The Edgerton Flying Dutchmen have two 2009 graduates that will take their talents to the next level this school year, as Pat Kleinjan and Katie Hadler get set to compete for Northwestern College and Minnesota West Community and Technical College, respectively.
Kleinjan and Hadler, both multiple all-conference selections during their high school careers, will look to garner positions with their new institutions as respective members of the football and softball teams.

Pat Kleinjan
(Northwestern College, Football)
Kleinjan, a six-foot, 200-pound wide receiver and safety, played four years with the Flying Dutchmen varsity. He earned all-conference honors in two consecutive seasons in helping lead Edgerton to an 8-2 record and claim a share of the Southern Confederacy Conference title in 2008. Gifted with size, speed and strength, Kleinjan hopes to make an immediate impact with the Red Raiders this fall.
“We’ll have to see how it goes, but I’d like to get into the mix right away and see what I can do in the college game,” Kleinjan said prior to his initial practice with the Red Raiders Monday afternoon. “I’ll probably be playing mostly wide receiver; the team already has a lot of defensive back, so I’ll concentrate on the offensive side of the ball.”
Kleinjan received a leg up this summer, as the 2009 Edgerton grad had the opportunity to work out with senior captain wide receiver Reed Van Hulzen, also a former Flying Dutchman.
“I’ve been working with Reed Van Hulzen all summer, and he kind of showed me what to work on and told me what to expect at Northwestern,” Kleinjan said. “Having Reed and Kevin Vander Schaaf (junior, running back) down there with me should make for an easier transition in both athletics and academics.”
Northwestern head football coach Kyle Achterhoff, an Edgerton High School (1986) and Northwestern College graduate, is thrilled to have Kleinjan coming to Orange City, Iowa to play with the Red Raiders in his inaugural season as the team’s head coach and is equally excited to keep the Edgerton-Northwestern pipeline running smoothly.
“We’ve had several players from Edgerton join the team; Reed Van Hulzen and Kevin Vander Schaaf have come in and made a big impact, and I expect that Pat will do the same. We brought Pat in because of his athleticism and his ability to potentially contribute on both sides of the ball. But right now, we’re looking mainly at the wide receiver position. Pat has demonstrated his ability to run very sharp routes, and he has very good hands.
“We really like the match-up of Pat on the outside because of his size. If he gets matched up with a smaller corner that can cause some fits and be a hard adjustment for a defensive to deal with. If we have him inside in a slot position, now we have him matched up against a linebacker, who most likely doesn’t run as well. So, Pat’s going to be a big match-up problem for the opposition in the future.”
“We expect a lot from our receiving group. Obviously they have to catch the ball, run great routes and get open, but they also have to do a lot in terms of blocking for our running game. So, Pat, with his size and strength, is definitely going to be a big asset to us.”
While the transition from high school ball to the college game can give some freshman problems, Kleinjan will have the added hitch of moving from a 9-man program to an 11-man squad. But Kleinjan believes the transition should be quite easy for him since he’ll likely be part of the receiving corps.
“The game’s not a whole lot different from the 9-man game, especially from a wide receiver position,” Kleinjan said. “As long as I run a crisp route, there should be plenty of opportunities to receive passes.”
Kleinjan obviously learned his trade from one of the best in the area, as Edgerton head football coach Andrew Fleischman has sent three players down to Orange City that have helped the program tremendously. Fleischman sees Kleinjan as another Flying Dutchman that will do whatever it takes to succeed at the next level.
“The first thing about Pat is that he’s a tireless worker,” he said. “Pat worked his tail off in the weight room during the season and during the summers, and does everything you ask of him. Not only was Pat a great route runner with good hands, but also he was a very, very good blocker, which will make him a real asset to the Northwestern program.
“I’m excited for Pat, and it’s nice for him to go down and know a few people right away. Pat, Reed and Kevin all know each other and worked out together over the summer. It’s great for me, as a coach, to be able to go down there and watch several former players excelling at the next level. It should be an exciting season for Edgerton players down at Northwestern.”
A member of the National Honor Society and academic all-conference team, Kleinjan plans to major in education or athletic training at Northwestern. The high academic standards of the college and the size of the school were a big draw for Kleinjan prior to inking with the Red Raiders.
