Ephrata's Jakob Oxos headed to Dakota Wesleyan University to play football

MITCHELL, S.D. - Ephrata standout Jakob Oxos is ready to take his game to the next level.

To get there, he’ll be changing states, changing areas of the country and changing the color of his jersey. But he won’t be changing his stripes anytime soon.

The first-team, all-CWAC North selection that hauled in 57 passes for 827 yards and 14 touchdowns in the Ephrata Tigers turn-around season has signed a letter of intent to play NAIA football for the Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers next fall in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in Mitchell, S.D.

The one thing that won’t change is his dedication to his teammates and his attention to detail, but he’s looking forward to a change in scenery and a chance to stretch his legs as both a student-athlete as well as a young man.

“It’s something like 20 hours to drive there, but I liked the campus and the town. Mitchell (15,000 population) is something like Moses Lake in terms of sized, so it won’t be too much of a culture shock,” said Oxos, who capped a stellar high school career, averaging 14.5 yards per catch, helping Ephrata beat Ellensburg for the first time in 10 years.

“The first thing I noticed was the snow on the ground, so I better get used to playing in the cold.”

He’s going to get used to a lot of things playing for Dakota Wesleyan, which finished 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference last year. Oxos is one of 22 total recruits, including nine from South Dakota, six from Nebraska, four from Washington and three from Minnesota.

“I’m sure it’s going to be somewhat of a shock because everybody in college is bigger, stronger and faster,” he said. “There’s a lot to learn, but definitely getting in the weight room important. We don’t have weight training here, but I train after school. I’ll definitely be focused 110 percent on getting stronger and faster.”

Head football coach Ross Cimpl (44-21) is entering his seventh season with Dakota Wesleyan University, and hopes to continue the success into next year.

"This class is exactly what we were looking for in terms of athleticism, speed and difference makers," Cimpl said on the school’s website. "We wanted to target the right kids for our program and our coaching staff did a tremendous job with our most recent commitments."

At 6-foot-1, 200-pounds, Oxos was a solid possession receiver with the ability to go up and get balls. The Dakota Wesleyan coaching staff said they like him at wide receiver in their run-pass option offense, which is what Jay Mills ran at Ephrata.

“They want to run RPO next year and that’s going help me a lot because I already know it. It’s where the quarterback reads the D-end and either hands it off or passes depending on what he sees,” said Oxos, who hasn’t decided on a major. “As a receiver, it’s about the cornerback and how he’s guarding you. Sometimes you can stretch the field, but mostly what I bring is being a good possession receiver.”

He’ll be moving from the largest potato producing country in the United States to corn country. The football schedule makes stops in North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. It will be new sights, new sounds and a new environment where the snow flies.

But the one constant he has going for him is his work ethic and he’ll take that with him when he makes the 20-hour, 1,300-mile east to earn his stripes at the next level.

Rodney Harwood is a sports writer at the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com