During the winter months of 2017-2018, Jake Katzer made it his goal to cut his home’s utility cost to as little money as possible. While other people would probably go as far as lowering the heating by a couple of degrees and trying to keep their showers under the 20-minute mark, Jake and his brother Joel took it to the next level…

When visiting their house, it was important to bring a warm coat and maybe even a stocking hat, because they kept their house at a crisp 58 degrees. In an extreme attempt to save money, Jake and his brother had completely shut off the heat in the house, turning it down to the lowest degree possible to “keep the pipes from freezing.” 

This might sound uncomfortable and even kind of absurd to some people. However, those who know Jake are not surprised at all by this extreme act of frugalness. At the time, he and his twin brother were so focused on lowering their bills that they were willing to wear a coat in their own home and sleep under 3 blankets. Yet, for them, it was a small sacrifice that they were more than willing to pay. 

Jake prioritizes his goals above everything else, and often sacrifices his personal life to reach them. This trait is one of the more defining characteristics of his personality. When asked where this discipline and focus comes from, he answers: ”Honestly, I just don’t want to fail anybody.” 

From academic excellence and aspirations of a career in medicine, to leading the Morningside Mustang defense on the football field, his no-nonsense approach, relentless attitude and unwavering morals have brought him success wherever his ventures lead him.

Growing up in rural Kansas, helping out at local farms during the summer, being a three sport athlete in middle and high school, and being held to high academic standards have formed him into the driven person he is today at age 22.

“Our parents always put a big emphasis on academics. From elementary school on, Joel and I were expected to get A grades in school. Our grades were always good but if they were not, we would not have been allowed to do sports or other activities until our grades were back up to standard.” Jake explains. “Over time, my brother and I took pride in our academic work ourselves and held each other accountable for good performance in the classroom.”

One of the more surprising things about Jake is that he can have just as much fun being fun-loving and spontaneous. The key is that he can flip the switch between fun and work in an instant and is very aware of when to use which side of his personality. 

So, it is not uncommon to see Jake joke around with teammates in the Morningside cafeteria, then leave the table to do homework as soon as he feels that his lunchtime is over. 

“It is so impressive that Jake is able to balance all the different aspects of his life!” says Madison Reed, one of Jake’s roommates. “He does a great job of being fun to be around and also being able to prioritize his studies when he needs to and not getting distracted easily.”

When it comes to athletic success, it becomes evident that this is another area of his life where Jake uses discipline and work ethic to excel. 

The former Baldwin City, KS High School Wrestling and Football standout used his intelligence and discipline to form a college Football career at Morningside that includes being a two-year starter, receiving two times first team all-GPAC honors and being part of the 2018 National Champion team.

As the Middle Linebacker he is responsible for leading the defense. Under his lead, the Morningside Mustangs are well on their way to win another National Championship in 2019. 

His playstyle is best described as disciplined and reliable. “ Jake really makes very little mistakes. He is constantly in the right spot and gets all of us lined up right on every snap. He is kind of the quarterback of our defense,” says his brother Joel Katzer. 

When looking ahead at Jake’s future after his graduation from Morningside in May, one can see that all the hard work has set him up for success. He scored in the 99th percentile in this year’s MCAT, the placement test for medical schools, and just received acceptance into the University of Iowa Medical School. Jake is well on his way to fulfill his goal of becoming a medical doctor in rural America. 

Mega City- An explosion rocked the food court at the Mega City Mall around 9:53 a.m. today.

According to the MCPD, less than 100 people were injured, but two fatalities were reported. “The injured have been placed in various city hospitals but the two fatalities have not yet been identified.”Captain Fuglsang of the MCPD adds in an initial press conference. Reports of a missing child cannot be confirmed at this point, but investigations are commencing as if the reports were true, MCPD states

According to Nick Loya, who is an intern at Mega City Mall and was eating lunch in the food court during the explosion, the shockwave was strong enough to “blow me on the ground” and left him “uninjured but dazed when he got up.”

According to MCPD, early reports that exploding donuts where the cause of the incident can be ruled out and ” no prior warning was received abut the explosion. As of now, it is suspected to be an accidental incident.”

