Mick Stoltenberg | Age 17
Walking the halls of Gretna High School, it’s easy to find Mick Stoltenberg with his 6’5” frame and prototypical football build, but his journey has taken a detour since the start of his 2013 season.
After a standout Junior season for the Dragons in 2012, the awards began to mount. All-Conference, All-District, and Academic All-Conference honors came rolling in and the hype began. With the size and speed to move to the next level after high school, an invitation to Under Amour’s Rivals Camp in St. Louis for the summer of 2013 was accepted, and Stoltenberg didn’t disappoint. The kid who started playing on the gridiron at the age of 8 in Gretna’s Youth Football League was now on a bigger stage with boys from across the country. He walked away with Top Performer honors.
Shortly after, the coveted offer from the University of Nebraska followed and he was quick to accept. “Being a future Husker is a huge blessing and a dream come true,” said Stoltenberg. The path was now set. Digging in on a Senior year campaign was his new focus as Gretna was returning some exceptional depth and was thought to be a serious contender for the Class B crown.
In the second game of the season, Stoltenberg was making his presence known. But during a 4th quarter quarterback sack, the season changed. With a twist of the knee and excruciating pain, it was discovered that he had suffered a torn meniscus and articular cartilage tear requiring season-ending surgery. “After the injury, my role on the team shifted. I decided to become as much of a presence on the sideline as I could, being a motivation for our team,” said Stoltenberg.
The Dragon’s continue their march toward a championship, and Mick is full steam ahead as the Huskers have maintained their commitment to Stoltenberg.
Mick has three siblings: Sam, age 20, plays basketball at the University of South Dakota; Tim, age 19, plays goalkeeper for the Hastings Broncos soccer team; and Sally, age 15, also plays soccer and is a sophomore at Gretna.
Stoltenberg is the son of Alan and Sondra Stoltenberg of Gretna.
