High school football: Prairie Ridge, Jacobs players commit to D-II schools; Cary-Grove's Ruhland to Butler

Knowing someone with firsthand understanding of a specific college football program proved beneficial for several local players who recently committed to NCAA Division II schools.

For Prairie Ridge seniors Zach Gulbransen, Jacob Ommen and Joe Perhats, it was former Wolves tight end Nick Margiotta, who played at Winona (Minnesota) State.

For Jacobs seniors Loren Strickland and Caleb Walker, the acquaintance was a brother in the programs at Indianapolis and Ferris State, respectively.

All those players plan to sign their National Letters of Intent on Feb. 7, the first day of the later signing period for football.

Gulbransen committed three weeks ago, Perhats a week later. Then, on Sunday, Ommen tweeted that he, too, was headed to Winona. The three four-year varsity starters played on Prairie Ridge’s back-to-back Class 6A state championship teams and now will be teammates for four more years.

Margiotta last played for the Warriors in 2016, so the current Wolves leaned on him for information about Winona coach Tom Sawyer and his program.

“It’s incredible, knowing what the expectations are going in, for him to have gone through it and be in the same position,” Gulbransen said. “It’s like watching someone do it before you do it.”

Gulbransen, a running back, rushed for 1,202 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Wolves (14-0). He also caught 12 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns.

Perhats had 102 tackles, seven sacks and 13 tackles for losses for the Wolves’ defense. Ommen led the Wolves with 118 tackles, including 11 sacks and 16 tackles for losses. All three players were Northwest Herald All-Area first-team selections.

“Nick (Margiotta) had positive things all over the board about Winona,” Perhats said. “I never heard him say a negative thing. He always spoke highly of it; everyone else speaks highly of it. That helped my decision that there’s a PR grad who absolutely loved it. Hopefully, I can, too.”

Gulbransen also liked D-III Wisconsin-Whitewater, but the Winona staff won him over.

“They have a lot of genuine guys that seem like they want the best for you in football and as a student,” Gulbransen said. “And just the atmosphere around the campus, everyone seems like they care about the sports. It’s a big deal. And the academics are top-notch.”

Gulbransen and Perhats were hoping that Ommen, who also was considering D-II Sioux Falls (South Dakota) would land at Winona. They talked to Winona’s staff about getting Ommen, too.

“That’s a lot of guys from our (Fox Valley) conference with (defensive tackle Michael) Gomez up there from Cary-Grove,” Perhats said. “We’re going to call (Winona) FVCU.”

Strickland was a Northwest Herald All-Area second-team pick at running back after rushing for 947 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Golden Eagles. He had offers from Indianapolis and Northern Michigan, but his brother John had played safety for Indianapolis, so Strickland knew coach Bob Bartolomeo and his staff well.

Strickland will move to strong safety in college. John Strickland, 24, played in high school at Glenbrook South.

“I’ve been there multiple times. I used to go to his games a lot when I was a kid,” Loren Strickland said of Indianapolis. “I went into the locker room. I know the coaches, and some of the graduate assistants were players there with my brother.”

Strickland thought about walking on at a D-I school but appreciated that the Greyhounds made their scholarship offer.

“I wasn’t going to pass that up,” Strickland said. “I didn’t think I should be going along with some D-I program if they really don’t want me. I’m going to go where someone wants me.”

Walker will be with his brother Josh, a sophomore running back, at Ferris State. Former Jacobs quarterback Bret Mooney also plays for the Bulldogs.

Caleb Walker is small (5-foot-5, 160 pounds), but speedy. He ran 44 times for 266 yards and six touchdowns and had 16 catches for 246 yards and one touchdown.

“Since Josh is there, I used to go up there all the time,” Caleb Walker said. “I talked to the coaches, and they’d say, ‘Are you better than your brother?’ I always told them, ‘Yeah,’ stuff like that. I have a relationship with them. They saw the type of player I could be, and they were excited to get me and thought I was a steal.”

Caleb Walker will play slot receiver at Ferris.

Ruhland to Butler: Cary-Grove offensive lineman Colton Ruhland, a
three-year varsity starter, announced over the weekend that he will attend Butler, a D-I school in Indianapolis.

Ruhland (6-2, 260) played center for the Trojans for the past three seasons. Butler plays in the Pioneer Football League, a conference that plays in the Football Championship Subdivision and does not award athletic scholarships.