ROYAL CENTER — It’s been quite a week for Pioneer senior Bryce Kiser.
Last Friday night he broke the school’s career rushing record, then earlier this week he verbally committed to play football at Illinois State University, and right now Kiser and the Class A No. 2 ranked Panthers are gearing up for a first-round sectional showdown at No. 1-ranked Lafayette Central Catholic.
Kiser broke Michael Pugh’s career rushing mark set during the state championship season of 1997. Kiser has 4,237 yards rushing entering Friday’s sectional game, while Pugh finished with 4,194 yards.
Pugh attended last week’s record-setting game and gave Kiser the game ball following the Panthers’ 52-6 win over West Central.
“I was able to get an opportunity to talk with Mr. Pugh before the game on Facebook,” Kiser said, “and I just wanted to thank him for being such a good role model to me. He’s always set an example of how you behave on the field and off the field. He was a tremendous player and even better person. So it was nice to be able to talk to him before the record, and then during the game I broke it. He was there, which was a tremendous honor to have him give that game ball. So all in all, I think it was a great experience.”
Though both Kiser and Pugh played fullback in coach Mike Johnson’s wing-T offense, they have contrasting running styles.
“They’re definitely two different backs, but they were both able to accomplish quite a few of the same things as runners,” Johnson said. “Michael was real quick and elusive, and he wasn’t a power back. We never asked him to kick out on a power play or anything like that. Bryce, we ask him to do that. But Michael was so quick through the hole, and Bryce has worked on that and improved on that. Size-wise there’s no comparison between the two.”
Kiser, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound bruiser, also has school records in career touchdowns (67) and points scored (410).
During Kiser’s freshman season he rushed for 75 yards, his sophomore season he jumped up to 1,116 yards and his junior season he rushed for a career-high 1,726 yards. During his senior season the Panthers have had a lot of lopsided games, so he’s sat during parts of the second halves of multiple games. He’s still rushed for 1,320 yards on 152 carries (8.7 yards per rush) and a career-high 27 touchdowns.
Kiser still has a lot of work to do to catch Pugh’s single-season rushing record of 2,249 set in ’97. Pugh also had a school-record 31 rushing TDs that season.
Kiser set the single-game rushing record with 320 yards in a sectional win over Caston his sophomore year. He has tied the single-game record of five rushing TDs in a game four separate times. For his career, Kiser has averaged 8.3 yards per carry. He’s third in career sacks (14) behind Nate Denton (18.5) and Matt Gates (18).
Kiser was recruited as an athlete by Illinois State, a Division I-AA school coached by former Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack. Kiser said he will play either defensive end, linebacker or H-back for the Redbirds.
“Wherever they need me at, basically, I’m willing,” he said. “I just want to play.
“I’m very, very excited to become a part of the Redbird football program, but not too soon. I want to win a state title in high school.”
As for this Friday’s sectional game at Central Catholic, Kiser said, “We’re all pretty stoked to go over there and demonstrate how hard we’ve worked. We feel we’re a pretty good team and obviously they’re a pretty good team. So we’re excited; it’s a big, big game.”
Pioneer fans are also known to travel well for big tournament games.
“That hypes up the game even more: an audience that none of us have ever played in front of before,” Kiser said.
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A whirlwind week
Illinois State-bound Kiser reflects on record, eagerly anticipates showdown with LCC
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