WELLINGTON – Mike Cotter is intentional when it comes to whatever he does.
When the Wellington outgoing senior and defensive end/linebacker pledged his commitment to Nebraska Wesleyan, he thought about how it would prepare him for the future in more ways than one.
Cotter made his final decision on April 7. He chose Nebraska Wesleyan over the likes of Mount Union, Wilks, Aurora, Alvernia, Stevenson, Hobart, Rockford, Williams Paterson, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
“The school atmosphere felt great over there,” said Cotter, who will be majoring in business sociology. “It really seemed like the coaches, professors, and staff really took the time to get to know me personally. Also, the city of Lincoln, Nebraska has many opportunities to be successful after my college career is over.”
It should be noted that the 6-foot, 210-pound edge rusher’s recent visit to Nebraska Wesleyan happened in a different way.
“I never was able to take an official visit sadly due to the coronavirus,” Cotter said. “But I’ve been to the city of Lincoln and it felt like a great place. During the past two months, NWU has done multiple FaceTime tours and has put me in contact with many professors and staff that answered all my questions. They really laid out good information on what they can do to help me with my future.”
Looking back, Cotter (No. 4-ranked DE/LB; No. 55 overall player from the 2020 class) had a breakout senior year to remember with the Wolverines. In 10 games played, the Class 8A Second Team All-State Defense selection registered 58 tackles, 15 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.
Cotter’s best individual game came in Week 6, when he got the best of Forest Hill’s opposing offense to record 5 sacks, a forced fumble, and several tackles for loss in a 17-6 road win at Santaluces High School.
“The whole defense was just flying around the field making plays, especially the defensive line,” said Cotter, who was part of a stout unit that combined to registered more than 10 sacks in the Wolverines 11-point win over the Falcons.
“For me personally, it was just one of those games where I played their offense perfectly,” Cotter continued. “I was just always in a great spot to make a big play happen when we needed to. It was an electric atmosphere the whole game.”
Cotter had at least one other standout game this past season. It came in Week 5, when he posted 2 sacks in a thrilling 31-28 home win over John I. Leonard.
Other than that, the rest of the season was more of a learning experience for Cotter, as his team finished 2019 with a 3-7 overall record.
“The players and coaches are great,” Cotter said. “There was a brotherhood that I had with this team that I could not get with any other. Being a captain and helping the younger guys grow is always a good thing too. I wish we could have had a couple more wins, but most of our games were close and they came down to the last minute. But overall, I’m grateful for the opportunities I got this year and at Wellington in general.”
SIDE NOTE: There’s a possibility – maybe even a likelihood – that Cotter and his fellow Class of 2020 seniors will not be able to partake in their high school graduation ceremony next month. This is due to to severity of our current COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that all schools may be closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.
The final decision on this matter is expected to be rendered by the School District of Palm Beach County – and ultimately Gov. Ron DeSantis – within the next two weeks.
“I obviously wish this was not the case around the world,” Cotter said. “I hope this can all be over soon and the people who have been directly impacted get better, but school is still going on online and such. So at least we can finish it out and get the credits we need to graduate. Events such as the graduation ceremony, I hope we will be able to have after everything is under control again and back to normal.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Gene Nardi and Nebraska Wesleyan Football
