Dec. 22, 2005

by Jerry Giese, Sioux City Journal (Player capsules courtesy of Our Sports Central) -

Mike Winklepleck, John Zevenbergen, Cory Wirth and Kyle Ortegren were standouts for a third-ranked Morningside College (Iowa) football team that recently completed their best season ever, ending 12-1 after a loss to St. Francis (Ind.) in the semifinals of the NAIA national playoffs.

Now, they'll play for a franchise that's coming off their best season.

Coach Jose Jefferson guided the Sioux City Bandits to their first-ever division championship. The Bandits ended 15-3 after a narrow 40-38 loss to Sioux Falls in the championship game of the United Indoor Football playoffs.

Linebackers Adam Lloyd and Spetlar Tonga, two former Mustangs, were also introduced at Wednesday's press conference at Morningside's Hindman-Hobbs HPER Building that announced the Bandits' first six signed players of the 2006 season.

Lloyd, the Bandits' leader last year with 69 tackles (46 solo, 46 assists), played for the 2004 Morningside team that made their playoff debut, falling to St. Francis in the first round. Tonga led the Bandits with 35.5 tackles before suffering a season-ending knee injury in a 57-50 loss to Fort Wayne (Ind.) on May 7.

"We haven't had a chance to congratulate you on a great season," said Bob Scott, general manager and managing partner of the Bandits, as he focused his eyes on Morningside Coach Steve Ryan.

"We have a lot of respect for this coaching staff. We know what kind of expectations you have for them and Coach Jefferson will expect the same things."

"These are four guys who had a huge impact and played a major reason for our success," said Ryan, who has a 28-16 career record at Morningside. "I'm a fan of theirs. They helped build up this team with their great work ethic. They're going to work hard for you."

Ortegren, Winklepleck and Zevenbergen are career leaders in several statistical categories.

Ortegren, a 5-10, 195-pounder, is Morningside's all-time best in catches (219), receiving yards (2,976), kickoff returns (51) and kickoff return yards (1,105). Despite missing the majority of his senior season with a right knee injury that limited him to 4.5 games, he still won first-team Great Plains Athletic Conference honors.

"When I was coaching defensive backs at Midland Lutheran, (Ortegren) always gave us trouble," said Jefferson. "He has a knee injury, but in due time, he'll be back to help us. We have a tremendous receiving corps and he'll add to that."

Ortegren, who worked with Mustang receivers Damon Mothershead and Cody Jaminet after his injury, is progressing in weekly rehab sessions at CNOS and Morningside.

"It'll be a while before I'm ready to go because I'm still not 100 percent," said Ortegren. "I'm excited to play with the Bandits. I'll work hard for them all the time and do whatever Coach wants me to do."

Winklepleck, a 5-10, 190-pounder, is the career leader with 20 interceptions. A four-year starter in the secondary, the former Bishop Heelan High School standout followed the example set by Lloyd as he recalled his earlier days at Morningside.

"We played in the secondary together and we watched film together," said Winklepleck, a two-time GPAC first-team selection. "Adam helped me be the player I am. He taught me to how to watch film, how to move my feet and how to set up for my reads."

"It's a rare opportunity to play high school, college and professional football in the same town," said Jefferson. "His accolades speak for themselves."

Zevenbergen, a 6-2, 190-pounder, had a school-record 16 pass breakups his senior year and finished as the career leader with 40. The Hinton, Iowa, standout was a four-year starter at cornerback at Morningside and is excited that his football playing days aren't over.

"It'll be fun playing in front of friends and family," said Zevenbergen. "I thought about what would happen after the season was over. I didn't want football to be over. It would have been hard to let go."

"This guy is an Adam Lloyd type," said Jefferson. "He's a solid, great cover corner. We expect him to be a contributor right away."

Wirth, a 6-3, 230-pound fullback, ranks third in school history with 1,723 career receiving yards and fourth with 142 catches. He won first-team GPAC honors as a senior.

"It was an awesome feeling to part of what happened at Morningside because I didn't think it would happen," said the native of Tabor, Iowa, who was recruited as a quarterback. "I want to keep on playing."

"It's going to be hard to keep Cory off the field," said Jefferson. "I'm excited to get him and I feel he will contribute right away."

