by Bill Seals
An in-state athlete, who committed to Iowa State last summer and shut down his recruitment prior to his junior season, enjoyed a busy 2018 season as he factored in on both sides of the ball.
Central Decatur two-way standout Cole Pedersen helped lead his squad to wins in four of its last five games while playing multiple roles…including quarterback.
“As a team, we were 4-5,” said Pedersen, who chose the Cyclones in late July. “We’re a pretty small school with not many people, so it was pretty tough keeping everybody fresh and playing against some bigger teams. The first four games of the season were all against schools bigger than us and we lost all of those.
“I think I played pretty decent in most of them. We started to get rolling at the end of the season. Offensively, I played pretty well and had over 2,000 all-purpose yards. Defensively, I played just about everywhere and was moving around a lot. It was something new.”
Although he’ll settle into one position – linebacker – as a Cyclone, Pedersen has been asked to do a lot for a Central Decatur team low in numbers.
“I wasn’t going to play quarterback and had played wide receiver my first two years but had to switch over,” he said. “I wanted to be both a running and passing threat, but I was more of a runner than passer. Defensively, I wanted to read things better and react better. That improved throughout the season.”
After playing both ways on Friday nights, Pedersen made frequent trips to Ames on Saturdays for game days this season. He said the stops have continued to re-affirm his commitment to the Cyclones.
“They had a really good season,” he said. “I went down and watched four or five of their home games. It was really fun to interact with everybody and watch some great games. The first one I went to was the one that got rained out, so that was a bummer. I’m excited to go up there and get to work.”
A pair of defensive coaches have remained in steady contact with Pedersen since his commitment.
“I talk to (Jon) Heacock and (Tyson) Veidt the most,” he said. “They’ve been excited to see me and always ask how I’m doing and what I’m working on. They still want me to play linebacker and I’m excited about it. I think I can really help out in that position. I only played around three full games there this season, so I don’t have a lot of experience there.”
Pedersen’s said his next unofficial visit will come this Sunday for an ISU bowl practice.
An in-state athlete, who committed to Iowa State last summer and shut down his recruitment prior to his junior season, enjoyed a busy 2018 season as he factored in on both sides of the ball.
Central Decatur two-way standout Cole Pedersen helped lead his squad to wins in four of its last five games while playing multiple roles…including quarterback.
“As a team, we were 4-5,” said Pedersen, who chose the Cyclones in late July. “We’re a pretty small school with not many people, so it was pretty tough keeping everybody fresh and playing against some bigger teams. The first four games of the season were all against schools bigger than us and we lost all of those.
“I think I played pretty decent in most of them. We started to get rolling at the end of the season. Offensively, I played pretty well and had over 2,000 all-purpose yards. Defensively, I played just about everywhere and was moving around a lot. It was something new.”
Although he’ll settle into one position – linebacker – as a Cyclone, Pedersen has been asked to do a lot for a Central Decatur team low in numbers.
“I wasn’t going to play quarterback and had played wide receiver my first two years but had to switch over,” he said. “I wanted to be both a running and passing threat, but I was more of a runner than passer. Defensively, I wanted to read things better and react better. That improved throughout the season.”
After playing both ways on Friday nights, Pedersen made frequent trips to Ames on Saturdays for game days this season. He said the stops have continued to re-affirm his commitment to the Cyclones.
“They had a really good season,” he said. “I went down and watched four or five of their home games. It was really fun to interact with everybody and watch some great games. The first one I went to was the one that got rained out, so that was a bummer. I’m excited to go up there and get to work.”
A pair of defensive coaches have remained in steady contact with Pedersen since his commitment.
“I talk to (Jon) Heacock and (Tyson) Veidt the most,” he said. “They’ve been excited to see me and always ask how I’m doing and what I’m working on. They still want me to play linebacker and I’m excited about it. I think I can really help out in that position. I only played around three full games there this season, so I don’t have a lot of experience there.”
Pedersen’s said his next unofficial visit will come this Sunday for an ISU bowl practice.
