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Friday, July 17, 2009
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Warrior tradition lives on in this Lumberjack
By NATHAN BROWN Sports Writer Even though his career as a baseball catcher ended in youth baseball, and 6-foot-2 power forwards aren't in high demand in collegiate basketball, the intensity Brainerd Lumberjacks linebacker Mitch Feierbend brings to life has earned him honors on and off the gridiron everywhere he has gone.
Growing up watching the Vikings and players like Lawrence Taylor and Jack Del Rio, football has been a part of Feierbend's life since he was little.
"My father got me started playing football," Feierbend said. "My grandfather always used to have the Vikings game on, my mother loved them too. So football was always on. Ever since elementary school my brother and I played football everyday."
Under Feierbend's pads is a symbol of his football heritage. It's a shirt he has worn every game since ninth grade.
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Mitch Feierbend, Lumberjacks linebackers, says his background as a Brainerd High athlete helped in college" because you get there and it's sink or swim. Coming with the background I did from Brainerd really helped, even the fundamentals alone." Brainerd Dispatach/Steve Kohls
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"It's my dad's old Brainerd Warrior shirt from when he played in 1978," Feierbend says. "It's about skin tight and paper thin, torn up and tattered with the old Warrior logo on it."
Feierbend, a 2000 Brainerd High School graduate, credits Brainerd football coach Ron Stolski and linebacker coach Scott Parsons with providing him the tools to succeed on the field and in life.
"The tradition of Brainerd Warrior football is just wonderful," Feierbend said. The Warriors taught me how to do the small stuff and how to do things the right way from the start."
During his senior season for the Warriors, Feierbend received all-conference, all-section, academic all-state, and Brainerd Defensive MVP accolades in a season where the Warriors lost in the section championship.
The memories and impact that Warrior football had continued during Feierbend's days playing for the Bemidji State Beavers.
"(The Warrior tradition) really helped me when I got into college because you get there and it's sink or swim," Feierbend said. "Coming with the background I did from Brainerd really helped, even the fundamentals alone."
With the Warrior tradition and a gladiator mentality, Feierbend became a team captain, defensive MVP, and all-conference member for the Beavers in 2004.
"That was probably the most fun five years of my life," Feierbend said. "I met so many great guys, played incredible football. It's intense, fun and very competitive."
Despite winning two defensive MVP awards as a linebacker, Feierbend holds the utmost respect for the players on offense.
"I want to say linebacker is the toughest position in football because you have to be able to run with the receivers, take on a 300-pound lineman, and call plays," Feierbend said. "But we don't take the punishment, we deliver it. So, I have to give credit to the guys on the other side of the ball."
Feierbend, a five-year Hytech Construction employee, joined the Lumberjacks during their second tryout this season.
Feierbend has been the heart of the Lumberjacks' tough-as-nails defense that he and co-linebacker and former Beaver teammate Ben Barrato have implemented.
"Linebacker is the greatest spot on the field because you get to stand five yards back, see things, get a full head of steam and hit stuff," Feierbend said, "There's nothing better than feeling that collision, living off pure instinct out there in the middle of the field."
Feierbend may not be the fastest or the strongest player on the Lumberjacks, but his natural intensity and experience playing for the Warriors and Beavers make him an imposing force for opponents and a vital part of the Lumberjacks' staunch defense.
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