Cougars' Vondersaar gets 'Knight'ed

Friday, March 13, 2009
North Putnam senior Seth Vondersaar signed to play football at Marian College Thursday. On hand for the signing were his parents Anita Herbert and Kurt Vondersaar, along with Marian assistant coach Rodney Deckard (left) and Cougar head coach Greg Barrett.

North Putnam senior Seth Vondersaar will look to bring his aggressive style of play to Marian College this fall. Vondersaar signed to play for the Knights on Thursday.

A Class 2A All-State Honorable Mention and Banner Graphic Defensive Player of the Year, Vondersaar tore through his senior season collecting 93 total tackles and two blocked punts.

For most athletes, putting pen to paper and making the commitment to play at the next level is a mixture of relief and excitement and it was no exception for Vondersaar.

"It's pretty exciting that I'm going to be playing at the college level. I'm pretty stoked about it," he said.

Looking ahead to the fall, Vondersaar believes that the foundation of a successful college beginning involves the basics. Making the commitment to do the little things that make a difference. When asked what he thought would be the biggest difference between the high school and college game, he acknowledged two things.

"(It will be) probably the preparation," Vondersaar said. "Getting up at six in the morning to go lift and try to get bigger and better every day. I've done that at the high school. Also, the players are going to be twice as big -- it's just a lot more competition."

Whether known as "Animal" or "Vondersack," one thing is clear; if Vondersaar is coming at you, you might want to get out of the way. In addition to his tackles and blocked punts, he recorded a staggering 13 sacks on the season.

"I hope that it (my play) translates pretty well," Vondersaar commented. "I'm hoping to start my freshman year at least and I think I probably could. I guess just play as hard as I can and get in there and give it my all."

He won't be alone as he makes his trek to Indianapolis. He will be joining brother Adam as a member of the Knights' squad. He mentioned that he was happy about playing along side his brother and said that they might even room together in the fall.

Vondersaar also hopes that younger players will look at the examples that he and teammates Griffen Dahlstrom and Josh Keyt has set.

"I hope they try to follow us in what we do," he said. "We all are good students and good athletes at the same time. We don't go party; we try to work out and stay in shape in the off-season. Just play our hardest on the field and try to be a good person."

It will be a summer of hard work for the North Putnam senior. Knowing that bigger, quicker and more intense players await in the fall, Vondersaar is looking to elevate his game and be ready to make an impact.

"Hit the weight room and stay big, stay in shape, try to get faster and just try to increase my knowledge of the game," he commented.

The Marian Knights begin their season Aug. 27 on the road against the University of Saint Francis (Ill.) at 6 p.m.