Adler Paeper working to help lead Tornadoes on tourney run
Oct. 19—OAKES, N.D. — For the sixth consecutive season, the Oakes Tornadoes are in the 2022 NDHSAA 11B Football State Playoffs. One of the team's leading pass catchers who has helped the Tornadoes make the playoffs is senior wide receiver and outside linebacker Adler Paeper.
Tornadoes head coach Greg Dobitz said Paeper has done a good job showing off his toughness and getting open on the offensive side of the ball.
"Adler has done a really good job of making guys miss and getting yards after contact, offensively. He leads in tackles and I think tackles for loss," Dobitz said. "He's consistently around the football, he's tough, he's missed very few snaps all year even though he's getting tackled and he's tackling. He's a tough kid and been a really solid contributor for us all year."
Paeper said his toughness has come from the culture that is built into the program.
"I'd say it's probably the Tornado way," Paeper said. "We've all done it, we've all been tough. We just keep going, we want the dub."
Paeper leads the Tornadoes in receiving yards per game with 76.6, is second for total touchdowns and tackles per game at six and 6.3 ,respectively. In total, Paeper has 22 receptions for 689 yards and five touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, he has 40 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, two sacks, three interceptions for 63 yards, one touchdown and six pass deflections.
Paeper's interception that he returned for a touchdown came in the team's most recent game, a 46-37 win over Northern Cass on Oct. 14.
"I read pass, I dropped and hung on with the tight end and I don't know if it was a miscommunication or just a bad throw," Paeper said. "I was able to get to the throw and that was basically it, beat everyone else back to the end zone."
After being held to one catch for 75 yards in the Tornadoes' loss to Kindred, Paeper responded by finishing the regular season with nine receptions for 343 yards and five touchdowns. Dobitz said his wideout has found more luck in the last two games to be able to find the end zone with the regularity that he has.
"I think I've been working harder and harder in practice, focusing up and it's really starting to show on the game nights," Paeper said.
Paeper has made appearances for the varsity roster since his freshman year, playing in 26 games over the course of his career.
"He's a kid that probably didn't play a whole lot his freshman and sophomore year," Dobitz said. "His junior year wasn't a major contributor for us offensively, played quite a bit defensively. But, this year he's our leading receiver, he's our leading tackler. Like I said, he works at it in practice, he understands what we're trying to do offensively and defensively. He works inside the system, so I'm really proud of the way he's developed as a football player."
The Tornadoes open up the playoffs at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, when they host Thompson. The Tornadoes are the No. 2 seed out of Region 1, with an 8-1 record, while the Tommies are the No. 3 seed out of Region 3 with a 7-2 record.
"I think Thompson's a strongly built team," Paeper said. "It's not going to be an easy win. I think they're a good team all around but we're gonna have to focus this week in practice. A win is not easy, it's going to take 100% commitment from everyone to get the dub."
The two teams have not played each other since 2020, when the Tornadoes beat the Tommies 21-14 on Sept. 11. Paeper said the biggest challenge that comes from facing a team you haven't played in a while is the unknown, the fact that the Tommies will change up their plays and look differently then they did the last time the teams met.
The Tornadoes are trying to get past the first round since 2020, Paeper's sophomore year.
"It would awesome," Paeper said. "We've got a great team. It's my last year, this would be the time to do it and I think we have a shot at doing it."
