The center of obscurity

Kurt Fahlen is mired in anonymity.

• Photos

In fact, the less you know about the senior the better it is for the Brainerd Warriors football team.

He's not a secret weapon Brainerd will use to run on a double reverse pass or anything fun like that. No, he's an offensive lineman. Worse yet, he's the center.

Brainerd offensive lineman Kurt Fahlen played a steady, albeit low-key, role with the Warriors. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.

The only possible chance Fahlen would ever get to hear his name over the public address system would be during pregame starter introductions.

Um, yeah, Brainerd changed to a whole team introduction so that didn't happen. There's always the fumble recovery in the end zone ...

To the casual fan, Fahlen's noticeable football feats are when he screws up - a bad snap, a false start or a holding call. Rare is it to hear someone scream from the back of the bleachers, "Oh my! Did you see that pancake block by the center? Yippee."

Don't worry, though. This is the way Fahlen wanted it. He knew early on he was destined for lineman duty and a life of obscurity.

It's not a lonely life. He's got a support group made up of other like-minded individuals. Guys like Mitchell Weideman, Joseph Haeg and Jacob and Charles Kassulker, who are also lost in all the fuss of Reid Mimmack's 1,251 passing yards and 14 touchdowns or Kyle Crocker's 12 touchdowns or the emergence of the rushing attack of Jordan Hayes and Carsten Nelson.

Guess what people? Nobody on Brainerd's offense touches the football more than Fahlen.

"I like being in the shadows," said Fahlen. "I don't like all that pressure of having to catch a pass or running the ball.

"I knew from the start I would be a lineman. I had the build of a lineman. I used to play defense, but then got switched to the O-line my sophomore year."

That's when his nameless existence began. Oh, your name gets yelled a lot. Usually by the coach after a holding call and it's followed by a string of colorful adjectives.

Even Fahlen's summers are spent in the dark. While others his age are out living life on the lake, Fahlen and his linemates are in the weight room cursing being born.

"That's the most important part," Fahlen said. "You have to stick with the weight room. We have to live in the weight room. It's our second home. During the winter, spring and summer that's where we are. It has to be if we're going to compete at this level."

That level was questioned at the beginning of the season. The offense, especially the line, was a preseason question mark. It looked rightfully so as the team struggled to gain yards early in the season.

In the playoffs, however, Brainerd has averaged 35.0 points and 337.3 yards a game. That's a jump from 28.9 points and 302 yards in the regular season.

"It was really nice being a question because it was a challenge to us," Fahlen said. "We had to show that we were up to the challenge. We have a younger line with only two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. They've all really stepped up. We haven't had too bad of a penalty game this season and we're happy about that of course. Now we're getting the running game going.

"There's nothing better than getting your running game going because it opens up the whole playbook."

It all starts with the center. It's a position Fahlen just moved into. Last year he split time at guard, but offensive line coach Chet Stevenson sees greatness in No. 75.

"The thing I was looking for was his leadership ability," said Stevenson. "We didn't have a veteran center, something we had the last two years with Clint Dwire. When it comes to center you like to get a really great athlete that can move or a guy that has tremendous leadership.

"Kurt would be the first to say his feet aren't great. The thing about him, he's a tough kid - a real competitor. He gives me his best effort all the time. I just knew if he could get the center snap he would be a great leader."

It's a humble life. Team awards may come Fahlen's way. A possible All-Central Lakes Conference selection. A more apt award for Fahlen and the rest of the Warrior lineman would be a Silent Warrior award, normally given to a fan, at the Brainerd all-sports banquet each spring.

The quieter they are the better.

But the only award Fahlen needs is the respect of his teammates and coaches. And, he's got that.

"Kurt is the leader of the pack," said Stevenson. "He's the vocal leader and gets on kids when they start whining. He takes them under his arm and tells them, 'Let's go.' Kurt by far is a shining star as far as that.

"He's a great kid. He has a great heart and he's a good citizen. I think the world of him."

JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.