Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – The path Ben Krutzfeldt was following toward a senior season to remember had been relatively well traveled.

A two-year starter coming off a strong season as a junior Krutzfeldt planned to do what he’d always done to prep for the upcoming basketball season.

Krutzfeldt figured he’d spend the fall in the gym like he always did. Only in an effort to make his senior season the best of his prep career this time he’d do more.

More shots, more sprints more workouts. More basketball.

Krutzfeldt was ready to follow that path but at the last minute he took a detour that the Solon point guard says changed his season.

Instead of spending all his time last fall on hoops Krutzfeldt joined the football team.  

“Going out for football was big for me,” Krutzfeldt said. “It helped me mentally, it made me more physical and it gave me confidence and those things have all helped me this year.”

In his first season of varsity football Krutzfeldt had an impact.

He caught 13 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver and played some backup quarterback as Solon went 11-1 and reached the 3A semifinals.

When basketball season started Krutzfeldt didn’t just pick up where he left off following an all-conference junior season he has surpassed it.

The 6-foot-2 senior is enjoying a breakthrough season on the hardwood, averaging a team-high 16.3 points while helping the Spartans to an 8-4 start.  

“I think that football was a great experience that really benefitted him as a person and as an athlete,” Solon coach Jason Pershing said. “Coach (Kevin) Miller does such a great job with those guys and how they compete and he had success and I think it made him more confident.”  

Krutzfeldt gave up football in junior high to focus on hoops and midway through his sophomore year had assumed the starting point guard spot.

He started 15 games as a sophomore, averaging 6.1 points per contest while helping Solon reach the Class 3A state tournament.

“He came up midway through that season and we don’t make that run to state without Ben,” Pershing said. “That was big for his development too. He’s not the player he is now without that experience.”

Krutzfeldt took a step forward as a junior averaging 9.4 points per game a year ago as Solon went 13-9.

This season Krutzfeldt has gotten the breakthrough he was seeking.  

He is shooting a career-best from the field (51%), 3-point range (42%) and free throw line (89%) while averaging 16.3 points per game.

“I’ve been shooting it pretty well and a lot of shooting is confidence,” Krutzfeldt said. “I’ve had confidence in myself and a lot of that comes from my teammates. Playing with the guys that we have helps give you confidence.”

Even while playing football this season Krutzfeldt still found time to get up shots during the fall.

Despite getting a late start with the transition from football to basketball he didn’t skip a beat.

After scoring in double figures 13 times in his first two seasons Krutzfeldt has been in double figures 10 times this season.

In the second game of the season, Krutzfeldt hit a buzzer-beating 25-foot 3-point in a come-from-behind 55-54 win over Marion.

That shot seemed to spur the senior guard.

He put up a career-high 25 points the next time out against Central DeWitt and has added two more 20-point performances.

“I’d never hit a shot like that so I think yeah it maybe was a little bit of a boost,” Krutzfeldt said. “Really that game just showed all of us what we could be. Coming back the way we did I think showed that we are never out of a game.”

Krutzfeldt is scoring at a career-best clip while continuing to be one of the top assist men around.

He leads Solon with 3.7 assists per game to go with 4.1 rebounds and 2 steals a contest.

“Ben can impact the game in a lot of ways,” Pershing said. “He was up there in leading the state in assists last year, he can create, he can shoot, he can score off the bounce and he’s a really good leader for us. There isn’t a lot he doesn’t do for us.”