According to a statement issued by the Mall, Mega City Mall “will work closely with authorities to find the answers” to this incident. Federal and city authorities are en route to the scene of the explosion.

“Authorities are still arriving at the site to conduct investigations on the cause of the explosion.” confirm captain Fuglsang and adds that authorities are “in the process of analyzing CCTV footage of the incident.”

There will be a second press conference later this afternoon, where new-found information will be shared as the investigation is still in its early stages.

Midland, 12/03/2019- 16 year old polar bear Homer has been found dead this morning at around 7 a.m. He was the oldest bear of three in the zoo. This is the third death of an animal during this month, but they are unrelated, according to zoo director Chris P. Bacon.

The polar bear exhibit is one of the main attraction of the zoo since 1985 and allows the polar bears to play in the snow, gravel and hunt trout in a chilled pool to simulate their natural habitat.

According to veterinarian Dr. Shanda Lear, a necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. Chris P. Bacon adds: “we will do everything in our power to determine how this bear died.”

The polar bears are ambassadors of their wild relatives and are supposed to educate visitors about the threatened wild animals. “Homer was a very curious and playful polar bear and we will miss him terribly.”

During the winter months of 2017-2018, Jake Katzer made it his goal to save as much money on the utilities of the rental that he and his twin brother lived in at the time. While other people would probably go as far as lowering the heating by a couple of degrees and trying to keep their showers under the 20-minute mark, Jake and his brother Joel took it to the next level. 

When I would visit them to hang out at their house, I had to remember to bring a warm coat and maybe even a stocking hat. That was because Jake and his brother had decided to completely shut off the heat in the house and only turn it on the lowest degree possible at times to keep the pipes from freezing. 

This might sound uncomfortable and even kind of stupid to some people but makes total sense to those who know Jake well. He and his brother were so focused on lowering their bills that having to wear a coat in their own house and having to sleep under 3 blankets was a small sacrifice that they were more than willing to pay. 

Jake’s ability to prioritize his goals and to sacrifice almost everything in order to reach them is what sticks out most about his personality. When asked where this discipline and focus comes from, he answers: ”Honestly, I just really don’t want to fail anybody.” 

From academic excellence and aspirations to become a doctor to leading the Morningside Mustangs defense on the football field, his no- nonsense approach to working extremely hard and prioritizing the right things in his life have brought him success wherever his ventures lead him in college.

From a young age on, excellence was demanded and expected first by his parents and as he grew older, also by himself. Growing up in rural Kansas, helping out at local farms during the summer, being a 3 sport athlete in Middle- and High School and being held to high academic standards formed him into the driven person he is today at age 22. 

One of the more surprising things about Jake is that he can just as much be fun-loving and spontaneous. The key is that he can flip the switch between fun and work in an instant and is very aware of when to use which side of his personality. 

So, it is not uncommon to see Jake joke around with teammates in the Morningside cafeteria and then leaving to do homework as soon as he feels that his lunchtime is over. 

When it comes to athletic success, it becomes evident that this another area of his life where Jake uses discipline and work ethic to excel. The former Baldwin City, KS High School Wrestling and Football standout used his intelligence and discipline to form a college Football career at Morningside that includes being a two-year starter, receiving two times first team all-GPAC honors and being part of the 2018 National Champion team.

As the Middle Linebacker he is responsible for leading the defense and under his lead, the Morningside Mustangs are well on their way to win another National Championship in 2019. His playstyle is best described as disciplined and reliable. He rarely makes a wrong read and while his play is not flashy per se, he is always in the right spot and is a rock in the middle of the defense.

When looking ahead at Jake’s future after his graduation from Morningside in may, One can see that all the hard work has set him up for success. He scored in the 99th percentile in this year’s MCAT, the placement test for Medical Schools and should have no problems getting into a nationally renowned Medical program to fulfill his goal of becoming a medical Doctor in rural America. 

Jake Katzer’s life if very diverse and full of different facettes, but prioritizing his goals and focusing 100% on the task at hand has enabled him to find success in all of those aspects.