Knigge Named To 8-Man Football All-Star Squad

Brady Knigge admits to being a bit shocked by the news--so much so that he hesitated to mention it to anyone.

But after a few moments, the Potter-Dix senior and standout wide receiver put down the phone and walked back to his mother’s room and let her know that he had been named to the prestigious Sertoma 8 Man All Star football squad.

“She was watching TV,” Knigge recalled. “She jumped out of bed and gave me a big hug.”

The shy receiver generally lets others applaud his accomplishments. After scoring on a hail mary pass last fall, his teammates burst into wild celebration. As they jumped around in the end zone, Knigge merely strolled over to the referee and handed him the ball.

“He’s the most humble guy,” coach Joe Martin observed. “He’s never too high, never too low.”

Knigge speaks volumes on the field--figuratively. He shredded Morrill with 11 catches for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns this past season. Against Hay Springs he hauled down 13 passes for 124. He reached the end zone 16 times in 2012, racking up 869 yards on 59 receptions.

“He’s so fast,” said Coyotes quarterback Luke Johnson. “He has great hands--he can catch anything.”

Knigge’s performance his senior season earned him a spot on the MAC All-Conference first team, the all district first team and honorable mention in several statewide publications. But the quiet star seems deaf to such accolades.

“I definitely couldn’t have done it without Luke and the team,” he said.

The Sertoma 8 Man All State Game was established in 1978, pitting the best in the west against Nebraska’s eastern athletes. Knigge is the fifth Potter-Dix football player named to the West squad since the schools consolidated after the 1986 season. The most recent was Lance Juelfs, who appeared in the 2009 contest.

Former Coyotes head coach Mike Mitchell served as an assistant in 2006, when all-state selection Morgan Haupt represented the school on the field.

“For Brady to be selected speaks to his work ethic,” Martin pointed out. The coach told of football camp last summer when Chadron State staff members commented on Knigge’s attention to detail in routine drills. This approach showed on the field in crisp patterns and solid downfield blocks.

“He takes coaching well,” Martin added. “He’s business-like, almost.”

Knigge lettered his freshman year for Kimball before transferring. At Potter-Dix he began piling up points his sophomore year.

Although he does not remember his last catch in a Coyotes uniform, Knigge can call to mind his final score--a simple one yard screen pass in the playoffs.

“I got drilled in the end zone,” he said. “That was my last touchdown and I paid for it a little.”

The all star game is scheduled for June 15 at Hastings College.

“I’m just excited to play with some of the guys I’ve played against,” Knigge reported, mentioning all-star nominees Sam Schumacher of Leyton and Jesse Blythe from Garden County.

He addresses the week of practice and the game itself in the same way he scored touchdowns, by handing the ball back and thinking of the others around him.

“I get to play with the best and meet new people,” he said.