Signing on to play with the Bandits is:

Kyle Ortegren (Wide Receiver, 5'10" 195 lbs) Ortegren, a two-time NAIA All-American, is Morningside's all-time leader with 2,976 career pass reception yards. He is also a record holder in career receptions with 219. Ortegren is Morningside's all-time leader with 51 career kickoff returns and 1,105 career kickoff return yards. He received the Mustang of the Year Award based on character and although he missed a majority of the season with a knee injury, Ortegren still earned All-GPAC honorable mention honors. Ortegren is a 2001 graduate of Oskaloosa High school in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Cory Wirth (Fullback, 6'3" 230 lbs) Wirth, a three-year letter winner, ranks fourth in Morningside history with 142 career receptions and third with 1,723 career reception yards. He received the Morningside Outstanding Offensive Back Award for the 2005 season and received First Team All-GPAC honors for his second year in a row. Wirth is a 2002 graduate of Fremont Mills High School in Tabor, IA where he earned first-team Des Moines Register Class A all-state honors as a place-kicker.

Mike Winklepleck (Defensive Back, 5'10" 190 lbs) Winklepleck, was a four year starter for the Mustang defense. He ranked fourth in 2005 on the Mustangs' tackle chart with 27 solo stops and 32 assists for 59 total tackles. He had five tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 12 yards, six pass breakups, three interceptions, 1.5 quarterback sacks, and one fumble recovery. He is Morningside's all-time interception leader with 20. Last year he received second-team NAIA All-American honors. Winklepleck is a 2001 graduate of Sioux City Heelan. He was named the Sioux City Journal's 2001 Male Metro Athlete of the Year after starring for Heelan's football, wrestling, baseball, and track and field teams.

John Zevenbergen (Defensive Back, 6'2" 190 lbs) Zevenbergen, a four year starter at the cornerback position, holds a school-record with 16 pass breakups this season. He is also Morningside's all-time leader with 40 total pass breakups. He received the Morningside Outstanding Defensive Back award for the 2005 season as well as All-GPAC honorable mention honors. Zevenbergen is a 2002 graduate of Hinton High School where he earned fourth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a quarterback his senior year.

Adam Lloyd (Defensive Back/Linebacker, 6'1" 225 lbs) Lloyd is in his second year playing for the Bandits and also played at Morningside. Lloyd played in 13 games last season. He had 46 solos and 46 assisted for a total of 69 tackles, 11 of them resulting in tackles for loss. Lloyd also had three fumble recoveries and one interception in which he returned for a touch down. Adam was chosen as the Bandits top defensive player at the end of the 2004 season by the coaching staff. Head Coach, Jose Jefferson had this to say about Lloyd, "Adam, once he became healthy, was game in and game out our most consistent defensive player. Undersized as a linebacker, he played much larger than his 215 pounds. His instincts and knowledge of the game were invaluable for our coaching staff." Lloyd is a native of Moville, Iowa.

Spetlar Tonga (Linebacker, 6'0" 230 lbs) Tonga is in his third season with the Bandits. Previous to playing with the Bandits, Tonga also played at Morningside. He played in 7 games last year with 17 solos and 37 assisted giving him 35.5 total tackles, with one tackle for loss before his season ended early with a knee injury. Tonga lives here in Sioux City and helped coach the Briar Cliff football team during the 2005 season.

The 2006 Bandits Season Schedule is outlined below. Sioux City opens the season on the road against Fort Wayne who had the best record in the regular season in 2005. This season there is only one bye week compared to three the previous years.

March 25 @ Fort Wayne Freedom May 20 vs Sioux Falls Storm
April 01 vs Omaha Beef June 03 @ Peoria Rough Riders
April 08 @ Sioux Falls Storm June 10 @ Lexington Horsemen
April 15 vs Fort Wayne Freedom June 17 @ Sioux Falls Storm
April 22 @ Omaha Beef June 24 vs Sioux Falls Storm
April 30 @ Peoria Rough Riders July 02 vs Omaha Beef
May 06 vs Lexington Horsemen July 08 vs Peoria Rough Riders
May 13 vs Ohio Valley Greyhounds

Home games kickoff at 7:05 pm. Schedule subject to change.

Click here to read the original story on Our Sports Central and here to read the Sioux City Journal article.