SDSU signs 17 for football - Rivals.com

SDSU signs 17 for football
South Dakota State University football coach John Stiegelmeier announced Wednesday that 17
high school standouts have signed a National Letter of Intent, indicating they will enroll at SDSU
in the fall and compete for the Jackrabbit football program.
“Today’s signing list marks a new page for SDSU football,” Stiegelmeier said. “First of all,
because of our reclassification timeline, those in this class who are redshirted will be able to
compete for both conference and national championships in each of their four years of eligibility.
Secondly, this is the first year our program will be fully funded scholarship-wise. That will have a
positive effect on our program as we recruit in future years.”
The 2007 recruiting class includes:
• James Britt, 6-1, 180, cornerback, The Colony, Texas;
• Zach Buchner (pronounced BUCK-ner), 6-5, 280, offensive line, Coon Rapids, Minn.;
• Dominique Clare, 6-1, 215, running back, Delano, Minn.;
• Jim Ebke (pronounced EBB-ke), 6-1, 190, linebacker, Lincoln, Neb.;
• Erich Feller, 6-2, 195, safety, Charles City, Iowa;
• Brandon Gant, 5-10, 185, wide receiver, Olathe, Kan.
• Brad Iverson, 6-5, 190, quarterback, Sioux Falls, S.D.;
• Sam Kavanagh, 6-5, 230, tight end, DeGraff, Minn.;
• John Kirwan, 6-2, 265, defensive line, Sioux City, Iowa;
• Dirk Kool, 6-3, 225, linebacker, Fairfield, Iowa;
• Brendan Luedtke (pronounced LIDT-kee), 6-5, 250, offensive line, Park Falls, Wis.
• Rodkem (pronounced rod-KEEM) Matthews, 6-0, 175, cornerback, Kansas City, Mo.;
• Woody Orne (pronounced orn), 6-5, 250, offensive line, Fairfield, Iowa;
• Teddy Shonka, 6-2, 205, wide receiver, Cedar Rapids, Iowa;
• Jake Steffen, 6-4, 215, linebacker, Mount Vernon, S.D.;
• Anthony Wise, 6-2, 190, safety, The Colony, Texas;
• Eric Wood, 6-3, 215, defensive end, Flower Mound, Texas
Britt earned two varsity letters in both high school and track and field at
The Colony High School. He earned first-team all-district recognition and
was the team’s co-most valuable defensive back under the guidance of coach
Dan Burk, after recording 50 tackles and two interceptions and breaking up
10 passes. An academic all-district selection, Britt plans to major in
business economics at SDSU.
Buchner earned all-Northwest Suburban Conference honors and second-team all-Metro
accolades during the 2006 season at Coon Rapids High School under coach Clayton Copple. He
also has competed in basketball. A four-year academic letterman, Buchner intends to study
pharmacy at SDSU.
Clare posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Delano High School, earning all-Wright
County Conference honors both times. As a senior, he tallied 1,165 yards and scored 12
touchdowns, while also catching six passes for 198 yards and two TDs. A standout in track, he
holds the second-fastest100-meter dash time in school history. Clare, who is undecided about his
college major, also competes in basketball.
Ebke was the most decorated player in the state of Nebraska during the 2006 season, earning
state Gatorade Player of the Year honors while quarterbacking Lincoln East High School to the

state quarterfinals. Under the direction of coach John Gingery, Ebke was honored as the Super-
State Honorary Captain and Offensive Player of the Year by the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha
World-Herald after setting eight school records and leading Class A in total offense with 1,225
yards passing and 1,549 yards rushing while accounting for 31 touchdowns. Defensively, he
made 66 tackles and intercepted two passes. In addition, he has been named to the all-state
basketball honorable mention squad two times and has also competed in track and field and
baseball at the varsity level. An academic all-state selection in three sports, Ebke plans to major
in pre-dentistry.
Feller earned all-district honors each of the last two seasons at Charles City High School and
was a first-team Class 3A all-state selection by the Des Moines Register and second-team allstate
pick by the Iowa Newspaper Association. Honored as the Charles City Press All-Area Most
Valuable Player, he totaled 111 tackles and forced three fumbles. On the offensive side of the
ball, he caught 47 passes for 554 yards. Feller also has competed in baseball and basketball, and
was a member of Charles City’s state championship track and field team in 2005. A member of
the National Honor Society, he plans to major in business economics.
Gant led the highly successful Olathe North football team in receptions each of the last two
seasons, totaling 20 catches and four touchdowns as a senior. An honorable mention all-
Sunflower League and all-Sun Country honoree, Gant totaled 342 receiving yards for an average
of 17.1 yards per catch. He also has started on the basketball team each of the last two seasons.
Gant plans to pursue a degree in health, physical education and recreation.
Iverson quarterbacked Roosevelt High School to the South Dakota 11AA state championship this
past fall, earning all-state honors and Elite 45 recognition from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. A
two-time all-Greater Dakota Conference selection, Iverson threw for 945 yards and six
touchdowns during his senior season and ran for 353 yards and six TDs. He also has earned allconference
honors in basketball and has competed in three state track and field meets. In the
classroom, Iverson has been awarded academic all-state honors and plans to pursue a degree in
pharmacy.
Kavanagh was named to the West Central Tribune All-Area Team two times and was a two-time
all-conference selection at Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School. During his senior season
he caught 35 passes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns, while also being selected as the
Pheasant Conference Most Valuable Lineman. He also racked up 59 tackles as a defensive end.
A member of the National Honor Society and academic all-state selection, Kavanagh will pursue
a degree in wildlife and fisheries.
Kirwan capped his prep career by being named to the Class 4A Iowa Newspaper Association All-
State First Team as an offensive lineman and was named to the all-Western Iowa First Team as
a defensive lineman by the Omaha World-Herald after leading his Sioux City East High School
team in tackles for the second time in three seasons. A three-time all-Metro selection by the
Sioux City Journal and two-time all-Missouri River Conference selection in football, Kirwan also
has competed in track and field. An honor roll student, he is undecided about his college major.
Kool will be the third generation of his family to play football for the Jackrabbits, joining his father,
Mark (1977-79) and his grandfather, Marv (1949-51). At Fairfield High School, Dirk Kool earned
third-team all-state honors as a linebacker from the Iowa Newspaper Association in 2006. He also
was a second-team selection at tight end by the Des Moines Register in 2004 before moving to
quarterback.
Luedtke was an all-region selection both offensively and defensively at Park Falls High School
under coach Jeff Trochil. He earned all-state recognition on defense and was an honorable
mention all-state selection by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as an offensive lineman. Luedtke
also has earned all-conference honors in baseball. A member of the National Honor Society and
Future Business Leaders of America, he plans to major in chemistry.

