By GARY VAN CLEAVE
Special to Great Bend Post
HOISINGTON - He stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 190 pounds, but Hoisington Cardinal incoming senior Teron Kraft sports a heart bigger than any football field.
“I like to think of myself as a power back,” said Kraft, who rushed for 1,228 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. “I will run hard and run you over. That's what we need in an offense, someone that's okay with running it up the middle for three yards, and sometimes breakout and make big plays.”
“Teron is a leader on the field, a confident young man who will fight and claw to get it done, loves the game and the guys around him,” graduated senior Mason Alderdice, who led the team with 15 total touchdowns, said. “He embodies what a football player is, he works hard, doesn’t complain and has a knack for the end zone.”
Kraft immediately gave credit where credit was due.
“First of all I owe all of my yards to the amazing offensive line that we had,” said Kraft, who runs a 4.77/40. “Secondly, I made a goal at the beginning of last season. That I need to run for 1,000 yards or more and help my team as much as I can.”
He produced five 100-yard games and added 107 receiving yards on nine receptions and one TD. On defense, he mustered 59 tackles, three sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
“I just try to follow my reads, and attack the play before it develops,” Kraft said of his TFL’s.
Kraft helped the Cardinals to a 12-1 season in which they advanced to the Class 2A state championship.
“Last year was the most fun I have had during football,” Kraft said. “We had a lot of characters to make it fun. It was also fun kicking ass and making it to the state championship game.”
Against Phillipsburg, he exploded for 269 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just six carries.
“Just everything was working, I couldn’t be stopped and the offensive line was kicking ass,” Kraft said. “I went out there to prove something, like I do every game.”
“Teron has helped the team tremendously the past few years, but last year he really stepped up with his starting spot at running back,” junior wide receiver Mason Martin said. “He dominated anything and everything. This year he’s gonna have a big load to carry as a senior and as a great leader to our team.”
“Dawg! He runs well and just has the mentality,” senior quarterback Rhen Galla said. “He has the ability to run through tackles and set up play action.”
“Definitely a very hard worker and is tough to bring down,” graduated senior Tony Moore noted. “He’s pretty diverse in what he brings as a running back.”
Kraft said the summer conditioning program has been high demanding.
“We focus on giving our best effort everyday. Because we know teams are working this summer too, but we need to work harder,” Kraft said.
He’s been focused on particular areas of his game this past offseason.
“I have been focusing on my speed and being more agile. I need to be able to burst through the gaps and make bigger plays for my team,” Kraft said.
“I've learned most from playing and watching Teron just how important it Is to run hard with forward lean,” senior running back Kyler Russell said. “If there's four plays and you get two yards each that's eight yards. If you get forward lean and fall forward you get maybe three or four yards. Football is truly a game of inches.”
“Teron is a guy you can rely on if you need some physicality,” senior defensive back Jason Robinson said. “He makes plays happen when others in his position wouldn’t know what to do.”
Galla described a particular play that preserved a Cardinal victory.
“It was third and 15 and we throw a screen pass to him. He got the first down after running through tackles and sealed the game against Southeast of Saline,” Galla noted.
“There is a reason Teron plays middle linebacker. He is the vocal leader on the defense and now is the vocal leader thoughout the whole entire team,” Alderdice said. “He works hard and does things the right way. A great football player and even better young man.”
“I credit my success to my coaches and my dad. They all have pushed me to be the best I can be,” Kraft said. “I grew up around football since I was born. I would watch my Dad coach great players, and the success he would have doing it. Watching that all the time I knew I needed to give my 110% all the time.”
He hopes to get a chance to play football at the next level.
“It would mean the world to me. I have been wanting to play college football since I started playing,” Kraft said. “I would also like to prove everyone wrong that’s said that I'm too small, and would never make it.”
“Not only did he get a lot stronger and bigger to make it easier to run the ball, but he also got a lot smarter on following blocks and making the cuts necessary to get the most yards out of the play,” Robinson said.
“I want to be known as a ‘dude that worked his ass off’. Someone that always fought for his teammates,” Kraft concluded.