Dedication and success from games to grades

Creston senior Kyle Strider is proof that with determination and focus, it’s possible to have it all.

Not only was Strider a 4.0 student and valedictorian, he’s also an 11-time letterwinner, three-sport all conference athlete and the 2023 Creston High School Male Co-Outstanding Athlete of the Year.

“There’s not many kids that do four or even three sports,” football coach Brian Morrison said. “He’s in it for the right reasons. He enjoys competing, and he competes at a high level. That senior class is a good group of kids — to be at the top of them says something.”

Football

Though Strider started as a tight end in padded football, he always wanted to be a quarterback like his dad and his brother, Cole.

“I transitioned to quarterback my last year of youth padded, and since then I’ve always been a quarterback,” Strider said.

In high school, Strider began starting as the varsity quarterback his junior year. By his senior year, he was named co-offensive MVP.

“We knew he was going to be a big part of our football program as quarterback,” Morrison said. “Not just his athletic abilities, but also his leadership, he does a lot for us.”

Strider said the game against Gilbert where the Panthers scored 26 unanswered points in the final 6:10 was the highlight of his football career.

In the game, Strider went 22-of-44 for 400 yards, throwing his longest completion of the night to Dylan Calvin for a 61-yard score.

“He’s a confident quarterback,” Morrison said after the game. “Our team trusts the quarterback and you could see when we started to get momentum in the fourth quarter, we build on it.”

With 2:30 remaining, Strider scored on a 5-yard rush to take the lead over from Gilbert to maintain their unblemished record.

“He was all-district second team both years,” Morrison said. “Looking at our district, we had some of the top tier quarterbacks in 3A.”

The Panthers finished with six wins after a 4-0 non-district start.

Strider finished his senior season with 118 completions on 235 attempts for 1,766 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also ran for 94 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns.

“To be a dual-threat in our offense is very important,” Morrison said. “We look for that and he fit the mold to a T. His completion percentage was really high and coming down to the end of the football game, if we needed the ball in someone’s hands we wanted it in his.”

A competitive athlete, Strider said football taught him how to temper his emotions. “I think the biggest thing is controlling your emotions and always trying to stay in control as much as possible even when things go wrong,” he said. “Just trying to stay positive.”

Morrison said it was Strider’s steadfast attitude that helped the team get over just missing the postseason the previous season. “We were close to making the playoffs,” Morrison said. “Just his leadership with the other players, being a team captain, he got them over the hump and getting us back into it.”

There wasn’t a singular moment that stuck out to Morrison as Strider showing his leadership abilities. “It’s not one day or one game,” he said. “Every time he puts his helmet on, kids are looking up to him. He leads by example, but he’s a vocal leader too.”

Basketball

For Strider, basketball didn’t just exist on the court in Creston High School. It was a family affair that began at his grandparent’s house each day after school.

“Basketball was the first thing I ever started doing,” Strider said. “I played basketball with my brother’s team and then with my own team. I’ve always loved basketball the most out of any sport.”

His brother Cole and cousin Evan Bruce were seniors when Strider was a sophomore. His cousin Cael Turner was a freshman at the time. The four of them transitioned from playing at grandma and grandpa’s house to suiting up for the Panthers.

“I got the opportunity to coach him from the summer of his eighth grade year through his senior year,” basketball coach Bryce Schaefer said. “As a player, he was already a skilled individual when we got him. He was a four-year varsity player and a three year starter.”

His height and athleticism early on led him to playing varsity even as a freshman. By his sophomore year, he was a starter.

“My sophomore year, we had a couple of our really good players get injured in football, so I had to step up,” Strider recounted. “That’s when I grew into a bigger role.”

In Class 3A schools or larger, Schaefer said a four-year varsity athlete is a rarity. “You have to have a particular skill set,” he explained. “A lot of that is defined by your size early too. He was roughly 6-1, 6-2 already. He had played a lot of basketball early on, so he had a lot of understanding of the game when he came on. He was able to take on the hurdles and be a significant player his freshman year.”

His sophomore year against Kuemper Catholic was a stand-out moment for Strider.

“It was one of his coming-into-the light moments,” Schaefer said. “It was a big game from a scoring perspective against a team we have predominantly struggled against. To have a big win and a ‘yeah, he can play varsity basketball’ moment, that was probably the moment the light bulb clicked.”

