Hungry to push for more playing time while also relocating nearer to Colorado, former Bayfield High defensive back Cash Snooks recently decided to tackle both issues with a transfer from Dakota College in Bottineau, North Dakota to McPherson College in Kansas.
"You know, I wanted to get a little closer to home - I was 20 hours from home - and McPherson's an hour away from my mom's side of the family and only 10 hours from Bayfield," he said via phone Monday evening. "But also, the fact is that they gave me a pretty good scholarship that I couldn't really turn down."
Used mainly as a free safety during the Lumberjacks' 2016 season, Snooks made the move from BHS to the NJCAA ranks with relative ease, often finding North Dakota's climate more brutal than the sport.
"A lot colder than I was used to - they had where it was negative-20 consecutively for a few weeks!" he laughed. "It was tougher than high school, but it wasn't ultra-difficult."
Helping Dakota finish 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference's Western Division, Snooks saw action in seven games including a season-ending, 40-33 loss on Oct. 22 to North Dakota State College of Science in the MCAC Playoffs' quarterfinals.
Credited with one solo tackle against the #15-ranked Wildcats, Snooks finished the fall with 12 stops (nine solo) and one interception -returned for 20 yards during a 60-15 loss in Willmar, Minn., at Ridgewater College -for head coach/defensive coordinator Danny Davis.
"I got a decent amount of playing time, for a first-year student coming out of a small high school," said Snooks. "And I had a third as many tackles with a third the amount of time as the starter, and I ended up with an interception while he didn't get one."
"But, it went pretty good," he continued, speaking of his first collegiate campaign as a whole. "I know what kind of work it takes. It's a full-time job; it's not like from high school, where you're just there after school and then you get to do your own thing. You're here all the time and you've got a lot to do, every day, for it."
None of that will change at McPherson.
The Bulldogs went just 1-8 in the NAIA's Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and 1-10 overall under boss Paul Mierkiewicz in 2016. Defeating Southwestern College of Winfield, Kan. 27-20 in their KCAC opener did end a 12-game skid following a 10-7 win over SC in the 2014 finale.
And despite dropping eight straight to conclude the most recent season, McPherson was usually competitive; four of the eight were by three points or fewer, including an 18-15 loss to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan.
"Even though it doesn't show in the win-loss record, we have made major improvements and are going in the right direction," Mierkiewicz said in his comments after the Swedes' game-winning, season-ending field goal.
In a state known for its small-college football, Snooks indicated that not only a work ethic but patience will serve him best as his gridiron career continues.
"I don't know if I expect to start or play a lot my first year because it's a four-year school," said Snooks, still pursuing studies in business administration. "But after that I plan on getting in the rotation -or starting -my junior year to senior year, and I plan on finishing all four years there, then coming back home."
McPherson's 2017 season is scheduled to begin at home on Saturday, Sept. 2 as part of the KCAC-Great Plains Athletic Conference Challenge.
