Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – The bright lights of a fall football Friday night can bring out the competitor in every prep football player.

Solon seniors Adam Bock and Coal Flansburg are no exception.

“There’s nothing like it,” Bock said of the feeling of game night. “It gets you going.”

What makes Flansburg and Bock a little different and perhaps the best linebacker duo in the state, is it doesn’t take a packed crowd, a ranked opponent or even a game night to get the competitive juices flowing.

Whether it is in the weight room against one another or on the practice field with teammates Bock and Flansburg don’t stop competing.

“The biggest thing is just trying to get them to choke their motors sometimes,” long-time Solon coach Kevin Miller said. “That’s a good thing, we don’t want to take that out of them but they need to know they have to tame it down sometimes at practice.”

The competitive drive that has helped turn Bock and Flansburg into two of the best linebackers in the state was born out of a rivalry that started before they hit junior high.

Anything one could do the other was sure they could match and eventually, exceed.
 “Ever since middle school me and Coal have been going at it,” Bock said. “They say iron sharpens iron. When you are both clashing with each other you are both going to get better at the same time.”
With the competition between each other driving them Bock and Flansburg were imposing figures by the time they reached high school.

Together the duo is 450 pounds of combined power in the middle of a Solon defense that allowed just five touchdowns while returning to the state semifinals for the first time since 2013.

Bock and Flansburg finished first and second on the team in tackles last season combining for 113.5 tackles and eight takeaways.  

“They motivated each other, they inspire one another,” Miller said. “I think it’s a healthy competitive environment that has enabled both of them to improve.”

Flansburg, a hulking 6-foot-1, 235-pound mass of muscle that is committed to Iowa State was a weight room regular before he left junior high.

As an eighth grader Flansburg started studying nutrition, working on his diet and hammering the weight room.

“Some guys don’t really like that part of it, the weight room when games are months away, I just enjoying grinding in the weight room with my teammates,” Flansburg said. “I know that I’m getting better every day that I’m there that I like about it. I just do it because I like it.”

That attitude backed up by the work ethic makes Flansburg one of the most physically impressive prep players around.

Flansburg, who squats over 500 pounds and just turned 17 years old earlier this month, already looks like a college player.

He’s more than just a big body he’s a playmaker. Last season he had two sacks and three interceptions to go with 42 tackles, returning two picks for touchdowns.

“Coal is you true MIKE linebacker,” Miller said. “Not only does he look the part but he plays the part.”

Flansburg credits much of his success on the field, his weight room numbers and impressive physique to his competitiveness with his running mate and linebacker.

“We push each other for sure,” Flansburg said. “We are lifting partners and he definitely pushes me. If he hits a weight I want to do five pounds more.”

Bock has benefitted from the competition as well.

At 6-foot-1, 220-pounds is a few pounds lighter than Flansburg but as equally impressive physically.

“Coal and I, we don’t just go back and forth on the field we go back and forth in the weight room as well,” Bock said. “We are always pushing ourselves to get stronger.”

Bock is one of the most versatile players in the state.

A four-sport athlete that plays catcher in baseball and runs sprints on the track team Bock did it all for the Spartans last season.

He led the team in tackles, ranked third in both rushing and receiving yards, made nine extra points, hit 12 touchbacks on kickoffs and averaged nearly 40 yards per punt.

Bock did his best wort at linebacker.

A South Dakota State commit, he had 45 solo stops among his team-high 71.5 tackles, picked off two passes, recovered three fumbles and showed a flair for the big play with a pair of defensive touchdowns.

“Coal is bigger and Adam has some different strengths as well, he is able to do things in space,” Miller said. “Adam is more of your outside linebacker, not to say he’s not a great inside linebacker but he is versatile to play in space.”

Neither player had started a varsity game before last year and spent most of the season relying on their physical skills to make plays.

With a year of varsity action under their belt the game is slowing down for both players.

“Obviously being physical can make up for some of those mental lapses that you have when you are playing for the first time,” Bock said. “Last year we had work to do on the mental side and this year I think we have stepped that up and are there on that side as well as the physical side.”

Flansburg and Bock will be the centerpieces of a Solon defense that must replace four starters on its defensive line.

The scary part for opponents the duo is just getting better.

“From JV to varsity it’s a whole different level,” Flansburg said. “You have to get used to the speed and the things that you have to do to be good out there against good competition. This year we are a lot more prepared for that.”