t expect to play college football. The amount that I think I improved this year was fantastic.”

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