M’side’s Oetken ‘picks’ his spots
Senior DB boasts record 22 interceptions
By Steven Allspach | Posted: Friday, November 28, 2008
Morningside's Ryan Oetken makes an interception against Concordia Oct. 21 at Olson Stadium. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
The NAIA has this special athletic award category called "Champions of Character.''
The award combines excellence in athletics, academics and, of course, character.
It was bestowed before Ryan Oetken came along to play football, excel in the classroom and provide sterling leadership on the football team at Morningside College.
Nonetheless, the award was created with the Ryan Oetkens of the world in mind.
Not a day passes, either, without him thinking and remembering, with a heavy heart, his older sister Lisa, who perished in a tragic automobile accident when she was a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa.
This is a tough guy with, as Morningside Coach Steve Ryan says, the heart of a lion, but not without compassion.
Oetken, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound Morningside senior from Akron, Iowa, has developed into one of the finest defensive backs in school history, but he also sports a 3.89 grade point average in the classroom. The pre-dental student majoring in biology and chemistry will learn next week if he's been accepted into dental schools at both the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska.
He can be a villain, though. Just ask any quarterback in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Going into Morningside's quarterfinal playoff clash Saturday at Olsen Stadium with seventh-ranked Lindenwood (Mo.), the graduate of Akron-Westfield High School already owns the school record for pass interceptions with 22 and with one more pass threft will equal the single-season record of 10 set way back in 1969 by Dwight Sann.
Earlier this season, he surpassed the previous career interception record held by NAIA All-American Mike Winklepleck.
"I think there's some natural instinct involved, but it's more hard work and preparation,'' said Oetken of his penchant for pulling off one of the most difficult gridiron feats, making crowd-pleasing interceptions.
"Over the years I watched hours and hours of film, not only preparing for the next game, but just looking for mistakes I might be making and, with the help of my coaches, figuring out what I need to do to correct those mistakes.
"When I got to Morningside, I was recruited as a safety, but the coaches switched me to cornerback the next year.
"It took some time to adjust, but it's all worked out for the better.
"With the help of some great teammates we've had a lot of success, but we're not done yet.''
Last week, in a first-round playoff win over 13th-ranked Baker (Kan.), Oetken made a season high 11 tackles, six of them solos, and he turned his team best eighth pass breakup of the campaign as the Mustangs improved to 10-1.
Oetken has nine interceptions this season and ranks second nationally in NAIA football with 0.8 pilfers a game. He's also made 60 tackles, 32 of them solos.
"We take a lot of pride in the defense,'' said Ryan, the son of Roger and Dani Oetken and Rhonda and Lynn Johnson. "Believe me, I'm surrounded by some pretty darn good athletes and it's been an honor to be their teammate.''
Coach Ryan calls his stellar senior the "finest team leader I've ever coached.''
Coach Ryan is 56-23 in seven seasons at the Morningside helm.
"Ryan Oetken is a talented athlete, but he's worked so hard to get better and better,'' said Coach Ryan. "Experience and preparation have had a lot to do with his development.
"He can make the plays, but he's such an inspiration for the other guys, on and off the field. He sometimes wills us to get it done.''
Three of Oetken's interceptions this season have come against Sioux Falls, Northwestern and Dakota Wesleyan, three of Morningside's toughest foes.
He had a pick in each of those games, one of them to USF, the only team to take the measure of the Mustangs this season.
Morningside lost the GPAC title game at second-ranked Sioux Falls, 34-31, in the regular season finale for both teams. The loss dropped the Mustangs from fourth to sixth in the final national rankings.
"The loss up there (Sioux Falls) hurt, it hurt a lot,'' said Oetken. "Baker was a good team and we'll have to be at our best against Lindenwood, too. We can't look ahead, but another game with Sioux Falls ... well, we can't think about that right now.''
As a senior at Akon-Westfield in 2004, Oetken earned first-team Class 1A all-state recognition, rushing for 1,025 yards and making six interceptions on defense.
He was also one four class valedictorians. Interestingly, two others, Tara Colt and Andrea Parkinson, are now softball standouts at Briar Cliff.
Along with classroom work preparing for dental school, Ryan has also put in an additional 200 hours of work study beginning last May shadowing dental practices in the offices of Dr. Frank Sargent and the Morningside Dental Clinic.
"I find time for other things,'' said Ryan."I love to hunt and be in the outdoors.''
