Prospect Spotlight: Christian Kelsey – Litchfield (2021)

Brian Jerzak August 7, 2020 @ 11:28 AM

Neither the Litchfield Dragons nor then-junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18151" first="Christian" last="Kelsey"]</strong> got off to the start they wanted during the 2019 football season. After a team heart to heart, the team - and one of their best offensive linemen turned their seasons around. "We had an 0-3 start. I don’t think the team was all on the same page," Kelsey admitted. "Then we had a half-hour talk at practice one day, and that rallied the troops. We went 4-1 after that and then won a playoff game." One of the reasons for the mid-season improvement was an offense that could not put up twenty points in the first three games got on track and scored forty or more points three of the last four regular-season games. "We do a lot of false pulling – making it hard to find the ball," Kelsey told prepredzone.com. "It is a fun offense to run." Kelsey improved as the season went on. "My season went the same as the team’s season. It took a few games to get my feet under me. Once we won that first game, I felt like I got it, and it was only up from there." Kelsey played right guard. "I think my pass set and pass blocking is good. I also think my pulling is a strength. I have good speed and can run with the defenders on jet sweeps and things like that." Last season was Kelsey’s first year starting. He knows he has plenty to work on. "I have been working on my agility and my foot quickness," the 6’2" 280-pound lineman said. "Sometimes guys would beat me to a spot, and I would manhandle them back into the spot I needed. This year, I am trying to get my technique better." In a typical school year, Kelsey would have been a three-sport athlete. "This winter, I played basketball. We made it to section semis and lost on a buzzer-beater. I didn’t play that much. I was more of an energy guy. I would have played baseball this spring. I play first base, and I think I would have fought for a spot on the varsity this year." During the basketball season, Kelsey was still thinking about football. When the quarantine hit, Kelsey barely missed a beat. "During basketball, my legs were in good shape, so I focused on my upper body. Luckily, I had a bench and squat rack at home that I could use (in the spring). I would also go with some other guys to the football field to do some agility and some speed workouts." Once the weight room opened, Kelsey has been able to do full-body workouts. During the recruiting process, Kelsey has kept his priorities on picking a school first and a football program second. "Recruiting has been good. I have had a lot of good conversations with coaches," Kelsey – who likes to fish for bass and walleye - explained. "The attention is fun. I am keeping school first – I want to be a mechanical engineer, so that helps me narrow down schools. I keep academics first and football a close second." Schools have started to show interest in the Dragons’ big man. "I have some DII and DIII schools that have my major, that are interested in me. I think I am being recruited as a guard or center." If he continues to improve over during this extended off-season as he did during his junior year, Kelsey should have plenty of schools to choose from to meet his academic and football requirements.