Ben Kampman emerges as leader for Solon football

SOLON — Ben Kampman has always enjoyed football.

The sport’s attraction comes naturally to the Solon junior. His dad and assistant coach, Aaron, is well-known for his University of Iowa career, preceding a 10-year stint in the NFL that yielded two Pro Bowl selections. His older brother, Lucas, was a senior defensive leader for the Spartans last fall.

But it wasn’t until this season when his passion began to blossom, along with his on-field production and leadership off it.

“Honestly, the love for the game started to develop this year,” Kampman said. “I’ve always liked playing football. It’s a fun sport. This year, it’s been so much fun, getting on the field and trying to go 100 percent and blazing at dudes.

“It’s competitive and it brings out the best in you.”

Kampman emerged as a key component to the Spartans’ defense, ranking sixth in Class 3A with seven sacks before No. 5 Solon’s state quarterfinal at No. 2 Mount Vernon (10-0). The Spartans (8-2) entered Friday night with seven straight wins.

“It’s gone great,” Kampman said. “This is like my first year of actually playing varsity football. Personally and the team, in general, has gotten so much better after each game. I feel like we’ve grown exponentially from the start of the season.”

Football has been a common activity for the Kampmans. The elder Kampman was part of the storied Aplington-Parkersburg program. Lucas and Ben have contributed to Solon’s success. Younger brother, Eli, is a freshman quarterback and safety, waiting for his opportunity.

“It’s a pretty big part of my life but not my whole life,” Ben Kampman said. “My dad has done a great job trying not to be that over-reaching father. He’s been great. In the situation I’m in, there is some pressure involved. He’s done a good job of taking that off and let me do my own thing.”

His “own thing” has been disrupting offenses and making quarterbacks uncomfortable. Before the rematch with the rival Mustangs, Kampman ranked second on the team with 40 total tackles and 29 solo stops. He also had a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss with a fumble recovery.

Kampman posted one of his best games in a first-round win over No. 9 West Delaware last week. He had 5.5 tackles, 2.5 for loss and a sack in the 42-18 victory.

“He’s pretty athletic,” Solon Coach Lucas Stanton said. “He’s not a super big kid, yet, but he’s developing some really good skills as a pass rusher and he’s getting good at the run game, too. He’s been a good anchor in our (defensive) line and overall on the defense and our team.”

Kampman has followed the path paved by Lucas, learning from what he did on the field. He serves that role for Eli and their younger sister in junior high. A responsibility he takes seriously.

“I try to set the best example possible I can for him,” Kampman said. “I know how much I looked up to my older brother.”

Kampman has seen highlights of his dad in action during his career that included eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Recently, someone posted a highlight video of his father’s career a few months ago. Watching it was a treat.

“It’s always fun to watch and know my dad was like a dude,” Kampman said. “Of course, I’m going to be my own person. He hasn’t pushed any expectations on me. It’s just pretty cool watching that stuff and trying to emulate it myself.”

Being a well-rounded person is also important to Kampman. He excels in the classroom and scored a 31 on his ACT. Football can be a cerebral game from game plans to the battles with blockers. Academics can affect athletic performance.

“My dad talks about how end is basic at the core of it but as you grow and get better at it, I would say it’s like a chess match against the tackle,” Kampman said. “You’re always trying to get them guessing. Every move has to be calculated and have a specific purpose.”

Humility and hard work are important tenets to his approach. Stanton said he is one of the first at practice and last to leave. He noted that Kampman is a good citizen, who would pick up and throw away trash to clean the hallway or put away equipment himself instead of leaving it for a manager or underclassman. Kampman was so reserved his freshman year that Stanton didn’t hear him talk until their postseason one-on-one meeting.

“Obviously, he’s been around football a long time,” Stanton said. “A pretty good pedigree, but you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t know what his last name was. I think that is one of the things I admire about Ben.

“He’s such a humble young man and the way he goes about his business is impactful with our team. His work ethic and demeanor. He never gets too high or too low. He just puts his head down and gets to work.”

Solon needed him to expand his role off the field. Kampman is a member of the program’s leadership council. When the Spartans suffered back-to-back losses, including the first setback to Mount Vernon in almost 20 years, he joined the vocal leaders like Blake Timmons, Brett White and Aidan Doyle.

It has helped Solon turn things around from a rough start.

“Actions do speak louder than words,” Kampman said. “You can show your values better by doing stuff than saying stuff. Words still do have mean, so I’m trying to work on that.”

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