Saturday, as he has for three seasons, Ryan Oetken will be once again hunting down opposing runners and receivers, not to mention ill-advised passes from the quarterback.
d
The award combines excellence in athletics, academics and, of course, character.
It was bestowed before Ryan Oetken came along to play football, excel in the classroom and provide sterling leadership on the football team at Morningside College.
Nonetheless, the award was created with the Ryan Oetkens of the world in mind.
Not a day passes, either, without him thinking and remembering, with a heavy heart, his older sister Lisa, who perished in a tragic automobile accident when she was a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa.
This is a tough guy with, as Morningside Coach Steve Ryan says, the heart of a lion, but not without compassion.
Oetken, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound Morningside senior from Akron, Iowa, has developed into one of the finest defensive backs in school history, but he also sports a 3.89 grade point average in the classroom. The pre-dental student majoring in biology and chemistry will learn next week if he's been accepted into dental schools at both the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska.
He can be a villain, though. Just ask any quarterback in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Going into Morningside's quarterfinal playoff clash Saturday at Olsen Stadium with seventh-ranked Lindenwood (Mo.), the graduate of Akron-Westfield High School already owns the school record for pass interceptions with 22 and with one more pass threft will equal the single-season record of 10 set way back in 1969 by Dwight Sann.
Earlier this season, he surpassed the previous career interception record held by NAIA All-American Mike Winklepleck.
"I think there's some natural instinct involved, but it's more hard work and preparation,'' said Oetken of his penchant for pulling off one of the most difficult gridiron feats, making crowd-pleasing interceptions.
"Over the years I watched hours and hours of film, not only preparing for the next game, but just looking for mistakes I might be making and, with the help of my coaches, figuring out what I need to do to correct those mistakes.
"When I got to Morningside, I was recruited as a safety, but the coaches switched me to cornerback the next year.
"It took some time to adjust, but it's all worked out for the better.
"With the help of some great teammates we've had a lot of success, but we're not done yet.''
Last week, in a first-round playoff win over 13th-ranked Baker (Kan.), Oetken made a season high 11 tackles, six of them solos, and he turned his team best eighth pass breakup of the campaign as the Mustangs improved to 10-1.
Oetken has nine interceptions this season and ranks second nationally in NAIA football with 0.8 pilfers a game. He's also made 60 tackles, 32 of them solos.
"We take a lot of pride in the defense,'' said Ryan, the son of Roger and Dani Oetken and Rhonda and Lynn Johnson. "Believe me, I'm surrounded by some pretty darn good athletes and it's been an honor to be their teammate.''
Coach Ryan calls his stellar senior the "finest team leader I've ever coached.''
Coach Ryan is 56-23 in seven seasons at the Morningside helm.
"Ryan Oetken is a talented athlete, but he's worked so hard to get better and better,'' said Coach Ryan. "Experience and preparation have had a lot to do with his development.
"He can make the plays, but he's such an inspiration for the other guys, on and off the field. He sometimes wills us to get it done.''
Three of Oetken's interceptions this season have come against Sioux Falls, Northwestern and Dakota Wesleyan, three of Morningside's toughest foes.
He had a pick in each of those games, one of them to USF, the only team to take the measure of the Mustangs this season.
Morningside lost the GPAC title game at second-ranked Sioux Falls, 34-31, in the regular season finale for both teams. The loss dropped the Mustangs from fourth to sixth in the final national rankings.
"The loss up there (Sioux Falls) hurt, it hurt a lot,'' said Oetken. "Baker was a good team and we'll have to be at our best against Lindenwood, too. We can't look ahead, but another game with Sioux Falls ... well, we can't think about that right now.''
As a senior at Akon-Westfield in 2004, Oetken earned first-team Class 1A all-state recognition, rushing for 1,025 yards and making six interceptions on defense.
He was also one four class valedictorians. Interestingly, two others, Tara Colt and Andrea Parkinson, are now softball standouts at Briar Cliff.
Along with classroom work preparing for dental school, Ryan has also put in an additional 200 hours of work study beginning last May shadowing dental practices in the offices of Dr. Frank Sargent and the Morningside Dental Clinic.
"I find time for other things,'' said Ryan."I love to hunt and be in the outdoors.''
Saturday, as he has for three seasons, Ryan Oetken will be once again hunting down opposing runners and receivers, not to mention ill-advised passes from the quarterback.
d
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