Four Raiders take athletic careers to next level

MAXWELL — Athletes from Collins-Maxwell High School and Baxter High School came together once again Wednesday.

In true CMB fashion, Bryce Kemp, Patrick Girard, Joey Nissen and Colin Thomson had a National Signing Day event at both schools. Three Raiders will play college football and Thomson is advancing his athletic career in cross country.

Despite a late push from the University of Iowa, Kemp honored the commitment he made with Eastern Michigan over the summer and officially became an Eagle, while Thomson walked an unusual path to his future at Central College.

Girard and Nissen could wind up playing against each other in the NAIA playoffs after Girard signed with Morningside College and Nissen inked a scholarship with Grand View University.

“It’s a special day for these kids. It’s nice to know that someone is recruiting and that you get to play at the next level,” CMB football coach and Baxter Principal Rob Luther said. “For us, these kids put CMB on the map as high school athletes. They’ll always be CMB kids, so hopefully when they move on and do great things, they’ll look back and think that these schools had an impact on their lives. They are all great kids and they are all going to be successful with whatever they do.”

Bryce Kemp,

Eastern Michigan

University

The CMB all-state wide receiver became the second Raider athlete to sign a Division I football letter of intent, joining former Iowa Hawkeye Clint Huntrods.

Kemp committed to EMU over the summer after attending the Eagles’ camp. And the CMB senior is a man of his word, which is why he turned down the chance to be a preferred walk-on at the University of Iowa, a school he grew up rooting for. Kemp also received scholarship offers from Northern Iowa and Illinois State, but the full ride he was given by Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton was too good to pass up.

“I considered Iowa a lot, but my word means a lot to me,” Kemp said. “The only way I would have changed my mind is if Iowa would have offered. I appreciated the early offer from EMU and am excited about my future there.”

Kemp was a standout wide receiver at CMB. He earned elite all-state status this past season after hauling in 46 passes for 950 yards and eight touchdowns. He also threw for a score, rushed for three more and reached paydirt on defense and as a kick returner.

“They’ll find ways to split him out. He’ll be the receiving tight end in their offense,” Luther said. “They’ll try to get him in space and try to find a matchup against a linebacker.

“They are pretty excited and not automatically talking redshirt. They are going to take a look at him this summer. He is going to take classes there so he can workout with the team over the summer.”

Kemp said he expects his role as a tight end to be similar to what his role was at CMB.

“I really enjoy playing tight end. I’ll probably be more of a split end, which is what I did at CMB so I’ll enjoy that,” Kemp said.

Creighton became the head coach at Eastern Michigan after previously coaching at Drake University in Des Moines. He has the Bulldogs’ highest winning percentage in the program’s history.

Kemp, who plans to major in computer science, likes the fact that Eastern Michigan is a big college with a small-town feel. The MidAmerican Conference school is located in Ypsilanti, Mich., which has a population of about 20,000. And if he wants a taste of the big city atmosphere, Ann Arbor, Mich., is just 5 minutes away.

The Eagles went 2-10 overall last year and were 1-7 Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. They play at LSU in 2015 and some of their games could be televised by ESPN as part of its “MACtion” programming.

“The only downfall to going to EMU is that it isn’t really close to home, so being able to play on ESPN would be really cool,” Kemp said. “It would allow people from back home to watch some of our games.”

Patrick Girard,

Morningside College

Morningside co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Collin Prosser wasn’t sure the Mustangs would be able to land Girard during the recruiting process. But when the mammoth offensive tackle signed on the dotted line Wednesday, Prosser expressed how excited him and the rest of the Morningside coaching staff are to get the Class 2A first-team all-state linemen onto the Sioux City campus.

“He was high on our board. We liked what we saw on film,” Prosser said. “He is a big strong, physical kid. We wanted to get a guy that can help us stay true to what we’ve built and Pat fits every check mark that we have. We are excited to get him.”

The Mustangs went 11-2 in 2014 and reached the NAIA national semifinals for the second year in a row. They bring back nine of their 10 offensive linemen from last year’s two-deep roster, so Girard knows he may have to sit and watch for a few years.

“The first couple of years, if I have sit and watch and learn then I’ll do that, but I also want to come in and compete for a spot at some point,” said Girard, who also considering Iowa Central Community College and Division II Upper Iowa University.

The recruiting process with Morningside began around December. Girard took a visit to campus two weeks ago and knew at that point, Morningside was the place he wanted to be.

“I liked the campus and the coaches,” he said. “I enjoyed my time there. The football team is really good and that is something that I want to be a part of.”

Girard was a staple at left tackle for the Raiders and was instrumental in helping CMB go undefeated in the regular season for the first time in school history. When he gets to Morningside, where he plays on the offensive line is still up in the air.

“Pat is going to do a great job wherever he ends up playing,” Prosser said. “He is going to compete for a spot. We think he can do good things at both spots, but we’ll see what he does best and play him to his strengths.”

