Burnsville’s senior leader and his talented teammates have restored the program’s luster.
BRYCE EVANS, Special to the Star Tribune10/24/15, 5:24PM CDT
Kamal Martin just wants to play football.
The Burnsville senior doesn’t care about what position he plays, as long as he has the opportunity to make plays for his teammates.
“I just love football,” he said. “That feeling you get when you step on the field — like no one can stop you. I just love that feeling. There’s nothing better than being out there for your teammates, playing for each other and feeling like nothing’s going to stop you.”
This season, not much has slowed the Blaze or its star two-way player, Martin.
The 6-3, 215-pound Gophers recruit — a versatile athlete who starts at quarterback and linebacker/safety — seemingly can do it all, coach Tyler Krebs said. “Unique” was the word Krebs used to describe it.
Martin has done it on the ground: He has rushed for 359 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He’s been consistent through the air with eight touchdown passes against only one interception. He’s also third on the team with 44 tackles and has a forced fumble and intercepted a pass.
With the rest of his talented senior class, Martin has helped lead Burnsville to its best season in 20 years. The Blaze, with Martin scoring two touchdowns, defeated Edina 17-7 on Friday to reach the state tournament for the first time in two decades.
Earning elite status
When Krebs took over the Burnsville program in 2010, the school’s storied past was a distant memory. Burnsville has won five state titles, but none since 1991.
The Blaze has played in 11 state tournaments, the last one in 1995.
This season Burnsville finished as district co-champion with Lakeville North and Rosemount, marking its first regular-season title in 20 years.
In 2010, Krebs said, he saw the potential in a group of eighth-graders who had done nothing but win since they first put on pads.
“It’s a special group,” he said. “When I took over here, we set the goal of becoming a top program, and we had a five-year goal. We saw that this was the class that could bring the program to that level.”
And it has. Martin, along with running back Steph Olson Jr., linebacker Gerrit Olsen and a handful of others, helped Burnsville to a 7-1 regular season, punctuated with a come-from-behind, last-minute victory over perennial power Rosemount on Oct. 2.
“Beyond the talent, there’s also just something to be said when your best players are your hardest workers,” the coach said. “It sets the tone for everyone, and this senior class — which is a very, very talented group — has really set the tone and changed things.”
Finishing the job
In the victory over Rosemount, the Blaze offense had sputtered most of the night before rallying in the final two minutes. Martin threw a touchdown pass to Cory Kallstrom with 42 seconds left to give Burnsville its first lead of the night.
It was a statement victory, Martin said after the game, at least in terms of the program’s perception. For the players, he said, it’s what they expected all summer.
“We put in the work in the offseason, and we felt it was going to pay off in a big way,” he said. “We’ve felt it building for a while.”
The goals before the season were simple: Win a district title, advance to the state tournament and win a state title.
The Blaze has checked off two and is waiting on one more.
While Martin will continue his football career next year with the Gophers, he doesn’t want to stop playing with his Burnsville teammates any time soon. He wants to keep doing what he loves as long as possible.
“I don’t care how we do it,” he said. “We just want to win. We want to go out and play, and hopefully it gives us an opportunity to succeed.”
