Kiel Samotej States-bound - Leduc product signs with MSU-Northern

Kiel Samotej States-bound - Leduc product signs with MSU-Northern

By Gerry Moddejonge/Leduc Representative (Leduc, Alberta, Canada)

For Kiel Samotej, football has always been fun. And he’s about to experience first hand just how seriously some people take their fun.

He got a glimpse of it when he travelled down to Havre, Mont., where he committed to play with the Montana State University-Northern Lights.

It wasn’t just the coaches sizing him up, either. Shop owners, upon hearing of him signing up, would look him up and down before nodding and saying something like, “We could use a DE.”

“It’s amazing how the townsfolk know the depth chart of the team,” laughed the defensive end, who comes to MSU-Northern from the Canadian Junior Football League’s Edmonton Wildcats where he played the past three seasons. “I’m still in shock about how awesome it’s going to be. It may not be (NCAA) Division 1, but it’s great football.”

The Northern Lights play in the top-rated NAIA Division 1’s Frontier Conference, and have their sights set on toppling the three-time defending champion Carroll College Fighting Saints, of Helena, Mont.

“Kiel was attractive to us for several reasons,” said Northern Lights head coach Mark Samson, adding the lineman has a great motor and works hard all the time. “Kiel has a tremendous attitude. He loves the game — he believes that football will be very important for his success in life.”

MSU-Northern was one of several teams expressing interest in the Leduc minor football product, but for Samotej, the choice was an easy one.

“A lot of it had to do with playing football down in the States,” he said, adding it’s every kid’s dream to play for a college in the U.S. “It was pretty appealing when they’re throwing some dollar figures in front of your face. Basically, it’s a deal I couldn’t turn down.”

At the same time, Samotej is still relatively close to home as Havre — with a population of around 10,000 — is just south of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

“I like what I saw down there. They have a good program and definitely the team has the right coaches in place for the next few years,” said Samotej, who has all four years of eligibility ahead of him.

“Coming in as a freshman I’ll be a lot older than the rest of the guys,” said Samotej, who turns 21 in May, just three months before he will report to camp, Aug. 13.

“His age will be a benefit for us. We are a young team this upcoming year,” said Samson. “His maturity and attitude will be great for us.”

Samotej first stepped onto the gridiron in Grade 8 when he lived in Cochrane.

“I just fell in love with the sport from day one and haven’t stopped,” said Samotej, who played his final year of bantam with the Leduc TiCats under then head coach Alex Gerba.

“He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for.”

Although his time in the local minor football program was short lived, Samotej said it helped him get to where he is today.

“It’s a first-class program. The coaches were devoted. They were willing to put that time in,” he said, adding they would often remain after practice to work with players on an individual basis. “I give a lot of credit to those guys.”

From there, he spent two seasons playing offence for the Leduc Composite high school Tigers before joining the Strathcona Lords for his senior year.

That season, Samotej suffered an ankle injury that saw him flip over to defence prior to playoffs.

The Lords went on to win a city championship and Tier 1 provincial banner, while Samotej was named North Team MVP and went All-Alberta.

“It worked out well for the time being, I guess,” he said of his change to the other side of the line of scrimmage. “It’s more aggressive. More in-your-face football.”

The provincial team travelled to Ottawa and brought home a national bronze medal.

“Kiel will be one of five Canadians that will be joining our program next fall,” said Samson, who has been at Northern for one season. “It is a great area for us to recruit and find some very good players. We are working hard at making this program successful, and Canadian players will be important for us.”

While at MSU-Northern, Samotej will continue his studies in education he started earlier this year as a student at Edmonton’s Grant MacEwan.

“I thought I’d play football and go to school at the same time,” said Samotej, who joined the Wildcats straight out of high school. “I’ve spent my developing time playing junior. I knew coming out of high school I couldn’t walk onto a team and start. I knew that would make my transition to university a bit easier.”