“I kind of liked the small campus size and it seemed like a great place to play football and get a solid education,” Kleinjan said. “When Kevin and Reed came back to Edgerton for a visit, they really helped me make a decision. They talked up the program and, after speaking with Coach Achterhoff, I made the decision to go to Northwestern. I plan on majoring in education or athletic training. If I stick with education, I’d like to become a history teacher and do some coaching. If I get a degree in athletic training, I’d like to work with a college or professional athletics program.
Kleinjan will get his first taste of regular-season college competition at 7 p.m. Sept. 5, as the Red Raiders host the Dordt College Defenders in their season opener in Orange City.

Kate Hadler
(Minnesota West, Softball)
All ready set to attend Dordt College this fall, Edgerton’s Kate Hadler had a change of heart over the summer and opted to go to school a little closer to home in August.
“Earlier this year, I had decided to go to Dordt College,” Hadler said. “But then, I got to thinking more about the field I’d like to go into – the medical field – and I couldn’t do that at Dordt. So, that was basically the deciding factor in making the change to Minnesota West. It was a very tough decision.”
While her decision meant the Defenders would lose out on a quality athlete, Minnesota West head softball coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka was ecstatic with Hadler’s resolution.
“Getting Kate to come to Minnesota West is HUGE for us,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “We had hoped to get her here earlier in the year, but she said that she planned to go to Dordt. When she contacted me about changing schools, I was thrilled. She’s going to be a great addition to the team.”
After meeting with Hayenga-Hostikka, Hadler was confident that she’d made a good choice.
“Coach Hayenga-Hostikka had talked to me earlier in the school year about going there for basketball and softball,” Hadler said. Then, when I was thinking of making a change, I called her and told her I would be visiting the campus, and she made a point of being there. When I got there, we sat down and talked, and she thought it would be a great situation for both of us. I was super excited that she was so excited and OK with it (the change). I instantly liked her, thought she was friendly and thought she’d be a good coach for me to learn from at the next level.”
Hadler, who finished the 2008-09 high school season with a 14-4 pitching record and an outstanding .268 earned run average, helped the Flying Dutchmen claim the Red Rock Conference title for the first time in several seasons. Her ability to change speeds with her pitches and get good movement on the ball made her senior year one to remember.
“That was great; I had so much fun this past year,” Hadler said. “Winning a conference title was a great way to finish my high school career.”
But Hadler knows she’ll have to step it up further if she is going to make an impact with the Bluejays.
“I know that I’ll have to work hard in practice, nothing is given to you,’ Hadler said. “My pitching has come a long way. I got thrown into the varsity right away as a (high school) freshman, and that was kind of crazy. It was tough that first year, but my pitching has improved a lot since that season. My accuracy is a lot better, and I think I throw pretty hard. I don’t try to make the ball do too much, but I have good movement on my pitches. My change-up has gotten better, and I think I’m ready to compete at the next level.”
Like her classmate Kleinjan, Hadler receive some top-notch training from coach Fleischman, who believes she is ready to excel in the college arena.
“Both Kate and Pat had a ton of success in three sports while they were here at Edgerton, and that makes them attractive to college coaches,” Fleischman said. “Not only were they three-sport athletes, but very successful three-sport athletes.
“Kate was a big part of our team winning the conference this season. She’s really come a long way; she started as a freshman, kept us in every game with her pitching – shutting down the opposition – and also did a lot with her bat – picked up a lot of big hits for us. As a pitcher, Kate throws fast and has a lot of movement on the ball. She has a very good change-up and I expect her to work on developing more pitches in college. She has a very good base and the ability to throw strikes, which will take her far at the next level.”
A tireless worker, Hadler is quick to point out that Fleischman is a big part of why she’ll be playing college softball this spring.
“Coach Fleischman did a great job with the team; he’s a great coach,” said Hadler, who would like to work as a radiology technician or as a med lab tech after graduation. “He did a great job of teaching us the game, preparing us for high-level competition and getting us ready to play after high school. He gave me more than the basics, and I’m sure I’ll be reflecting on his instruction for many years to come.”
But there is always room for improvement, and Hadler is keen on getting better in the circle this season with the Bluejays. But her main goal is to be a team player.
“Pitching wise, I want to get better with my accuracy; you can always get better at that,” Hadler said. “Offensively a I hope to be solid hitter, but most of all, I want be a dependable player and help the team be the best team possible. It’s very exciting to be moving on with my academic and athletic careers.”