Photo courtesy of Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media South Dakota State’s Reece Winkelman chases the University of Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan during their game on Aug. 29, 2019.

The South Dakota State football team won its first FCS Championship game in January by defeating North Dakota State in a 45-21 blowout. Among the key pieces on the defensive end of the field for the Jackrabbits was Reece Winkelman, a defensive end from Marshall.

“It was a surreal moment,” Winkelman said. “We trained very hard and, for me, that’s six seasons of college football. To be able to finally hoist that trophy on that stage, to realize all your hard work paid off was great.”

The Jackrabbits had a reason to come into the game motivated. The Bison had been juggernauts of the FCS, winning nine of the previous 11 championships. While SDSU had some experience playing on the biggest stage–they finished as runner-ups in 2020, losing to Sam Houston–NDSU was still the reigning champs.

“Our team kind of felt like we hadn’t treated it too much bigger than it had to be, but… we had a lot of encouragement, and hatred, to play our best against NDSU, especially down in Frisco, for our chance to kind of shut them up,” Winkelman said.

If the rivalry and the potential to secure SDSU’s first FCS Championship weren’t enough motivation, the game also marked the end of an era for Winkelman. He had spent six years of his life playing football for the Jackrabbits, but he had played football his whole life. Winkelman recalled donning a plastic helmet to play with his older brothers when they got their first set of pads in fifth grade.

“[Playing with my brothers] just developed my competitive nature, wanting to be better than them at certain aspects,” Winkelman said. “When my brother rode his bike without training wheels for the first time, I wanted to do it too. Having an older brother just made me want to try a little bit harder.”

The motivation showed for Winkelman on the field. The two-time Academic All-American had seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss on the season coming into the championship game and added to that number when it counted. He finished the game with a sack and a tackle for loss to help lead the Jackrabbits to a win.

“Knowing that that was for sure my last college game, not many people get the chance to know when their last college game is because you can lose randomly during the playoffs,” Winkelman said. “It gave me that extra oomph out there on the field… I had a little extra motivation, and it’s very great to go out on top.”

The Jackrabbits led by a wide margin in the fourth quarter when the coaches asked Winkelman if he wanted to keep playing or sub out. Yet to register a sack, Winkelman felt he had unfinished business and elected to stay in. A few plays later, he got to the NDSU quarterback for a loss and subbed out on a high note.

Winkelman played four years at Marshall, where he was a standout as a middle linebacker and tight end. He was a two-time All-District selection and, after his senior year, was named the USA Today Minnesota Defensive Player of the Year to help Marshall to back-to-back section titles, ending a 14-year state playoff drought for the Tigers.

When Winkelman got to South Dakota, he switched from linebacker to defensive line because of his 6-foot-four, 245-pound frame. After redshirting in 2017, he broke out at his new position for a team-high 6.5 sacks in 2019, including a sack on the road against the University of Minnesota in his first career start.

“It was difficult at first because you’re putting your hand in the dirt, so you’re not seeing the focus on the backfield as much, but you’re just playing against one guy,” Winkelman said on the transition.

In terms of the offensive side of things, Winkelman said it’s easy to miss scoring, but he was happy with his new role.

“You do miss scoring touchdowns as an offensive player, but defense has always been my favorite part of the game, just being able to hit someone and play fast,” Winkelman said.

When Winkelman is back in Marshall now, locals still remember his play from his time as a Tiger. His jersey hangs in Fuzzy’s Bar alongside names like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance and University of Minnesota offensive guard Blaise Andries.

“It’s pretty cool to see my name paired with theirs,” Winkelman said. “Growing up, you always looked up to those high school players that were big names like [Marshall running back and Minnesota Mr. Football award finalist] Beau Bofferding when I was in middle school. Being placed on that level is super cool and humbling… it’s always good to represent the Marshall community.”