Hoffman Estates’ Stoczynski celebrates FCS crown
Former Hoffman Estates High School football standout Scott Stoczynski was asked in late November about the possibility of winning a national championship at North Dakota State University.
“It would be amazing,” said Stoczynski, a senior defensive lineman.
It became an amazing reality on the first Saturday of January for Stoczynski as North Dakota State captured its first Football Championship Subdivision crown with a 17-6 victory over top-seeded Sam Houston State in Frisco, Texas.
Stoczynski helped set off the celebration as he was credited with a sack on the game’s final play before 20,586 in the suburb north of Dallas. It was a fitting ending since Stoczynski sacrificed a starting spot as a junior to help the Bison (14-1) in more situational roles.
One of Stoczynski’s 3 tackles forced Sam Houston State (14-1) to punt early in the fourth quarter. It was part of a defensive effort which held the highest-scoring FCS offense 33 points below its average and to 210 total yards.
“Head coach (Craig Bohl) always talks about putting the team first,” Stoczynski said before North Dakota State started its postseason run. “I tried to tell myself it was about the team and not personal numbers.
“All the coaches said they really appreciate the change and sacrifice I made for the team. It made me feel good.”
Former Barrington standout and sophomore running back Sam Ojuri rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries in the defensive struggle. Brock Jensen threw a touchdown pass right after a fake punt and ran for a 1-yard score after an interception return to erase a 6-3 deficit.
North Dakota State won the last of its five NCAA Division II national titles in 1990.
U.S. Army All-American BowlOffensive lineman Dan Voltz of Barrington and defensive lineman Tommy Schutt hope to see each other in some future Big Ten battles in the trenches.On Saturday, the Wisconsin-bound Voltz and the Ohio State-bound Schutt were on the same side in another big game. They played for the East team in a 24-12 loss to the West in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.One of the game#146;s big newsmakers was Barry J. Sanders, the son of former NFL great running back Barry Sanders.The younger Sanders had only 3 carries but one of them was a 10-yard touchdown for the West. In the fourth quarter, he announced on national television he would play in college at Stanford and not Oklahoma State, where his dad won the 1988 Heisman Trophy.Sanders, 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, rushed for 1,324 yards and 27 touchdowns this season at Oklahoma City Heritage Hall. The team won two state championships while he was there.#147;I think everyone understood my position (about the college choice),#148; Barry J. Sanders said, wearing a black hat with the block Cardinal #147;S#148; on the front. #147;That program (Oklahoma State) made my family, and I thank them for it. I#146;ll always have orange in my blood.#148;Oklahoma State beat Stanford in overtime in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday.The other touchdowns from the West came from quarterback Cyler Miles, who starred this year at Mullen High School in Denver and has committed to Washington. Miles was 7 of 8 (the incompletion was a drop), including a game-record 79-yard TD pass to Dorial Green-Beckham and had the game#146;s first score with a 4-yard run.ŸThe Associated Press contributed to this report.