By Pat Dailey
BDN Sports Editor
In terms of conditioning, Kiiedon Stephens can’t find many similarities between football and wrestling.
“In football, you need much more endurance than you need in wrestling, “said the Branson junior running back/cornerback, who was a state-qualifier at 130 pounds for the Pirates’ wrestling team last season.
“In wrestling, there are matches that are only one or two minutes long.”
However, Stephens has found correlations between the sports. In fact, he refers to his grappling background often while on defense.
“To me, wrestling and football are pretty much a match made in heaven, “Stephens said. “Tackling drills, to me, are just like shooting a takedown. At cornerback, when I have somebody coming at me from the outside, it seems like I’m always shooting a double-leg takedown.
“The fundamentals are the same.”
Stephens has shined on both sides of the ball in Branson’s 2-0 start.
At Mountain Grove, he scored the Pirates’ first touchdown on a 10-yard run. Late in the contest, he collected an interception in the Panthers’ end zone.
Stephens is in his second year as a starting cornerback. But he feels that because of his 5-foot-8 frame opposing offenses throw at him.
“I think Mountain Grove thought they could pick on me because I was shorter than their receiver, “he said.
“I’m so much more comfortable at cornerback this year. I feel I have my legs under me. Last year, I didn’t feel too secure.”
Stephens established himself offensively at Rogersville last week, when he rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries. A big-play threat, he had five runs of 10 yards or more.
Stephens and running back Wayd Jansen, a 6-2, 210-pound senior who has 232 yards rushing on 29 carries, have proven to be the perfect complement to each other.
Like Stephens, Jansen is a starter on defense, where he is a middle linebacker.
Stephens said the two agree sharing the ball-carrying duties is ideal.
“I’m liking it, “Stephens said. “I’m getting as much rest as I need. We all seem to be fresh and able to run hard since we’re not out on the field for every (snap).”
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