Find Pierce Petersohn, one of Minnesota’s best athletes, beyond the wind turbines

The conditions were ideal. And Triton’s Pierce Petersohn took advantage.

During a bright and comfortable afternoon Friday, April 24, at Hamline University, several finalists from last year’s state championships prepared for the boys 400 meters. It included Petersohn, who finished second in the event in Class 1A; Providence Academy’s George Nelson, who was third in Class 2A; and Hastings’ Sebastian Strauss and Edina’s Cooper Drake, who were first and third in Class 3A, respectively.

This was the Hamline Elite Meet. Accomplished athletes from all classifications poured into this one, and Petersohn raised his game.

He runs as if he’s looking to de-cleat someone, like he did often as a safety for the Cobras football team. But the kid can fly, and he won the race in a school-record 47.24 seconds, a personal record for him by 0.92 seconds. Strauss was second and Drake third.

A text was sent to Tracy Petersohn (pronounced PETER-Shawn) to inform him that his son had just set a personal best by a comfortable margin.

The reply: “He can go 46.”

Afterward, Petersohn went to the stage to be interviewed. The host asked Petersohn whether he plans to continue his track and field career in college.

“Probably not,” he said. “Hopefully I get too big.”

That brought several laughs from spectators and participants at Klas Field. Many of them were aware that football is in Petersohn’s immediate plans.

Petersohn’s athletic exploits have dropped jaws around the state, particularly in southeast Minnesota. Triton High is located in Dodge Center. Twin Cities fans eager to catch a glimpse can head south on Hwy. 52, grab lunch in Rochester — like I did — head west on Hwy. 14, drive past a field of wind turbines and reach Dodge Center.

That’s where I went to learn more about the 6-5, 205-pound dynamic multisport athlete who is committed to Virginia Tech after decommitting from Penn State.

Petersohn is following coach James Franklin to the Hokies after Penn State sent Franklin packing from Happy Valley. The Petersohns were drawn in by Franklin’s honesty and sincerity. And Franklin met them at the airport before their 6:15 a.m. return flight to see them off, which left a lasting impression.

Petersohn, the Cobras quarterback, simply likes the way tight ends develop under Franklin and position coach Ty Howle. The four-star recruit wants to be the next Tyler Warren, who starred for the Nittany Lions before being the second tight end selected in the 2025 NFL draft, by Indianapolis.

“When Coach Franklin landed at Virginia Tech, their whole staff and everything, especially with the tight end coach [going] there, too, I knew that was the place for me,” Petersohn said last week while sitting in the press box of the Cobras football field stadium — nicknamed the Snake Pit. “Just because of what they’ve done with their tight ends and how they treated me and my family.”

Where were the Gophers during Petersohn’s recruitment? They were in on him, but for defense. Some have wondered whether Petersohn didn’t commit to the Gophers because Jackson County Central’s Roman Voss is headed to Minnesota as a tight end. Nope.

One, Petersohn is friends with Voss. Two, the Gophers were among a few teams that wanted him to play defense. Three, Petersohn waited until after Voss committed to announce his decision to make sure he wasn’t influencing Voss’ decision.

“A lot of people are saying that I didn’t go there or anything because he already was going there,” Petersohn said, “but it didn’t matter because I was going to be going there for outside linebacker.”

A more pointed question: Why didn’t the Gophers want Petersohn as a tight end?

Petersohn high jumped 6 feet 10 inches as a sophomore. Within days, Oklahoma and Nebraska contacted him about playing tight end.

“The fact that they reached out that quick, it was encouraging because you always hear about how athletes should play two or three sports,” Triton football coach Brandon Neseth said. “And the fact that his track accolades actually helped him get recruited for football was kind of cool to see.”

By then, Petersohn had completed his first season as the Cobras starting quarterback. In 2022, they didn’t have a single passing touchdown. Petersohn threw two TD passes in his first game in 2023.

As a junior, Petersohn began getting interest from basketball programs as well.

And in his senior year, he’s flourishing. He threw for 1,307 yards and 13 touchdowns on the gridiron. He averaged 33.1 points and 11.6 rebounds for the basketball team while throwing down a mind-boggling 98 dunks. Now he has tied his own school record of 6-10 in the high jump — even more impressive now that he weighs 205 pounds — and set a school record in the 400-meter dash.

Coaches are visiting fields, courts and tracks in search of an athletic tight end, and the Hokies are getting one. They have sent Petersohn a workout plan — just imagine him at 240 pounds — and he will arrive on campus June 7.

Deduction after watching him rumble ahead of a strong field at Hamline and learning of his other exploits:

If Pierce Petersohn wants to play tight end in college, I’m making room for him, installing a wildcat package and looking elsewhere for a linebacker.