Highly-touted prospect headed to Happy Valley

by Bryan Zollman

Pierce Petersohn, a highly-touted ATH from Dodge Center, MN, has committed to Penn State.

Petersohn, who plays for Triton High School in southern Minnesota, had narrowed his choices down to between Penn State and the Gophers. He visited the Penn State campus for a second time this past weekend and announced his decision Wednesday.

“The campus reminds me of my hometown,” Peterson told Let’s Play Football Thursday. “I am impressed with the coaching staff and the vision they have for me.”

Petersohn possesses the size, skill and athleticism that has made him a prized recruit (some ranking him a 4-star and others a 3-star) out of the small town of Dodge Center. At Triton, he started out on the JV team as a freshman and played quarterback. That is when the coaching staff first noticed they had a superior athlete in their midst.

“The way he led our JV team as a freshman spoke to us as a coaching staff that we may have something special here,” said Triton Head Coach Brandon Neseth.

He started at quarterback as a sophomore for the varsity team and made an immediate impact in his first start against Maple River.

“We got into a third and long situation at midfield and he proceeded to throw a 50-yard strike for a touchdown,” said Neseth. “That’s when we knew he was capable of special things.”

But it isn’t just on the gridiron where Petersohn has shown flashes of brilliance. He will surpass 2,000 points on the hardwood this winter where he averages 29 points per game, and as a high jumper has reached 6’10.” He also runs the 100, 200 and 400-yard dashes.

“When he high jumped at 6’10” you were reminded how special an athlete he truly is and I believe this is when colleges took notice,” said Neseth.

At 6’5” and 200 pounds, he also runs a 4.54 40-yard dash.

“You just don’t see that often in rural Minnesota,” said Neseth. “Add in his ability to see and understand the game the way he does and you realize pretty quickly why he is getting the opportunities he is getting at the college level.”

Petersohn will be a tight end at the college level. Penn State is known for their depth and development at the tight end position. Pierce said part of his decision came down to the development of tight ends at Penn State and the fact so many great tight ends have gone through the program and on to the NFL.

“They have had plenty of players that look like me now that got turned into NFL talent,” Petersohn said.

Neseth said Petersohn combines his size and skill with an unyielding work ethic.

“I think what separates Pierce is not only his athleticism, but his work ethic and his effort in all that he does,” he said. “In the three years I have worked with him, I have never seen him have an off day in practice. He has the same attitude and effort every day. It doesn’t matter if it is a summer practice in July or a practice the week of a state tournament game. His consistency is off the charts.”

Neseth said Petersohn was quiet and soft-spoken when he arrived as a freshman, but much has changed since then.

“He has become much more outspoken and willing to try and do everything possible to make sure his teams are successful,” he said. “His competitiveness is contagious as well. He competes in everything he does and it rubs off on teammates.”

The recruiting process has been a whirlwind for both Petersohn and Neseth.

“The schools we have worked with the most (Iowa State, Minnesota, Penn State) all have done things at a high level,” he said. “They have all been professional and operated above reproach. That was something that has been really encouraging to see at the D1 level.”

Petersohn said the process has been busy and he’s glad it is over and he can focus on his future, which still includes a senior season at Triton where he still has a lot to accomplish. When asked what his goals were for the upcoming season, the soon-to-be senior said “win games and a state championship.”

Being a college athlete has always been a dream for Petersohn. Now, he is able to fulfill that dream and will go from running out onto a small town field in southern Minnesota to Happy Valley where he will run out of the tunnel in front of 100,000 fans.

“Penn State atmosphere, especially for football is crazy,” he said. “However excited I am going to be it is going to be even more than I can imagine.”