BY GARY VAN CLEAVE
Salina Post Contributor
DOWNS - Ian Kresin, one of the all-time greats from Lakeside High football, garnered rave reviews, even from rivals.
“He's such a good running back," Thunder Ridge quarterback Mason Baker said. "In college, they say all the great running backs make one move and get vertical, Ian did just that. I’ve always known him as a physical running back; he hits like a truck, and he’s fast.”
Kresin, a 5-foot-9 roadrunner-type with electrifying speed, will be lacing his cleats this fall for Kansas Wesleyan.
“They are getting a very hard-working back. I’ve seen him at all powerlifting meets, and he's very determined to win,” said Baker, bound for Evangel College this fall. “I can tell he has heart and passion for the game, so he will do great.”
That respect went both ways, and persists as the former high school rivals depart for the same college conference.
“He was an excellent quarterback,” Kresin said of Baker. “He can run, and he can run well.”
Kresin reports Friday as his college football career begins for the purple-clad Coyotes.
“I always visioned myself playing at the highest level,” Kresin said. “If you believe you can, you could have a possibility. But if you know you can then you will. It’s a mental sport. That’s what separates players.”
While Kresin received plenty of praise from opponents, those sentiments were echoed by those he shared a locker room with throughout high school.
“He's a very developed freshman, they will be very happy with him from the first day,” Knight teammate Gabe Smith said. “He’ll work as hard as possible to make sure he’s on the field.”
“KWU is getting the most determined and level-headed running back they have probably ever gotten,” Lakeside senior quarterback Kaden McCoy said. “Ian is a very good football player and he shows it. Look at the stats and highlights, he will always push you as a player to get better. He was a very good team player also. They will be amazed by what he can do on the field, Lakeside was only the beginning for him.”
In 36 games as a Knight, Kresin rushed a beastly 518 times for 3,748 yards and 61 touchdowns, racking up 100 yards or more in nearly half (16) of those games.
During his senior senior season, Kresin muscled his way to 1,448 yards, 32 TDs and seven 100-yard outings.
“When I watched him play, he was always a very smart running back that could make a good play out of nothing,” senior skill player Reece Remus said. “He gives 110 percent effort on every play.”
Through it all, Kresin credited his teammates, and the players around him for his on-field successes.
“It was amazing," he said. "The amount of support from my family and coaches was incredible, but most importantly, it came from the team. The energy and brotherhood that comes from small-town sports is something I have never seen before. I was closer to my team than anybody else, and that’s because we did everything together, it was more than just a team.”
Kresin was more than just a player who wore #2.
“Ian’s one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met," sophomore quarterback Eli Schmitt said. "I lifted weights with him all summer and he never cuts himself short. He's good at lifting people up and not tearing them down so he’s a good locker room presence. Every day I’m with him he has a positive attitude even if he might not want to all the time.”
“Ian has a strong sense of leadership and always points his teammates in the correct direction,” senior lineman Gage Gradig said. “He has a hard work ethic, it doesn’t matter if it’s during practice, in the weight room or when he’s playing a game, he gives it his all. On the field, he’s a great teammate who communicates with his teammates to help solve problems and improve the offense. He is even exceptional off the field with his ability to bond with his team and create a chemistry.”
Kresin helped the Knights win 22 games in his career, including a 6-3 campaign this past year.
“I've learned that finding the want and drive to do the same thing every day is hard,” Kresin said. “But that’s what separates others. We were still a pretty young team, so we had to find a groove that made us be the best team we can be.”
The more people you speak to around the Lakeside-Downs program, the more the praise continues.
“Hard-working, smart, agile, leader, strong and very athletic. Full package,” Smith said of Kresin. “He will help anyone with anything no matter if it’s a freshman all the way to a senior. You have a question ask him, he’s the one who got me in the weight room.”
“When he gets to the open field, he runs like he’s mad but is still composed enough to make quick decisions,” Gradig said. “And the only thing that is on his mind is for him to make it across the pylons.”
“He was able to motivate anyone around him and even make everyone around him better,” Remus said.
“Success is the best version of yourself you can,” said Kresin, who also generated nearly 200 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and eight sacks in his career. “Success is looking back and saying I did the best I could do.”
Kresin’s best the past four years has earned him a chance to play on Saturday’s.
“It means a lot. It’s always been a goal in my life. And I appreciate everyone who helped make that happen,” Kresin said. “It took a lot of self-discipline, a lot of times the only one to push you is yourself. So I got pretty comfortable with pushing myself,”
Kresin’s team-first philosophy showed when asked what his numbers meant to him.
“Very little. I would much rather take a win than stats,” Kresin said. “However, I do thank my teammates for helping me reach those numbers.”
“With Ian, you could call a play to the right and block someone and turn around and he made three cutbacks and is running in the end zone,” Smith said with a chuckle. “One time I remember him running a guy over on the sideline and that kid may have flown three feet.”
“He was definitely one of the toughest I’ve played, his play style was different from others and he had speed and strength,” Baker said. “I’ve faced a lot of great running backs and he is definitely up there.”
Kresin said he’s honored to represent Lakeside at the next level.
“I'm very ready to take the challenge, I’m ready to have something to chase, something to get me up in the morning," Kresin concluded. I want to show that it doesn’t matter if you’re from a small town, you're only able to do what you believe you can do.”