St. Paul, MN.– When Lynnfield native Jonathan Knee looked at his list of options for where to continue his football career, the clear choice was a college 1,400 miles away from home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Now in his third season on the football team at Macalester College, Knee has found a second home while establishing a key role with the Scots.
A three-year varsity player at Lynnfield High, Knee was a standout wide receiver and defensive back as a Pioneer. As a senior, Knee received Cape Ann All-League honors and was an Agganis Foundation All-Star.
Knee credits Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman for establishing a successful program and keeping his players motivated to win.
“Coach Weidman always made our team like a big community,” Knee said. “He made it a big deal and he made us want to be a great team. I give him a lot of credit for making our program a strong one. It’s still like that today and not many programs are like that. He kept us motivated.”
In his junior season as a wide receiver for the Division III Scots, Knee has had a stellar year in contributing to the team’s 5-3 record. In eight games, Knee has caught 34 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown. The Lynnfield native has also found a role as the team’s kick returner, tallying 22 returns for 552 yards.
As a sophomore in 2016, Knee caught 24 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns.
“I definitely wanted to have a major impact at wide receiver,” Knee said. “Last year, I didn’t get as much playing time as I wanted. This year, I’ve gotten most of the snaps on offense. I’ve also seen plenty of playing time at kick returner. I definitely had high expectations for myself but the season’s not over yet.”
Macalester started the season at 2-0 before dropping its next two games to Monmouth and Lake Forest. The Scots bounced back with three Midwest Conference wins in a row before falling to MWC rival St. Norbert this past weekend. Monmouth’s 3-1 against conference opponents.
“We won our first two games and we were feeling really good,” Knee said. “We ran into two tough teams and they’re probably the two best teams in our conference. We definitely had a lot of work to do after that. We knew the next few games really mattered in terms of winning the conference. We just refocused and got the job done.”
The key to Macalester’s success this season, Knee said, is the team’s ability to produce a consistent offensive attack each game. The Scots field a pass-heavy offense, and with a strong offensive line leading the way, Macalester has averaged 26 points per game.
“We have a little more consistency this year on offense,” Knee said. “We have a lot of talent at receiver and our offensive line is getting better each week. We have one of the best passing offenses in the conference. We love to air it out and it’s tough to stop us once we find our rhythm.”
Aside from finding his role with the Scots, Knee has also enjoyed his time in a new environment at Macalester. Being able to experience life in a different part of the country has allowed him to appreciate the different atmosphere in Minnesota.
“Part of the reason I chose Macalester is because I wanted to explore a different part of the country,” Knee said. “The winter’s tough but fall and summer are beautiful here. I’m glad I chose to come here because it’s a beautiful place. It’s a cool atmosphere here, it’s different from back home in New England.”
Knee’s success at Macalester has also stretched into the classroom. A psychology major, Knee has found the ways to best utilize his time during football season in balancing both academics and his work on the gridiron.
“It was a tough transition freshman year but now that I’ve figured out what I want to do, things are going well,” Knee said. “I’ve liked my classes. During the season, there isn’t as much free time but it’s also great because it helps keep me focused on my academics.”
With one game left on the season, Saturday at University of Chicago, the Scots will need a win to keep their hopes of winning the MWC North alive. Macalester’s currently in second place in the MWC North standings, one game behind St. Norbert.
“We know that if we play our game, we can beat any team,” Knee said. “Chicago’s new to the conference but they’re a really good team. That’s a game we have to win if we’re going to win the conference. We just have to focus on ourselves because that’s been working for the past few weeks. Hopefully we’ll get the job done.”
