Waters finally gets chance to play at Jack Trice

By Dylan Montz, correspondent

AMES - Coming off a junior college national championship at Iowa Western in 2012, Aaron Wimberly and Jake Waters were as close as brothers.

Wimberly, a running back from Snellville, Ga., and Waters, a quarterback from Council Bluffs, became fast friends on and off the field. Being so far from home, Wimberly would often go to the Waters home just a couple blocks from the school.

One of Wimberly's favorite memories from those days quickly finds its way to the conversation.

'His dad always used to cook steaks for us,” Wimberly said with a slight laugh.

'I'll tell you what, it beat Mac and Cheese and chicken nuggets,” added ISU defensive end Cory Morrissey, a teammate of theirs at Iowa Western in 2011.

After that 2012 season, Wimberly and Waters departed on different paths - Wimberly choosing to play football at Iowa State and Waters selecting Kansas State. But the two will be reunited on opposite sidelines today when the Cyclones host the No. 20 Wildcats for an 11 a.m. kickoff.

Waters' father, Rick, attended Iowa State, but Jake was never heavily recruited by the Cyclones because of quarterbacks already on the ISU roster. Getting a chance to play in Jack Trice Stadium will finally become a reality for Waters, but he'll be doing it as a visiting player.

'It is going to be a special experience for me - going there as a kid and seeing the games and not knowing if I was going to be able to play there - but I have to treat it like every other game,” Waters said. 'I cannot go out there and try to win the game on the first play or on one single play. I have to go out and prepare the way that I know how and take what the defense gives me.”

Waters led the Wildcats to a 55-16 victory over Stephen F. Austin last Saturday in Manhattan, Kan., completing 19 of 28 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns and certainly has the attention of the ISU coaching staff.

'He's a competitor. He's a playmaker,” said ISU Coach Paul Rhoads. 'He throws balls that need to be thrown whether it's from a sidearm almost baseball style or a fade ball with enough air on it for a guy to make a play, and he's certainly productive with his legs.”

Wimberly and Waters' friendship remains intact despite the distance between them these days.

But as for pointers about each other's teams? Wimberly laughed off giving Waters any insight about the Cyclones.

'No helpful hints,” he said.

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