Badgers earn respect with spectacular season

EPHRAIM — The 2006 Snow College football team fell one game short of its goal of competing for a national championship but seems to have won a bigger prize — respect.

After winning the first eight games and claiming the top spot in the NJCAA rankings, the Badgers lost in Week 9 to Eastern Arizona.

Fans, players and coaches expected Snow to fall far out of contention, much as it did in 2005, when the sixth-place Badgers lost in Week 7 and dropped to 14th in the polls. They ended the season No. 8 after a win over Butler Community College (Kansas) in the Top of the Mountains Bowl.

"We were shocked that we only dropped to sixth," said Badger defensive coordinator Justin DeCol of the loss to Eastern Arizona. "We still had a shot going into the last week."

But with only two games left in the season, the Badgers had little time to reclaim one of the two top positions needed to compete for a national title.

But head coach Steve Coburn, who was named coach of the year by the Western States Football League, said that this season indicated good things for future Badger squads.

"We've garnered some respect from the national office," he said, which is also reflected in the Badgers' season-ending second-place ranking.

That respect is also reflected in the number of larger schools recruiting players from this year's team.

Snow quarterback Cade Cooper, who was named NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year and team MVP, has been courted by Nebraska and the University of Colorado, although he will not end up at either of those schools. Other schools, such as Florida and UCLA, have shown interest in Snow players. As many as 12 Snow players will be moving on to NCAA Div. I or Div. II schools.

Badger running back Mat Asiata, who was the nation's fifth-best rusher, has committed to the University of Utah.

"The key for us is to turn this into a great recruiting class," said Coburn.

For a two-year college in Utah, high turnover is a constant, but the Badgers face even more of an up-hill battle next year. The Badgers will lose to graduation their front seven on defense, and only one starter from this year — wide receiver Adam Frandsen — will return on offense.