Jul. 30—STEWARTVILLE — Like Stewartville teammate and fellow incoming senior Caleb Bancroft, Parker Wangen seemed earmarked to be an eventual college basketball player.
Both were big names on the AAU circuit at an early age and were seemingly two of the best prospects in southeastern Minnesota as eighth-graders and freshmen.
But football, for both, gradually took over as a top desire. It’s also become the game that has come to match their skill sets most.
Finally, it hasn’t hurt that Stewartville has had massive recent success in football, winning the Class 3A state title one year ago and finishing with just two losses in the last two years.
In late June, Bancroft made it official. He wouldn’t be playing college hoops. He was going for football, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end verbally committing to the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Now, it’s Wangen’s turn. The 6-4 senior — with his rare athletic skills (4.5 in the 40-yard dash and an approximately 34-inch vertical jump) — said yes to the Minnesota State University, Mankato football program on Monday.
As was also the case for Bancroft, football now seems just right.
Wangen will be taking all of his game-breaking ability to the Mavericks, one of the top Division II programs in the country.
“Football is the game that I enjoy most now,” Wangen said. “I love spending time on the field. It’s not that I dislike basketball. But everything about football, I love it.”
It’s easy to see why. There is just so much talent oozing from that 6-4, 205-pound body. He finished last year with 675 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns. That was on a team that had weapons everywhere as the Tigers marched to an unbeaten season and the school’s first state title (beating Annandale 43-13 in the championship).
“Parker is a pretty special and unique talent,” Stewartville coach Garrett Mueller said. “His combination of size, speed and athleticism allows him to do so many different things and to make it look effortless. Anything he tries, he seems to find success.”
Wangen, a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, track and field) especially shined in the state football semifinals when he sprinted past anyone trying to guard him. He totaled 90 yards receiving and scored on touchdown catches of 9 and 50 yards.
Wangen didn’t just use his speed to get that done, but also his height and reach. It’s tough to stick with a guy who’s 6-4 and also among the top handful of fastest guys on the field.
“Mankato likes my speed, my jumping ability and the multiple things that I can do (Wangen is also a top-notch safety on defense and a skilled punter and kicker),” said Wangen, who also considered going to the University of St. Thomas and the University of Sioux Falls.
It is his reach and ability to go up and over defenders that Wangen says separates him most.
“I can jump higher than they can to go get the ball,” Wangen said. “When you can outrun them and create space (by jumping), that creates so much space to get open.”
Wangen is part of a wave of Stewartville football players in the last two years who will now play that sport in college.
From his incoming senior class, there is Wangen, Bancroft and Graysen Schneider (Montana State). From the 2024 class, there is Helder (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Caleb Jannsen (Winona State University), Blake Turner (Kansas State), and Jack Buntrock (Luther College) .
Football has evolved into the No. 1 activity for so many Stewartville boys.
Winning has played a role in that. After all, in two years, there has been just one loss by Stewartville football teams. There has also been that state title.
Nobody has enjoyed all of that winning any more than Wangen. It’s what makes Minnesota State, Mankato such an ideal fit. The Mavericks are a perennial top-20 team nationally.
“Winning means a lot to me,” Wangen said. “Knowing that I’ll be going to a similar culture at Mankato, that’ll make me feel at home.”
