Kansas Pregame, Volume 13 By Conor Nicholl
For Kansas Pregame Zane Colson grew up with three older siblings, brothers Perry and Chance, and sister Bret. All are currently between the ages of 26 and 30 and were former standout athletes. Perry, who now runs a farm near his hometown of Mankato, was a high school running back. Chance is in the Navy after he started at fullback all four years. Bret was a state track meet qualifier for Mankato and lives in Salina. Perry and Chance saw Zane’s talent at a young age and continually pushed him. From Perry, Zane learned to gain at least three yards every carry. Perry told Zane to treat every rushing attempt as if it’s his final one. Zane watched Chance’s unique intensity and toughness. Chance was around 150 pounds but Zane said he played like he was 6-foot-6, 250. “They turned me into a tough kid,” Zane said. “They were constantly picking on me, beating up on me, but they were always constantly teaching me how to use my talents, how to outsmart your opponents.” A starter since his freshman year for Mankato-Rock Hills, Colson has become of one of eight-man’s top players and a three-sport standout. He joins with nearby Beloit for wrestling and was fourth at state last winter. In the spring, he earned second on the Rock Hills 400-meter relay. Last fall, he helped the Grizzlies finish 8-2 and earn the No. 5 final ranking in Eight-Man, Division II. “I just needed to step up and fill shoes,” Colson said. “I wanted to be able to show my brothers that I took in whatever they taught me, and that I am going to use it, and they showed me what a leader can be.” Colson collected all-state honors at running back with 152 carries for 1,502 yards and 23 scores. A starting linebacker, he delivered a team-high 118 tackles and tied for first with 17 TFLs. Overall, Colson, a senior, has delivered 2,744 rushing yards, 49 total scores, 293 tackles and 27 for loss. In ’17, the Grizzlies lost only to No. 2 Pike Valley in overtime in the regular season and No. 1 Hanover in the first round of the playoffs. Rock Hills trailed Hanover, the two-time defending champions, by two at intermission before a 62-32 loss. “Those games that you are in in the first half and everything is working kind of like you need them to work, and then you let those things get away, those are the most frustrating for me,” coach Brock McMillan said. “And I think it’s the same for the kids. … Things like that provide so much motivation for the following year.” This year, Hanover, on a 25-game winning streak, and Rock Hills are expected to be state favorites. RH travels to Hanover in Week 3, the first of two possible meetings. “They were very shifty, very fast, and they hit hard, and they were a very, very good opponent,” Hanover senior all-state running back/linebacker Carter Bruna said. “And they were ready to play us. I remember they just fought hard the whole game.” McMillan grew up in the Mankato/Jewell area. He knew Colson’s brothers. McMillan still recalls Colson running around at games when he was a little kid. McMillan attended Fort Hays. In 2012, coach Sam Meyers paced the Grizzlies to a state runner-up finish and then bumped to principal. McMillan quickly put his name in for head coach and earned the job at 22. Colson was in junior high, and McMillan knew he was a “special” player. Colson earned significant time as a freshman, including 12 tackles in a playoff loss to Burlingame. “I knew I could definitely give something to the team if I worked my butt off, and everybody at practice, I want to be the hardest working kid on the field, not just for myself but to show by example,” Colson said. Last year, Rock Hills bumped its scoring average from 45.2 to 51.4 points per contest, fifth-best in eight-man football. The Grizzlies allowed 16 points a game for the second straight year, which stood top-15. Quarterback Dereck Gillett, in his first year as a starter, threw for 759 yards with a 15/3 TD/INT ratio. continued on page 149
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Zane COLSON
ES I L Z Z I R G
ILLS, SR.
LB, ROCK H
ON, RB/ ZANE COLS
(Photo by Derek Livingston, dereklivingston.zenfolio.com)
THE COLSON FILE Hobbies: “Hunting, fishing, hanging out with friends.” Favorite subject: History Favorite food: Lasagna Favorite band: Nickelback Favorite pregame song: “Put Me On The Frontline” by Rob Bailey Most memorable high school football moment: “Playing Hanover last year in the playoffs, a lot of people didn’t give us a chance coming into the game, but we definitely gave them a run for their money.”