Photo courtesy of Michael Vosburg/The Forum North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance escapes a tackle during their Sept. 15 game against the University of North Alabama.

MARSHALL – In recent years, Marshall High School has had a number of players go on to play football in college. Many of them have played at the Division III level, but some players have gotten an opportunity to play at Division II and even Division I.

This year, we’re already seeing some of those Division I Tigers make an impact.

There is a new rule in Division I college football this season that allows players to play in up to four contests and maintain redshirt status.

That rule presented Trey Lance an opportunity to get his first college snaps in the fourth quarter of North Dakota State University’s Sept. 15 game against the University of North Alabama.

Lance – a 2018 Marshall High School graduate – entered the game with 11:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Five plays into the drive, Lance took off on a 44-yard TD run.

“That was one thing we feel he has the ability to do,” NDSU coach Chris Klieman said after the game about the touchdown run. “When things break down, that he can tuck it and run. He’s 215 pounds, somewhere in there. A big, tall guy that once he saw daylight, he took it and went, I was maybe thinking he’d go out of bounds or go down, but he just kept weaving back and forth and making a play.”

The intention going forward is still for Lance to redshirt this season. Klieman added after the game that Holden Hotchkiss will remain the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.

That will allow Lance to continue to be mentored by senior starter Easton Stick.

“I think the coaches just put me in a perfect position,” Lance said after the game. “Coming here put me in a perfect position. Learning from (Stick), I don’t think there’s anyone better in the nation to learn from, honestly. Just the kind of person that he is, the kind of people that we have here – from coaches to players, every position.”

Reece Winkelman redshirted during the 2017 season at South Dakota State University. The 2017 Marshall High School graduate didn’t have the opportunity to play last year under the previous redshirt rules, so this is his first season of on-field action.

He’s played in both games for the Jackrabbits in 2018. Due to incumbent starting DE Austin Smenda’s suspension for a team rules violation, Winkelman got his first career start on Sept. 15 against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

He started it out with a bang.

On the opening drive of the game for UAPB, Winkelman recorded two tackles, including one tackle for loss. SDSU forced a three-and-out.

“We love starting out on defense and playing aggressive,” SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said in his Sept. 17 football weekly update video. “Getting a three-and-out, I think that energizes everybody. It was fun to see Reece play like that.”

Through two games, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound redshirt freshman defensive end has five total tackles, including a team-high three tackles for loss.

Marshall coach Terry Bahlmann saw both Lance and Winkelman develop into stars for the Tigers, and he is seeing that development continue in college.

“Trey received the opportunity to play (against UNA) and made an immediate impact on offense for NDSU, rushing for a 44-yard TD and going 1-for-1 passing,” Bahlmann said. “Trey is sitting in a great situation learning from Easton Stick and also getting an opportunity to take reps with the first team in practice.”

Bahlmann added, “Reece has climbed the ladder quickly making the move from high school linebacker to college defensive end. I went and watched him in spring practice and he was running fifth or sixth at defensive end and last week he was able to start in Week 2 and played well. His hard work is paying off.”

Jefferson Lee V is also a member of the SDSU football team, but is redshirting and has not seen game action this season.

With one MHS alumnus on the NDSU side and two on the SDSU side, Marshall will have players on both sides of a heated rivalry. The programs have faced each other over 100 times dating back to 1903.

When both programs moved up to Division I in 2004, the Dakota Marker trophy was created. The Bison have an 8-6 advantage in Dakota Marker games, but the Jackrabbits have won two consecutive games in the series.

The next meeting in the rivalry will take place Saturday afternoon in Fargo, N.D.

“The NDSU-SDSU game has always been a great rivalry and now with Marshall players Reece and Jefferson on SDSU and Trey on NDSU it will get a local touch on the game,” Bahlmann said. “We joked last summer in the weight room when the college players were back that we will see Reece pass rushing Trey in the future, so it will be very exciting to see the two former Marshall Tigers and good friends squaring off against each other. It should lead to great competition and some local bragging rights and stories when they come back to Marshall.”