Sehl Ditches Pass Catching Dreams to Become Dominant Lineman
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – Like almost every kid that grows up playing sports with older siblings Steve Sehl wanted to be just like his older brothers.
For the youngest of the Sehl brothers that meant catching passes.
Steve Sehl watched as older brothers George and Mike had standout careers as pass catchers at Regina.
As his own football career began to take off Steve Sehl was all set to follow in the footsteps of his brothers.
His career as a receiver was short lived.
“I got to coach these guys when they were in eighth grade and Steve signed up to play wide receiver,” Regina assistant coach Alex Kanellis said. “One of the first things I did was take Steve and a few of the best athletes and the bigger kids and put them on the line and he took to it.”
The move from receiver to lineman has proved to be a wise one for Sehl who ditched his dreams of carrying on his families’ tradition of pass catching to become one of the top two-way lineman in Class 1A.
A 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior, Sehl an anchor on both the offensive and defensive line for fourth-ranked Regina (8-2) which hosts Wilton (9-1) in a Class 1A quarterfinal on Friday at 7 p.m.
“Receiver is fun and all but I like being a lineman, I think that was the right move,” Sehl said. “I like the physical part of the game.”
Kanellis watched George Sehl excel at wide receiver and Mike Sehl go from standout tight end to all-state offensive tackle as a senior.
By the time Steve Sehl was in eighth grade Kanellis could see his future was blocking not catching passes.
“He was a little bit thicker than his brothers,” Kanellis said. “That is such a difficult thing to ask a junior high kid to do when he thinks he is going to play receiver to have him play on the line but it’s always been such an important part of what we do. Steve was one of the first really good athletes to bite that bullet and make that sacrifice.”
What started out as a sacrifice for Sehl quickly turned into an opportunity.
Sehl started at left tackle as a sophomore while helping Regina to a state title in 2015.
He moved to guard last season where he has started the last 23 games.
“He started at left tackle as a sophomore and then we moved him to guard and he was phenomenal,” Regina coach Marv Cook said. “He could play all five positions on the offensive line if we wanted him to and he could probably still play tight end if we took five or 10 pounds off him.”
At 275 pounds Sehl is easily the biggest of the three brothers.
While he may have outgrown the receiver position he still displays some of the same athleticism that made his older brothers so difficult to defend with an added aggressive streak.
“He’s super athletic,” Kanellis said. “The most impressive thing about Steve is the way he finishes blocks on offense. He is aggressive and violent to the very end of the play. He runs through people until he hears the whistle and then nothing extra. He is a good kid, he is well mannered but whistle to whistle he is aggressive and he finishes.”
A three-year starter, Sehl is the leader of a Regina offensive line that has helped the Regals average 199 rushing yards per game and nearly seven yards per carry.
Regina rushed for 258 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-7 win over Wilton back on Sept. 29 and had a season-high 304 yards on the ground in a week-eight win over Columbus.
“I think we are getting better every day,” Sehl said of the offensive line. “We have a great coach in Kanellis and we just try to work hard every day and get better every day.”
Sehl has been equally important to Regina on the defensive side of the ball.
He has made 49.5 tackles and has two sacks over the past two seasons playing both defensive tackle and defensive end.
This season Sehl ranks seventh on the team with 24.5 tackles and two tackles from a defensive tackle spot.
“He can play end or tackle and we like him out at end but at defensive tackle he can change the complexion of an inside running game,” Cook said. “He has the length of a good inside guard and he has the footwork of a basketball guy.”
Sehl prefers offense over defense but not by much.
After years of watching his brothers score touchdowns he knows that’s not his role but Sehl still enjoys the feeling of a trip to the end zone.
“Both offense and defense have their pros and cons but I like offense a little better,” Sehl said. “I just like celebrating with my teammates in the end zone.”
Both of his older brothers were all-state picks with Mike Sehl starting a string of four straight seasons for the Regals with a first team all-state offensive lineman.
More importantly both won state titles as seniors at Regina which is one family tradition Steve Sehl would like to continue.
“We want to keep it going, get to the Dome and win a title,” Sehl said. “That’s the goal, that’s always the goal.”