Thursday, March 28, 2024
Former St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Mark Setterstrom looks on as Javis Williams lunges toward the bag at the “Hogs N Dogs” camp at KMTelecom Stadium on Saturday morning.

Setterstrom creates excitement in the trenches

Former NFL guard helps out at K-M “Hogs N Dogs” camp

When watching a NFL game in today’s era, the game has evolved into one that craves the spotlight. A quick highlight on ESPN shows quarterbacks, running backs and receivers making spectacular plays and scoring touchdowns in the process. Even levels of the defense get some highlights with sacks, interceptions and touchdown returns that make for good television.

However, when it comes to the offensive line, it’s an entirely different situation. The offensive line rarely gets the credit it deserves because rarely will you see a guard scoop up a ball and run 50 yards for a score (and if you do, it’s more shown on a Football Follies video than ESPN). In fact, the only time you hear about the offensive line is when they make a mistake.

That stigma has made convincing the lower levels of football that it’s cool to be an offensive lineman even though their role might be the most important on the field.

“It all starts up front with those guys trusting each other,” Kasson-Mantorville football coach Broc Threinen explained. “If the quarterback can trust that their read is clear, they can drop back and really step into a throw. It all starts with that.”

For the K-M football program, they had a unique opportunity to learn about the game in the trenches during the first annual “Hogs N Dogs” camp. While simply teaching players how to block doesn’t seem exciting, USA Football trainer Terry Donovan made a call to an acquaintance to help him get the message across -- former St. Louis Rams guard Mark Setterstrom.

Setterstrom was a standout at Northfield during the early 2000s and went on to become an All-American selection at the University of Minnesota before embarking on a five-year career with the Rams. After seeing the level of success that he has had, he simply wanted to pay it forward.

“Coach Donovan asked me to come down and I’m just happy to help,” Setterstrom replied. “It’s just fun to watch the kids and their excitement for the game. They’re just engaged in what they’re trying to do and I’m just helping them with their skills.”

With the NFL connection in play, the camp was another way to spread some of the messages that they’ve been preaching throughout the program.

“Just hearing it from someone that’s not in our

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