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Central City’s Matthew Klostermann is having a record-setting high school football season
Senior star deflects credit for it to his teammates
Oct. 17, 2024 3:57 pm, Updated: Oct. 17, 2024 4:27 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — It was a set-up question. There wasn’t really anything else Matthew Klostermann could answer.
Who is the better football player in your family? You or your older brother?
“I think it’s undeniably me,” Matthew Klostermann said with a laugh. “Even last year, honestly, I thought I was a better player.”
Aiden Klostermann was Central City’s leading rusher last season. And the season before that. And the season before that.
He produced one heck of a high school football resume. So has Matthew.
Klostermann, a senior quarterback, has set Central City school records in the 8-Player game this fall for rushing yards in a game (362), touchdowns in a game (six), rushing yards in a season (1,626 and counting) and TDs in a season (26 and counting).
The Wildcats play their regular-season finale Friday night at Midland. They have qualified for the state playoffs, which begin next week.
Central City lost three of its first four games but has an active four-game win streak.
“Obviously we started off the season pretty rocky, losing our two non-district games,” Klostermann said. “But I think that helped us out a lot, and moving forward we learned a lot from our losses. We’re in a better spot.”
The kid uses the word “we” a lot when you talk to him. Deflects the credit for his accomplishments to his teammates.
A photo of them all appeared on X after last week’s 62-8 win over Lone Tree. Klostermann was holding a large white poster board listing his records.
His post said this:
“Shoutout to my lineman (sic). I couldn’t have done it without them blocking for me and also my coaches pushing to be the best i can be day in and day out. Those records are cool but there’s still work to do. Super pumped for the playoffs. There is so much more to achieve!”#KeepGoing
A dude response from a dude player.
“He is extremely, extremely humble,” first-year Central City Coach Matt Weber said. “I haven’t actually heard him talk about any of the records all year, period, which is kind of surprising. And a couple of the records were held by (Aiden). You don’t hear him talk about the record. Nothing, not a peep. He is a very humble kid.”
“Breaking those records, I really couldn’t do it without my linemen, because they’re the ones who make those plays, those yards happen,” Klostermann said. “They’re blocking out front. And I think overall, every single yard that I gain is a team accomplishment, because that means that everybody is doing their job to make me so successful.”
Central City’s run in last season’s playoffs was sabotaged when the listed 6-foot, 205-pounder badly injured a leg in a first-round win over Lansing Kee. He suffered a broken foot and ACL and PCL sprains in his knee after accidentally being rolled up on from behind by a teammate on a tackle attempt.
His team’s leading scorer, he missed a large portion of the ensuing basketball season because of it, too.
“I think when that happened, I never really thought that I’d be able to come back and perform the way I could,” he said. “But over the summer, I’ve really put in the gear because I really wanted to be good still. I don’t know how to say it. I got hurt, but I knew I had my full senior year, and I wanted to make it a good one.”
It’s been a really good one, though he admits he misses having his brother with him. Aiden Klostermann is taking classes in order to become an electrician.
Matthew isn’t certain about his future, though he did have an official game-day visit to Coe College for its game this past Saturday against Central. He has played 8-Player football his entire life, so it’d be an adjustment for him to make to go the regular 11-player game.
But you get the feeling he’d be able to do it.
“He’s the guy in the weight room working out every single day,” Weber said. “So, one, it’s just the time (that makes him good). And, two, he plays with pure joy. You can tell he just loves football.”
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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