Standout Otter student athlete Hayden Zenner has decided to stay home and attend M State – Fergus Falls and play football for the Spartans. Hayden, the son of Scott and Judy Zenner excelled as a running back for the Otters and will play the same position for the Spartans.
“I really consider it a great compliment to the college and the football program when a student athlete the caliber of Hayden chooses to stay home and attend our college and play football,” said Steve King, head coach of the Spartans. “He had some other options and could have chosen to go elsewhere, but he feels comfortable here and will definitely be a big boost to our football program. He is a high character person and strong academically which is exactly what we look for in our student athletes.”
Academically, Zenner is on the honor roll and received the Academic Excellence Award. On the field he was the third leading rusher in the Central Lakes Conference (CLC) this year running for over 1,000 yards. He received CLC All Conference honors his senior year and Honorable Mention his junior year. He was voted the team Most Valuable Player and received the offensive POW Award for 2011. He has also received the Outstanding Otter Award and was selected Player of the Game three times.
“A big thanks needs to go to my defensive coordinator Joe Barfknecht who assisted with the Otter wrestling program and really worked hard to get Hayden on campus for a visit,” added King. “We can use Hayden in so many ways in our offense and he is a proven playmaker. He has been well coached and we are very excited to see him with the ball in his hands for the Spartans.”
The M State Fergus Falls Spartans play in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference comprised of community and technical colleges from across the state of Minnesota. You can find more information about M State Fergus Falls at
www.minnesota.edu.