Washington Football

4 Wash football players pick colleges

Cedar Rapids Washington seniors Sean Bredl, Will Griffin, Michael Peterson and Paul Nash have found places to play college football next season.

Bredl is headed to the University of South Dakota as a linebacker, Griffin has committed to Winona State (Minn.) as a running back, Peterson is going to Drake as a punter and Paul Nash has committed to Iowa Western Community College as an offensive lineman.

They all plan to sign their letters-of-intent at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Washington cafeteria.

Bredl led the Warriors in tackles last season with 106 and was named second team all-state by the Des Moines Register. He was a first-team selection on the all-Metro and all-Mississippi Valley Conference squads.

Griffin rushed 118 times for 632 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games for the Warriors. He missed the first five games of the season with an ankle injury. He carried the ball 55 times for 452 yards and six TDs as a junior, giving him 1,084 yards and 17 touchdowns during his career. He's also one of the top sprinters in Iowa.

Peterson punted 32 times for a 39.2-yard average last season with a long punt of 61 yards. He was named third team all-state by the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and was a first-team pick on the All-Metro and All-Mississippi Valley Conference teams.

Nash is a 6-foot-5 offensive lineman who missed part of the season with an injury, then returned to help the Warriors (8-4) reach the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Cain joins Garman at North Dakota

It wasn't a difficult decision for Ryan Cain when he was invited to join the University of North Dakota football program last weekend.

One of his best friends, North Dakota freshman and former Linn-Mar standout Jer Garman, was Cain's host during his recruiting visit to Grand Forks.

"We always wanted to play together, so it was kind of like a dream come true," said Cain, a standout cornerback, receiver and kick returner for the Washington football team.

"We played football together and against each other since we were kids," Cain said of his relationship with Garman. "We've been close friends since childhood.

"He kind of helped in the recruiting process."

Cain will sign a national letter of intent with UND this week. The national signing period starts on Wednesday.

Cain said he didn't know much about North Dakota before his visit.

"I knew they won their conference (Big West) and that things are on the uprise, looking good," he said.

North Dakota becomes a member of the rugged Big Sky Conference, which features tradition-rich programs such as Montana, Montana State and Eastern Washington that are annually among the contenders for an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) national championship. Eastern Washington won the 2010 national championship. Montana reached the semifinals this year after knocking out Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.

"It's a pretty dominant Division I-AA conference," Cain said.

Cain said he has been told that he will have a chance to start as a freshman at safety and kick returner.

"It's looking bright. I'm in the running for starting," he said. "I just have to go in, get the playbook down and see what happens."

Cain said he had narrowed his college choices to North Dakota, South Dakota and Northern Iowa before he chose UND. He said he will study business with an eye on an MBA and, eventually, law school.

Cain is the second Warrior to commit to a Big Sky Conference school. Tackle McCauley Todd has committed to Montana.

McCauley Todd picks Montana for football

Cedar Rapids Washington senior McCauley Todd enjoys the wild west and he loves football, so his college selection makes perfect sense.

Todd committed to play football for the University of Montana Wednesday after visiting the campus in Missoula last weekend when the Grizzlies crushed Northern Iowa in the FCS playoffs.

"All my life, I've been interested in going out west. I like the mountains," Todd said Thursday. "It's just something I'm interested in, so we sent my film out there and that's how the contact got started."

The Montana coaches liked what they saw of the 6-foot-7, 275-pound offensive tackle on tape, who is almost big enough to be a grizzly bear himself.

Todd has visited Rocky Mountain National Park and plans to visit Yellowstone and Glacier National Park soon. "I like to be outdoors, I like to fish," he said.

Todd helped the Washington Warriors compile an 8-4 record this year and reach the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs.

He had college scholarship offers from Western Illinois and Montana State and took an unofficial visit to Northern Iowa, but the Panthers had not offered a scholarship. "I sat down and came up with what was really important to me," Todd said "It was a clear decision to me, which school I should pick."

Montana (11-2) has a date with top-ranked Sam Houston State in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs this week and has a rich tradition in college football. The Grizzlies tied for the Big Sky Conference title this season and are ranked fifth in the country.

Todd said he picked Montana because of its tradition, location, academic courses, campus life and football. He's interested in their programs in environmental pre-law and history.

"The tradition is awesome up there," he said. "I don't like to lose. Not many people do, but I really don't like to lose. That definitely played a role."

He'd also like to coach football at some point. "I really love the game and I know I want to be around it for a long time after my playing career," he said.

Todd enjoyed his trip to Montana last weekend and enjoyed sitting in the stands last Friday night for the playoff game against Northern Iowa with more than 23,000 fans, who yell from start to finish.

"It is a crazy atmosphere," he said. "Coming from Iowa and being a Hawkeye fan, we know a little bit about crazy fans that have a ton of pride. We know that here, and that's exactly how it is there. They love their Montana football out there."

Todd said he'll probably redshirt in 2012 as a true freshman and start building his body toward 305 or 310 pounds. "I think it will be good for me to get that year of development to get big enough and a little bit faster to compete with those grown men you've got to block up there," he said.

Todd did not play much for Washington in 2010 as a junior due to an injury and having talented players ahead of him on the depth chart. He blossomed this season and became a key man for the Warriors.

"It's pretty safe to say a year ago at this time there was absolutely no interest in me," he said. "I've got a long ways to go, but I'm going to keep working hard."

Bredl 4A second team all-state by Register

DES MOINES - Linn-Mar High School seniors Andy Henry and Mark Atwater were named to the Des Moines Register Elite All-State Football Team Sunday morning.

Henry made the Elite Offense at wide receiver after catching 53 passes with 18 touchdowns. Atwater was named to the Elite Defense after starring at linebacker.

Atwater also excelled as a quarterback for the Lions, but Blake Gimbel of Marshalltown and Kyle Starcevich of Southeast Polk were honored as the top quarterbacks in the state.

Cedar Rapids Washington senior Sean Bredl and Xavier senior William Wright were named to the Class 4A Second Team Offense as linemen. Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior Logan LeTellier was honored on the Class 4A Second Team Defense as a lineman.

Marion High School senior Jake McDonald was named to the Class 3A First Team Defense at linebacker.

You can see all of the Register's all-state football selections at www.dmregister.com.