Saturday, October 5, 2024
By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
DE PERE – Coming out of Plymouth High School, Samuel Staehling was a star running back.
Once he arrived on the St. Norbert College campus, he was told he would play receiver.
Instead of quitting or waiting for his turn at running back, Staehling accepted the change and has risen to become one of the top Division III receivers in the country.
His 21.2 yards per catch during his career is the national leader in all NCAA divisions.
Growing up in the small community of Plymouth, which is located west of Sheboygan, Staehling played all four years on a Panthers’ team which went a combined 33-10.
He rushed for more than 2,700 yards and scored 47 touchdowns.
“I didn’t have a receiver background in high school from a schematic and route-running perspective,” said Staehling. “I had to rely on [St. Norbert] receivers coach Todd Bierowski and a lot of the upperclassmen when I made the switch as a freshman. I owe a lot to them to whip me into shape to become the receiver I am today.”
Staehling’s two touchdowns Oct. 19 in a 66-0 rout of Beloit College gave the receiver 39 career touchdowns with the Green Knights.
Green Knight's receiver Samuel Staehling (80) makes his record-breaking touchdown catch. Murray Gleffe Photo His total broke Mike Whitehouse’s career total of 37 from 1989.
Staehling has risen through the ranks during his time at St. Norbert.
As a freshman, he caught 31 balls for 699 yards with nine touchdowns.
In his sophomore year, Staehling had 916 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Last season, the Green Knights utilized the run a bit more, and Staehling’s numbers went down to 469 yards with six touchdowns.
“As long as the team is successful, I’m okay with getting fewer touches,” Staehling said. “, we went 10-2 and made it to the second round of the playoffs.”
As a senior leader, Staehling already matched his catches from last year through only five games this season and is averaging more than 100 yards per outing.
With six early touchdowns coming against Aurora, UW-Eau Claire and Monmouth, Staehling was set to break the record against Grinnell College or Ripon College but had to wait three weeks to break Whitehouse’s mark.
The Grinnell game was canceled because the Pioneers terminated their season, and in a 24-6 win over Ripon, Staehling didn’t catch a pass.
“I didn’t think about it much at the beginning of the season,” said Staehling. “I wanted to focus on making our team successful on the football field. We have a great running game as well. If I’m asked to block, I’ll do whatever it takes. As a few games went on, it became more apparent the record was in reach when I heard about it from teammates and the media.”
On Oct. 19, the inevitable came true.
With less than 14 minutes remaining until halftime and the Green Knights driving, quarterback Gage McClanahan lofted a perfectly thrown ball to the back of the end zone.
Staehling used his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame to haul in the ball and make St. Norbert history.
“It was definitely special to accomplish this at home,” Staehling said. “It was cool to hear the announcer and fan support after it happened, not to mention my teammates mobbing me on the sidelines. My mom and dad have made it to almost every game, so to have them here was awesome.”
If one record isn’t impressive enough, another is within sight.
Staehling has accumulated 2,687 yards in a little more than three-and-a-half years with the team.
He is less than 800 yards away from smashing the all-time receiving yards record at St. Norbert held by Whitehouse.
“He’s a kid who puts his team first,” said St. Norbert head coach Dan McCarty. “I couldn’t be prouder of him making that catch to break the record.”
As a biology major, Staehling plans to finish school, get his degree and see where football might take him.
“I love the family bond we have at St. Norbert,” Staehling said. “I’m going to miss it when it’s done, but we still have to finish the regular season strong, win a conference championship and go deep in the playoffs.”
