March 29, 2024

CMB's Samson takes football full circle

Zach Samson wanted to give Division I football a shot.

The former Collins-Maxwell/Baxter standout had a choice to make after his high school career ended. He could either walk-on and try to work his way into the two-deep depth chart at Iowa State University or play football for the Beavers of Buena Vista in Storm Lake.

When he made the decision to play for the Cyclones he had no idea he would still end up at Buena Vista.

But after one year of being a scout team player for the Cyclones, Samson has decided to move on and has chosen to spend the next four years of his collegiate career playing for Jay Anderson and the Beavers, who went 5-5 last year.

“They were both good schools, but I wanted to take a chance at playing Division I football,” Samson said of his decision to play for the Cyclones after high school. “It was a good experience, and I learned a lot. I felt like I had something to offer, but after looking at the depth chart in the spring, I wasn’t happy with where I was sitting.”

Samson packed several pounds of muscle at Iowa State. He is bigger than he was at CMB, but still has his sights set on playing quarterback for the Beavers.

To do that, he will have to compete against two incoming juniors who also played high school football in the state of Iowa. But he is ready for the challenge.

“They told me that I’ll get a chance to play quarterback and they run a similar offense as what I ran at CMB,” Samson said. “They run a lot of spread and zone read stuff.”

Samson, who was a two-time state champion in the shot put at CMB, will do what he can to play quarterback, but he also knows he may have to play elsewhere to see the field early.

That would be similar to the path his older brother Danny took in his collegiate football journey. Danny began his career with the hopes of playing QB at Truman State but ended up as an All-American defensive lineman at Central College.

Zach Samson hopes his year at Iowa State will help him play the QB position better.

“I learned how a defense moves more when I played the scout team at ISU and I learned about linebackers and what they are watching for on defense,” Zach Samson said. “I also learned a ton about strength and conditioning, too.”

There was a lot that Samson liked about Buena Vista. He likes that the school is located near several lakes. He enjoys being outdoors as he grew up on a farm in Baxter. Fishing and improving his golf game will be something he takes part in when he is not battling for playing time on the gridiron.

He will have four years of eligibility left when he arrives in Storm Lake in August. He plans to live on campus during the year and will spend this summer working with Danny and his father on the family farm.

Several other athletes in the area are choosing their future destinations. CMB had a big signing day on National Signing Day back in February and the Prairie City-Monroe has had five seniors recently take part in their signing cermonies.

It’s a big moment in high school athletes’ lives. And not everyone gets to extend their careers.

The Newton Daily News wants to know the future plans of our athletes. So when you know, let us know.

The annual Drake Relays return to Drake Stadium in Des Moines this week.

It’s always prestigious to compete in the event and a few of the area tracksters have solid chances to come home with top 10 finishes.

Action kicked off Sunday with the Beautiful Bulldog Contest, continues Tuesday with the Grand Blue Mile and Wednesday with the Street Vault at Court Avenue as well as the decathlon and heptathlon.

Thursday begins the first full day of action and it continues through the weekend.

The biggest day for me personally comes Sunday when I attempt my third Drake Relays 10K.

I say attempt because I am still working my way back from a bout with mono.

My goal right now is to finish. But I am sure it will be raised a bit once I hit the streets Sunday morning.

Social media has become a powerful commodity these days.

For daily updates on area athletes, follow the Newton Daily News sports department on twitter @NDNSports1. You can also follow me @troyhyde44.