Number 54 in maroon and gold studies the opposing offense, plotting his next move with his eyes as he watches the opposing offense's cadences and motions as they prepare for the snap. He studies the quarterback and what he knows might be coming next and with the snap, he is off looking to stop the player in his tracks with a forceful tackle.

Will Cross has become known as a coach on the field, a consummate leader, and the quintessential student-athlete, whether as a student of the game or as a student in the classroom who has achieved a near 4.0 in his academic career and finished degrees in management, finance, and a minor in communication.

Cross has laid a great foundation at Minnesota Crookston. While the wins haven't yet accumulated, the young man has put his blood, sweat and tears into the program and it has shown. You can see on his face that he was itching for his first win on the field as a player in the Maroon and Gold, having been either a redshirt or injured during the program's two wins in his times, and he had a sense of pain in his eyes that it hadn't come yet. But the truth of the story is Cross is the type of player that will help the Golden Eagles get to the next step in the process and his impact will continue to be seen for years to come.

The story of Will Cross and his journey with Minnesota Crookston starts in Turtle Lake, Wis., in a small community of just over 1,000 people. Originally Cross never thought it would be football that would lead him to a college scholarship, but rather thought it would be on the baseball diamond where he would take the next step.

"So growing up I played a lot of sports," Cross said. "I played basketball, baseball, football, and then I wrestled for a good majority of my life. Going into high school I thought baseball was going to be my sport to tell you the honest truth. I had a really good junior year and then fell off during my senior year. Football really galvanized me on that and I realized that I would be able to play college football. I just wanted to be able to go somewhere and prove that I could play."

Cross' journey to Minnesota Crookston came through a familiar face to Golden Eagle fans. His high school assistant coach Trenton Nyhus was a player at Minnesota Crookston from 2009-11 and was instrumental with Will's eventual route to the Red River Valley.

"Coming out of high school I didn't have that many offers and my coach from high school actually played up here and so that connection started everything," Cross said. "I came up for a camp and I did pretty well up here and then they offered me a scholarship."

Cross sat out his first year at Minnesota Crookston in 2015 as a redshirt, a decision that he doesn't regret to this day because it allowed him to become the player he would become later in his career.

"It was a good acclimation period," Cross said. "It was for sure one of the best things that I ever did," stated Cross. "It allowed me to grow and get faster and stronger and just become a better football player overall. It is a good learning experience. It definitely helped me adjust to the speed of the game and grow as a football player."

After his freshman season, Cross stepped into a major role for the Golden Eagles as he had a breakout season leading the team with 90 tackles, along with seven tackles for loss, a half sack, and an interception. He started all 11 games at middle linebacker and ended the season as an All-NSIC Honorable Mention pick.

"It definitely threw me for a loop at the start of the season," Cross said. "I started the year kind of slow and I didn't play very well in the first couple of games. Once I started to get used to the speed of the game and how quick everything moves and how fast you actually have to react, it definitely started quickly. I definitely had a really good defensive line in front of me my freshman year and my defensive line this year has been good, as well. When you have a good defensive line it keeps me clean and allows me to make tackles and that definitely helped and has helped this year."

Cross grew into the ultimate leader for the Golden Eagles, helping to put the entire defense into their position and making sure they could be as successful as possible. Cross points to the reason for his success as a leader to being able to constantly learn and build the trust of his teammates.

"Leadership has always been something that has come naturally to me," Cross said. "I have learned a lot growing up from people above me and I have learned a lot from some of the past leaders here. It is definitely something where you have to keep learning. It isn't something where you wake up and go 'oh I'm going to be leader.' You have to build the trust within the guys. They have to be able to look to you and say 'I know he knows what he needs to do, so I can follow him.'"

And follow him they did, up until last season when it became a little more difficult for Cross as he went down with an injury in the first game of the season against Minnesota State University Moorhead. That led to an adjustment in thinking for number 54 as he no longer could lead with his heady decision making on the field and his execution. He had to become a coach to the younger players coming up behind him.

"Injuries are part of the game and when I got hurt last year I definitely did not expect to be out as long as I was," Cross said. "When I got to the point and realized I wasn't going to be able to play again that year it really shifted my mindset to what do I need to do to be able to succeed from a leadership standpoint of not being able to play. The guys that stepped in were younger, so coaching them up and being able to get them to understand the defensive concepts was really important. I also helped them to get their eyes right and get their assignments down."

This season, Cross was able to get back to his old ways as he was able to suit up for all but two of Minnesota Crookston's games as the middle linebacker for the Golden Eagles. Cross finished his senior season with 75 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and a half sack as he ended his career with 243 career tackles, just 35 tackles shy of the top five career tacklers Minnesota Crookston history. Cross attributes his success on the field to his eyes and being able to see the big picture of what opposing offenses are doing.

"I've always been a heady player," Cross said. "During the game I see things a little differently at times than other players. The biggest thing for me is my eyes. I watch everything as much as I can. As a linebacker you have your keys where on this play I'm going to watch the running back and where he goes I go. I'm more of the person where I am going to look at the bigger picture. I need to see what all seven guys in the backfield are doing at one time. That allows me to react a little bit faster and be able to make some plays."

Cross ended his redshirt senior season with another accolade, as he earned All-NSIC North Honorable Mention for the second time in his career. But that wasn't what he was looking for, up until the final whistle he was looking to lead the Golden Eagles a victory. Going into his final game against UMary last weekend, Cross had these thoughts going through his head.

"It definitely is going to be an emotional game," stated Cross. "I haven't thought about it a lot. I have been on a rollercoaster ride in terms of program success. I have never actually played in a win for UMC. It is going to be tough to put on that Maroon and Gold for one last time and it might be the end of my whole playing career. It is something that I won't take lightly. I am going to miss the guys and miss the coaching staff and miss the bus rides and all of the practices and locker room talks. It is going to be tough. It is not something where I am going to be able to go, alright now I am done. It is going to be a tough experience."

Even though the losses sting, that isn't the overall takeaway Cross will have from his experience at Minnesota Crookston. It is all about the people he has met. Lifelong relationships that have been formed in Crookston.
"The people, definitely the people," Cross responded when asked about what he will most remember about Minnesota Crookston. "The people that I have met here and gotten to know and the friendships that I have built over the time here have been unbelievable. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The people around here truly care about what you want to do and look for you to succeed."

Minnesota Crookston will continue to be something in his heart and a part of his family, as his mom Meredith is also in pursuit of a degree from Minnesota Crookston.

"So last year my mom came to me and mentioned that she wanted to go back and get her bachelor's degree and I had asked where was going to go and she said she was going to get it from Crookston," Cross said. "We overlap in a few classes. She didn't ever text me asking for homework advice. I think she will be done either this spring or next fall."

So while things may have been up and then down through his time at Minnesota Crookston, Cross will never regret the decision to be a Golden Eagle. So though his time has passed as a Golden Eagle, and the next person to don number 54 might not have that classic Will Cross smirk that he gets on his face when you make a joke, people will remember the lasting impact he had as a leader. It was the hard work he put in day in and day out and put on the line for his teammates and the great leader, teammate, and overall student-athlete Will Cross was people will remember. After all, it isn't the ups and downs of the rollercoaster that people remember, it is overall thrill of it all and the ride that lives on in your memories.