Former Wall football offensive lineman Baine Jenschke signed a letter of intent to continue his athletic and academic future at the U.S. Naval Academy at the Wall High School gym on Tuesday, April 7.
In a gym full of family, friends and peers, Jenschke made a nine-year commitment to the Navy. In exchange for his four-year scholarship, he will have an additional five-year active-duty commitment as an officer, where he said he aims to become an F-18 pilot.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound lineman had nearly double-digit offers to play college football after a senior season, in which he did not allow a sack on 785 passing attempts for the Class 3A Division II state champion Hawks.
While Jenschke appreciated all the attention he received from other college football programs, the offer he had been chasing since middle school was to one of the U.S. service academies.
What Jenschke did not anticipate was an athletic scholarship to play NCAA Division I rugby for the Midshipmen — a sport he had never thought of playing before.
“I didn’t really fit (the football staff’s) criteria for an offer guy,” Jenschke said. “They sent my film to the rugby staff, and they fell in love with me. The coach said it is hard to find guys my size, so it was a great fit. … Especially here in West Texas, I’ve never heard of anybody that plays on a rugby team, I’ve never played before — I have zero experience whatsoever.”
Jenschke said playing college football was not the goal, but one of the paths to his dream of enrolling at a U.S. service academy.
“It was probably March of 2024 when he started talking to me about wanting to go to a service academy,” Wall football coach Craig Slaughter said. “He was looking that far ahead, and he’s that together of a kid. When you’re talking about the Naval Academy, well, that’s just an amazing accomplishment — we’re so proud of him.”
Along with the nine-year commitment to the Navy, the application process for service academies is arduous and meticulous.
Firstly, a preliminary application opens in the spring of an applicant’s junior year. What follows is an official application before their senior year, a candidate fitness assessment that tests physical and mental toughness, a medical examination and an interview from a Blue and Gold Officer.
On top of the two-year application process, candidates are required to maintain a strong GPA, class rank and competitive SAT or ACT scores — culminating in a roughly 10% acceptance rate.
“If anybody knows about the service academy application process, it is super drawn out,” Jenschke said, “It really doesn’t feel real because this has been such a long time coming. So, now that it’s official, it’s tough to make it feel real.”
Another part of the application process requires a congressional nomination. That nomination can come from a representative, senator or the Vice President of the United States. For Jenschke, Representative of TX-11, August Pfluger, who was also a graduate of a service academy, made the nomination.
“As a graduate of a U.S. service academy, nominating outstanding students from Texas’s 11th Congressional District to attend these institutions is one of the most rewarding parts of my job,” Pfluger said. “I love meeting young people who want to serve, and I am incredibly proud of Baine Jenschke for earning his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he will compete on the rugby team. His commitment to excellence reflects the very best of our district, and I have no doubt he will make our community and our country proud as he begins this chapter of service to our nation.”
While Jenschke will begin his new chapter in some unfamiliar territory, he will never be far from his roots.
“I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something that was bigger than myself,” Jenschke said. “I know I’m just one person, but when you get a lot of people who want to do something bigger than themselves, you can really make a difference. And that’s what I want to do in my life, I want to make sure I make a difference, and a service academy helps me do that.”
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@gosanangelo.com. Follow him on X @Paul_Witwer, Instagram and TikTok at pwitwer_sast.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Wall’s Baine Jenschke commits to Naval Academy for rugby
Reporting by Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