Girard, who plans to major in history or political science, will be reunited with a former teammate at Morningside. Former CMB Raider Luke Gibbs, who finished his prep career at Ankeny, is currently on the Mustangs’ roster. So is former PCM Mustang Zach Uhlenhopp.

“They were excited about Pat all along,” Luther said. “I don’t think they thought they would get him because he had the chance to go D-II. He was at the top of their board for offensive line. He has all the intangibles. He is a character kid and will represent Morningside well. He’ll understand his role, too. I don’t think he thinks he’ll walk right on campus and play right away. He wants to learn and get better.”

Joey Nissen, Grand View University

Nissen didn’t think his football future would lead him to Grand View, but the first-team all-state kicker is excited to play for a former NAIA national champion.

“I really thought that Buena Vista is where I was going to end up because that is who I talked to for a long time,” Nissen said. “Grand View called a few weeks ago and wanted me to visit the campus.

I went there the next day and liked it a lot. They have a great program, and I am looking forward to having the chance to play right away.”

GVU co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Joe Woodley plans to give Nissen the opportunity of early playing time. The kicking game is something that the Vikings struggled with in 2014, one season after winning an NAIA national title.

“We have a great need at the kicking spot. We had some issues last year at kicker so the area was a big emphasis for us,” said Woodley, whose father, Mike, is the head coach. “We felt that he fit everything that we wanted and needed. And he is a local kid. He has the type of personality that you need to be a kicker.”

Grand View’s connection with Nissen only runs about three weeks in length. The Viking coaching staff reached out to a family friend and Jamie Kohl, who runs the famous Kohl’s Kicking Camp, gave a ringing endorsement.

“We always call Jamie when a kicker is involved because he knows every single of one of them,” Joe Woodley said. “He spoke very highly of Joey and that is what sealed the deal for us. We are excited to see what he can do.”

Nissen will have access to the Grand View facilities in Des Moines over the summer. The biggest adjustment for Nissen will be no longer kicking field goals and PATs off a tee.

“A kicker is a kicker so he won’t have to worry about schemes or anything,” Luther said. “If he performs better than the other guy, he’s going to play. He is awfully consistent and is automatic in PATs. He works hard at it. He’ll have a chance to play right away.”

He’ll always have a chance to play for a national title consistently. The Vikings went undefeated in winning it all in 2013 and finished 10-2 last year with both losses coming against Marion University.

“It’s always great to go somewhere you know will compete for a national title,” said Nissen, who plans to major in sports management. “If you go to a school where all the sports are good, there will be a great atmosphere because the fans will be used to winning. If they won it two years ago, I don’t see why we can’t keep it rolling.”

Nissen made 11 field goals and had a long of 42 yards this past season. He was 41-of-44 in PATs and the three that missed were blocked. He also had 20 touchbacks.

His biggest competition at Grand View could come from former PCM standout Kody Wilkie. Collectively, Grand View kickers missed five field goals and 17 extra points in 2014.

Colin Thomson, Central College

Thomson didn’t start his high school athletic career as a cross country runner, but multiple knee injuries led him down that path.

He played football for CMB during his freshman and sophomores years but gave up the sport after tearing his lateral meniscus for a second time.

“I am so excited for Colin to continue to his career,” CMB cross country coach Jerry Meinerts said. “He was a cross country runner in junior high. He tried football and did some damage to his knee. He decided to run cross country to get into shape for basketball, and he was really good at it. It’s funny how life works. The injuries totally changed the path of his career.”

What didn’t change along Thomson’s path was the college he wanted to attend. Central College, which is located in Pella, was the front runner all along after both of his parents attended the school.

Wednesday, he joined members of the CMB football team to announce that he was making it official with the Dutch.

“I had a lot of connections there,” said Thomson, who capped his prep career with a trip to the state cross country meet this past fall. “I want to go into exercise science and Central has a great program. I think that’s a field that I can be really successful in.”

Thomson had minor interest in Grand View University and Wartburg College. He joins a few other recent CMB graduates who extended their running careers. That list includes Aaron Ward (Iowa Central), Hayley Leonard (Grand View) and Ashley Girard (Grand View).

“It’s nice that our kids are getting the recognition they deserve,” Meinerts said. “I am excited he is going to a local school so we can keep an eye on him and see how his career progresses.”

Thomson admits his path to the Central College cross country team is an unusual one. But Meinerts has no doubt that he will work hard at his craft.

“He runs anywhere from 200-300 miles every summer just to get ready for the season,” Meinerts said. “Central is getting a great kid and a dedicated athlete.”

Thomson added, “I didn’t expect to go to college for track or cross country but now that’s exactly what I am going to do.”

Contact Troy Hyde at
641-792-3121 ext. 6536 or thyde@newtondailynews.com