As the years progressed, it was in Strider’s maturity and leadership that Schaefer saw the most growth.

“Most of his career, he had groups ahead of him to take the mantle as captains and leaders of the team,” Schaefer said. “Going into his senior year, weren’t 100% sure if he’d have the leadership ability, but he did a stellar job. He’s a fiery guy and he hates losing, just like me. He takes it emotionally and it comes out. That can not always be the best way to deal with teammates, but he did a great job staying positive.”

As a senior, it was his performance at home against St. Albert Strider was most proud.

“That was a dog fight. Every game in the Hawkeye 10 usually comes down to something like that,” Schaefer said. “He just is a grinder. He didn’t necessary shoot the ball at the level we knew he could, especially early this year. That was a game he hit two daggers late that were able to keep us with a two-possession lead to fend them off at the end of the game. He had one mid-range in the paint, his bread and butter. Then he had a long, contested three that solidified the game and got us to a point where we felt like we were in a much better position.”

Strider was grateful to be named all-conference honorable mention as a senior. “It was nice,” he said. “It’s always a good thing to get those because we have some really good players in our conference.”

The Panthers finished the season 11-6 through the first 17 games. They tied for fifth in the Hawkeye Ten at 6-4, after ending in 10th place a year ago at 2-8.

Baseball

When Strider sets his mind to something, he sees it through. He doesn’t know why or when he decided he would be a catcher in baseball, but the decision was made, and he ended up a four-year starting catcher for the Panthers.

“You’re always doing something,” Strider said. “I’ve pitched for most my whole life, but I’ve always caught. That’s my main position.”

Leading the team so far his senior season with a .370 batting average, Strider is coming off a second-team all conference junior season as a catcher.

“When I started working for Creston schools, I recognized that Kyle was a special talent,” baseball coach Brandon Phipps said. “Last year he led the entire state in runners thrown out from behind the plate. Catcher is a critical position on the team. It requires extreme demand and leadership.”

One of the reasons baseball is so special to Strider is the camaraderie with his teammates. “It seems like in baseball, you’re around the guys more than in any other sport, so we always have a good time and we’re always joking around,” he said. “We keep it light.”

As a senior, Strider has been in the starting rotation as a pitcher with a record of 2-1.

“He does what we ask him to do whether it is pitching, catching or playing the middle infield for us,” Phipps said. “I respect Kyle for his dedication to multiple sports and committing to competing night in and night out in whatever sport it is.”

Academics

Not only has Strider received numerous academic all-conference awards, his perfect grade point average made him a class valedictorian.

“I just think the balance isn’t too hard in high school,” Strider said. “Academically, you can get most of your stuff done in school if you stay on task and pay attention in class. It was mostly balancing life outside of school and being with friends while academics played into it.”

As a coach and a teacher, Schaefer said they always put an emphasis on student before athlete. “If you’re not in athletics, you don’t quite fathom what kind of toll that can take,” he said. “You’re coming home exhausted from practice or coming home at midnight on a Tuesday from an away game in Denison. He regularly didn’t miss school, he was a 4.0 student and a three-sport athlete.”

Though the outstanding athlete award is based on athletic ability and successes, academics can be a contributing factor in narrowing down the impressive field.

“Talking with other coaches, nothing ever came up that was a negative in any way,” Schaefer said. “He was on time, he competed and forced his teammates to compete. He was also an academic star. Although the academic piece doesn’t get used enough, for most it’s a contributing factor. Chris Aragon had a phenomenal year, and was equally deserving. From my perspective, it was cut and dry that Kyle should be the guy from this class.”

Up Next

Strider will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall in pursuance of a degree in sports management. Though he will carry sports with him in his academics, he is done on the field.

“I just decided I was ready to grow up and be an adult – somewhat,” Strider said. “There’s always recreation stuff you can do. It feels good. I don’t feel any regrets. I’m ready to be done with it.”

His dream job would be general manager of an NFL team, the Kansas City Chiefs if he could choose.

His message to underclassmen is simple: work hard.

“If you think you’re working hard, work harder,” he said. “There’s always something there who’s just working. If that’s your dream is sports, you have to work very hard to go to the next level.”