By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – Two more student athletes from Stratford High School have announced their plans to play college sports. Oscar Telschow and Chase Flink will both attend Ripon College in the fall. Telschow will join the Red Hawk’s strong track & field program, while Flink will play football.

“I think it was just the smaller school, and just how welcomed I was when I first got there,” Flink said of the Ripon campus. “June 8 I went to my prospect camp, getting to know the coaches, then continuing the process going back for the game day visit early September. It just felt like home for me.”

Flink said the Red Hawks plan to use him as a specialist at first, and go from there.

“Then they are going to make their way from there and see what new offense they are going to run. They are going to try to work me in at wide receiver, and then want me to get out and do more of the special teams, since I had a good year of special teams for Stratford this year.”

Flink is going to a very successful college football program. “They’ve got one of the winningest coaches in their conference, and he’s got that program going in the right direction. They struggled a little bit last year, but I feel like if I come in I think I can make a big bang for that team,” Flink said.

Flink knows there are some things he must do to get ready to make the jump from the Marawood Conference to the Midwest Conference.

“I definitely have to put a lot more weight on and get a lot stronger and faster,” he said. “I talked to a couple of kids who played college football, and it’s a big step from high school speed to college speed, and how fast the ball is thrown to me, or how much quicker it (the game) is. I just have to be mentally prepared for that and do my best.”

Flink credits the Stratford program for preparing him to take the next steps into college football, “I think the physicality taught me how to be aggressive and use my potential on the field, and then how to be a student in the classroom and off the field.”

Flink adds that playing college football was not something he had as a goal.

“No, I didn’t at all, until I started getting recruited my junior year. I just got a little excited about it and wanted to go explore and see what was out there, and I liked what I saw,” he explained.

Flink had a solid senior season at Stratford, rushing for 404 yards and five touchdowns–two of which went for 67 yards each. He also caught 14 passes for 348 yards and three scores. Flink also scored on one punt return.

Telschow is also headed to Ripon, where he will run track this fall.

“I toured Ripon four times this summer, and every time I just kept loving it,” he said. “Once I met Coach (Bob) Wood and some of the guys on the team and found out what the program was about I knew right away that’s where I’d be going. They have exceptional facilities there. The brand new Willmore Center was a big, big sell for me. The brand new 200-meter indoor track I can use every day, and I’m probably going to take advantage of that.”

Running college track was not a goal of Telschow’s until recently.

“In eighth grade, I did it for fun, and said ‘I kind of like this’, so freshman year I come in and get all-conference honors and thought ‘I’m kind of good at this track thing,’” he recalled. “Sophomore year I missed with knee surgery. Junior year–all-conference again, eighth at sectionals, and then decided I really want to pursue this. So, I am hoping I have a big senior year, get down to state this year, and finish off my high school career and take all the momentum into college with me.”

Telschow also applied to UW-La Crosse and Lawrence University, where his uncle played college basketball.

“As soon as I went back to Ripon that third time, I knew that that was the place for me,” Telschow said.

Now that the college has been picked, Telschow can focus on getting ready for competition at the Division 3 collegiate level.

“I need to step up my training a little bit,” he said. “Usually I wrestle during the winter, but this year I decided not to, and I’ve been in the weight room instead. Justin Radke has really been helping me out a lot, and we’ve been lifting together. I’m doing sprint workouts. I go to the YMCA. I hit the treadmill at home. I just have to keep conditioning myself because Coach Wood told me it’s not going to be easy.”

Oscar says Coach Wood has a plan for him already.

“As a freshman I have potential to be one of the better hurdlers for them,” Telschow said. “They have Dameco Walker there right now, and he’s ranked in the nation in Division 3, so I’m going to try to follow his footsteps and see what I can do.”

Telschow plans to major in elementary education with an emphasis in history.