FOOTBALL PROFILE: The Basics

Position: CB

Year: Senior (Class of 2022)

Height: 6-0

Weight: 175 pounds

Experience/accomplishments: 1x letterwinner (2020); full-time starter (2020, 2021)

2021 Stats (4 games): 9 tackles (9 solo)

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INTRODUCTION: 5 Quick Questions

Q: Why did you choose your number?

“I got pulled up my sophomore year and saw that Matt Williams was wearing it (No. 1) and I just wanted to take after him, so when the number became available, I took it.”

Q: What is your favorite uniform combination?

“The Ice Jordans, for sure.”

Q: Do you have any family connection to the OHS football program?

“My dad played when they were still the Indians, but it was only for one year because he quite football to start farming…Gosh, it must have been in the late-eights, maybe early-nineties when he played — I’m not totally sure.”

Q: Are you involved in any other sports or activities?

“Track. I run the 200 and 400.”

Q: Memorable phase frequently used by any coach:

“Basically, I like what (Caleb) Vereide said: ‘Don’t be an All-American dummy’ from coach Achterkirch.”

QUESTION & ANSWER: Getting to Know Lane Wagner

Q: This is one of the youngest Owatonna football teams in the last 10 years. What are the challenges associated with trying to lead such an inexperienced group?

“It’s about doing your job, really. I am sure sophomores like (Owen) Beyer probably look at me, and if he sees me locking down on my guy, he probably feels like he has to do the same.”

Q: In 2020, you emerged as a starter pretty much right away. Do you remember what that was like coming into your junior season as a first-year player? Did you expect to retain such a big role?

“I was behind a few guys right away and then there was an injury. I just got thrown in there at the end of (Rochester) Mayo (in Week 1) and made some plays. The next week, it was basically ‘next man up’ and I was a starter from that point forward.”

Q: Is there anything you learned as a full-time starter last year that you have carried over into this season?

“Yeah, you see the game slow down and pick up on more keys — things like what a receiver might do out of their break. He might twitch one way, or something, and it just seems easier to read and react this year.”

Q: Talk about how rewarding it can be playing within a man-to-man defensive scheme and explain some of the nuances of such an aggressive style.

“It’s probably the most fun way to play defense. I mean, in the secondary, if you lock down your guy, it’s just you and him, and you get to go at each other every play. The best man wins. The key is trusting your teammates to do their job and going out there and doing your part as well.”

Q: As a cornerback, you might go the whole game without racking up more than a couple tackles, so talk about the mentality of playing a position that isn’t about stats.

“I have always been a defensive back and it’s always been about sticking to your keys and watching the receiver’s hips. Read pass, pass, pass and then react to the run. It’s really about reading the guy across from you first and foremost.”

Q: What are some of the things that people might not know about being a cornerback in a man-to-man system?

“You have to be disciplined. I mean, if (the receiver) turns his hips one and you bite, you’re beat, and he’s gone. You have to stay behind your guy, and if he breaks your cushion, you have to stay with him. But if he gets past you, it’s a touchdown. And that’s on me, no one else.”