Matthews will make the switch to the defensive side of the ball after earning all-conference
honors as a quarterback in both 2005 and 2006. He also has lettered twice in basketball and four
times in track and field at North Kansas City High School, where he qualified for the state track
meet in both the 300-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay. Matthews plans to pursue a degree in
forensic science at SDSU.
Orne lettered three times in football during an outstanding prep athletic career at Fairfield High
School, earning all-district honors each of his last two seasons. Also a standout basketball player,
he has earned all-conference honors four times, all-district recognition twice and was a first-team
all-state selection as junior. In addition, Orne has qualified for the state track and field meet in the
high jump. He intends to major in business economics.
Shonka competed four years in football at John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
where he earned first-team all-state honors from both the Iowa Newspaper Association and Des
Moines Register. He set school and conference single-season records with 57 receptions in
2006, while finishing his career with school records of 81 receptions and 1,010 receiving yards
under the direction of coach Tim Lewis. His 691 receiving yards in 2006 also set a single-season
school record. In baseball, Shonka compliled a 6-4 record with nine saves as a pitcher last
season, while also hitting .348 to earn first-team all-district honors. He also has competed in
basketball, soccer and track at the prep level. An honor student, Shonka plans to major in
business economics.
Steffen rolled up more than 6,000 yards in total offense during a standout career for the Stickney-
Mount Vernon football team under his coach and father, Myron Steffen, but is projected as a
linebacker at the collegiate level, where he will join his older brother, Mike, on the Jackrabbit
football team. A two-time Class 9AA all-state selection and Sioux Falls Argus Leader Elite 45
quarterback, his career totals included 3,457 rushing yards, 2,948 passing yards and 115
touchdowns. The 2006 Mitchell Daily Republic Player of the Year, Steffen also recorded 336
career tackles. He ran on Mount Vernon High School’s Class B state runner-up 800-meter relay
team in 2005, and has played basketball and baseball. An honor roll student, Steffen intends to
major in health promotion.
Wise also joins the Jackrabbit secondary from The Colony High School. The team’s co-defensive
MVP and second-team all district selection, Wise recorded 79 tackles, including six tackles for
loss, intercepted one pass, broke up seven passes and forced three fumbles in 2006. In addition,
he earned first-team academic all-district and second-team academic all-state honors. He plans
to major in electrical engineering.
Wood earned all-district 5A honors in helping lead Flower Mound High School to its first
appearance in the state playoffs and an eighth-place ranking in the Dallas Metroplex. A two-year
varsity letterman, he tallied 77 tackles, including 11 for a loss with six sacks, and forced five
fumbles during his senior season. Wood intends to major in either animal science or biology.
“As a staff, we are very excited about the future contributions of this class of student-athletes,”
Stiegelemeier said. “As students, the signees have an average grade-point average of 3.3 and
ACT score of 23. As athletes, we were able to fill our needs and we look forward to each of their
contributions. This class has the potential to make a difference at SDSU.”
In addition, two other high school standouts, Nolan Johnson from Kearney, Neb., and Casey
Elshere from Milesville, S.D., have been accepted for admission at SDSU and plan to join the
football team next fall.
Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound defensive lineman, earned first-team Class A all-state honors,
as well as sports on the all-Nebraska and Super-State first-team defense honor squads under the
direction of coach Brandon Cool. He also played center on Kearney High School’s state

championship team in 2006, helping lead the squad to a 31-5 record in his three years at the
varsity level. In addition, Johnson qualified for the 2006 state track and field meet in the shot put.
He plans to major in exercise science or biology with an emphasis in pre-chiropractic medicine.
Elshere, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound tight end/offensive lineman, earned honorable mention all-state
honors at center in 2005 and was an all-state defensive end in 2006 for Philip High School. A
four-year letterman, Elshere played a key role on Philip’s state runner-up team in 2005. His
career statistics included 17 sacks and four touchdowns among five career receptions. He also
has been an all-conference selection in basketball and has qualified for the state track and field
meet in both the shot put and 110-meter hurdles. An honor roll student, Elshere is undecided
about his college major.
South Dakota State finished the 2006 season with a 7-4 overall record, including a runner-up
finish in the Great West Football Conference with a 3-1 record. The Jackrabbits are scheduled to
open their fourth season of competition in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly
Division I-AA) Aug. 30 at Western Illinois.
Jason Hove
Sports Information Director
South Dakota State University
Office: (605) 688-4623
Cell: (605) 695-1827
Fax: (605) 688-5999
www.gojacks.com
Go Big. Go Blue. Go Jacks.