CAVALIER – A razor-thin voting margin came down to the final hour, with Cavalier’s Logan Werner pulling through ever so slightly to claim this week’s Athlete of the Week honor.
A few notables would stand out immediately when speaking of go-to names on the Tornado depth chart. Senior running back Jacob Steele would be such an example. Perhaps wide receiver Landon Carter, another senior. Or Sterling Enerson (you guessed it, another senior).
But even as a 5-foot-6-inch and 125-pound sophomore, Werner should be seen as a go-to player, both now and in the future. And for a good reason, according to Cavalier head coach Mitch Greenwood.
“Logan is a playmaker that is not afraid to take chances,” Greenwood said. “He’s an aggressive return guy who fields the ball well and gets moving forward. This is huge for our team as it helps us to start with the ball in the best possible field position and makes it easier [for] our offense to work with a short field. Having him return two punts for touchdowns last week was just a huge boost to the team’s momentum. It gets the team so excited and also deals a deflating blow to the opponent that is difficult to recover from. It’s a game changer for sure.”
Aggression, to Greenwood, continues to be the word to explain Werner’s style of play to a tee. Against Turtle Mountain JV on Aug. 27, the punt returner/defensive back hybrid in Werner combined for 100 punt return yards on three total attempts. But enough about yards. What about scoring? Werner’s 51 and 46-yard returning touchdowns helped the Tornadoes breeze by Turtle Mountain JV, 46-0. On the defensive side, Werner additionally compiled a tackle for loss (TFL) and a sack.
Despite being one of the younger and smaller players on Cavalier’s roster, Werner has shown drive that trumps any potential deficiencies. Being active in additional sports has only helped Werner become a more polished athlete, let alone football player.
“Logan is like dynamite,” Greenwood said. “He’s small but explosive. He’s extremely athletic. He’s a good baseball player and was an all-state wrestler placing 4th in the state tournament last year. His wrestling background makes him a very solid tackler. He plays fearless. Despite being undersized, he’s not afraid to throw his weight around and make some big hits. He plays way more physical than most kids his size does. He’s also a very smart football player and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to make a big play.”
But Werner’s intangibles off the football field have also helped inspire the team. And not only those older than him, mind you. Those younger have also recognized Werner’s drive to be better.
With a similar mindset as Werner, perhaps younger players can, too, become go-to names in due time.
“He’s an inspiration to the rest of our underclassmen for them to see him doing this and to understand that with the work and dedication, they can do it too,” Greenwood said. “This is a prime example of how and why our program remains competitive year in and year out.”
The Devils Lake Journal hosts the “Athlete of the Week” contest weekly. Athletes nominated and/or given the award are based on the athlete’s performance from the prior week. Ballot nominations are submitted by coaches from Saturday morning to Monday at 10:00 a.m. Finalist voting starts Monday at noon and ends Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. CDT. The ballot winner will be featured in a profile for the publication.
The following programs and/or regions can nominate an athlete for the award: Lake Region State College, Devils Lake, Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich (Football, Volleyball), Cavalier (Football), Larimore (Football), Midway/Minto (Football), Nelson County (Football, Volleyball), North Border (Football), Benson County (Football, Volleyball), Four Winds/Minnewaukan (Football, Volleyball), New Rockford-Sheyenne (Football, Volleyball), North Prairie (Football, Volleyball), North Star (Football, Volleyball), Dunseith (Volleyball), Harvey/Wells County (Volleyball), Rolette (Volleyball) or St. John (Volleyball).
Voting results:
– Logan Werner, Punt Returner/Defensive Back, Cavalier: 50% (36 votes)
– Eric Hoffmann, Quarterback, Larimore: 47.2% (34 votes)
– Blake Mattson, Running back/Linebacker, North Prairie: 2.8% (2 votes)
John Crane is a sports/general assignment reporter for the Devils Lake Journal. Feel free to contact John via work phone (701-922-1372), cell phone (701-230-4339), email (jcrane@gannett.com), Instagram (johnbcranesports) or Twitter (@johncranesports) with any story ideas.
