Andrew Jensen signs a letter of intent with The University of Jamestown Wednesday night at Douglas High School. Also seated at the table are his parents, Will and Sandi Jensen. Also pictured are his brother, Josh Jensen, and Douglas coach Ernie Monfiletto.
Andrew Jensen was known on the Douglas High School football team as a young man of few words who led by example.
The 6-foot-2, 243-pound senior set a strong example for the Tigers during a season that culminated this week when he was named Northern Division I Region and Sierra League Lineman of the Year. He was further honored as a first-team all-region and all-league defensive tackle and offensive guard.
And as an added bonus, Jensen recently made an official decision on his future plans when he signed to play football for the University of Jamestown (Jamestown, N.D.).
So, what did he have to say about all this? Jensen mostly wanted to credit his coaches and teammates for achieving his all-region recognition.
“I’m excited; this is a big honor,” he said.
Jensen set the tone for his season on Aug. 30 when the Tigers opened their season with a 31-28 win against Minico at the Rocky Mountain Rumble in Pocatello, Idaho. He was solid on both sides of the ball, and for his effort, was rewarded as Player of the Game and a $1,000 scholarship check donated by Marty and Cindy Hoge (Marty’s brother, Merrill, was a fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers).
Jensen never took his foot off the accelerator the rest of a season in which Douglas finished with a 3-8 record. And the Tigers’ No. 64 brought more than talent to field, if you ask coach Ernie Monfiletto.
“He was blessed with a lot of bulk; God gave him a lot and he did a lot with it,” Monfiletto said. “He did what he was asked to do and he was a great leader. And I would say he was a great leader before he was the other two, which I think is the highest compliment.”
Jamestown coach Shawn Frank saw those same qualities when he recruited Jensen.
“First and foremost, Andrew is a great young man,” Frank said. “As we became engaged with Andrew during the process, it was obvious by his actions and character that he would succeed.
“The next thing we look at is the quality of the student and Andrew certainly has shown the ability to handle an academic load,” Frank added of Jensen, whose cumulative grade point average at Douglas is 3.41. “Lastly, his ability to play at a high level, on the field, along with tremendous upside, made Andrew a target immediately for our program.”
Jamestown has a Northern Nevada pipeline that includes Douglas graduate Garrett Tenney, a North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) all-conference first-team defensive end this season, and junior running back Charlie Heck from Fallon.
“The similarities to Andrew and Garrett are eerily familiar,” Frank said. “We are very fortunate to have these young men be a part of our program.”
Jamestown was a clear choice to Jensen, who plans to follow his parents, Sandi and Will Jensen, as career educators. (The Jensen family had success since Andrew’s younger brother, Josh, played both ways and was honored as a second-team all-league defensive end.) Will Jensen works for the Churchill County School District as the director of Special Services.
“I really liked Jamestown because it’s a small school and kind of a community like Douglas. It’s about the same size and they have a really good education program,” Jensen said. “I talked to Garrett about the school and he said it’s a really good place. He said a lot of work is involved, but it’s all worthwhile at the end since he’s graduating this year.”