Southern Door’s LeCaptain aiming for strong finish

BRUSSELS – It’s pretty hard to catch Derik LeCaptain on a football field.

The Southern Door senior has been an explosive force throughout his high school career, rushing for over 3,300 yards and 41 touchdowns to help the Eagles capture three straight conference titles.

However, LeCaptain knows his school’s rushing records are probably something he won’t be able to run down.

“Every rushing category I’m third behind (Jim) Flanigan and (Ryan) Englebert,” LeCaptain said. “Those are two pretty tough guys to catch.”

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Flanigan, 10-year NFL veteran, totaled 4,464 rushing yards and 59 touchdowns during his days in Brussels, which included leading Southern Door to the WIAA Division 4 state title in 1989.

Meanwhile, Englebert’s marks of 5,555 yards and 91 touchdowns a decade later are among the best career rushing marks in state history.

Although he may not be able to catch up to Englebert on the Southern Door record board, LeCaptain credits the former University of Wisconsin and UW-Stout running back for helping him catch the attention of college coaches on the recruiting trail.

LeCaptain began receiving workouts from Englebert last year and has trained with him at one of his ETS Performance facilities in Woodbury, Minn.

The 2017 MONLPC-Large offensive player of the year said it was a real eye-opener getting the opportunity to train next to NFL players like Vikings receiver Adam Thielen and Dolphins tight end MarQueis Gray on the handful of occasions he made the trip.

“I go out there and work with him,” said LeCaptain, whose father, Mark, coached Englebert in high school. “He was in the same spot I am; same school and same position. He’s kind of a mentor to me.

“We’re coming from a small school up here, but if you go out and bust it, and motivate yourself to become a workout warrior and do all the things you need to, you can do it. Good things come down to you just working hard.”

LeCaptain’s hard work has earned him a preferred walk-on offer from the University of Wisconsin.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder has a scholarship offer from South Dakota in addition to several DII programs and has also received interest from Minnesota, New Mexico and Western Illinois.

“I’m planning on making a decision in the near future,” LeCaptain said.

“I’ve really tried to enjoy it. You hear crazy stories about recruiting and it can be a really stressful thing for a lot of people. I’ve just listened to a lot of people that have been through it before and try to have a great time with it. I’ve really enjoyed all the visits I’ve gone on and all the camps I’ve gone to. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

LeCaptain hopes to help Southern Door win a fourth straight conference title this year.

The Eagles have won 19 consecutive conference games and figure to be tough to stop again this season with LeCaptain leading the charge.

“I think the biggest thing with him is to make sure we take care of our responsibilities,” Kewaunee coach Randy Charles said. “A guy like that you’re not going to completely control, but if you eliminate explosive plays I think that’s the key.”

LeCaptain, a two-way starter for four years, rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-14 nonconference victory over Wausau East last week, including an 84-yard scoring scamper down the left sideline with less than 4 minutes remaining.

“It starts up front with our offensive line,” LeCaptain said. “I feel throughout my entire career in high school the further into a game we get, the better we play. … They just let me do what I do and I can explode up the field and use my speed.”

Southern Door’s offensive line this year consists of senior Kyle Malcore, junior Evan Wheaton, senior Sean Hartford, freshman Brodie Overbeck and Alex Quigley in addition to Max Pierre transitioning from the line to tight end.

While Southern Door aims to win the MONLPC-Large again this year, it learned during a 37-6 season-opening loss at Winneconne that it has some work to do if it wants to advance deep in the playoffs.

Regardless of how the year ultimately ends, LeCaptain wants to make sure he’s doing his part to help younger players set and chase down big goals.

“Every day at practice I’m taking full advantage of being around the guys,” LeCaptain said. “The biggest thing I want to do for these underclassmen is show them how to practice and show them how to do things right. I want to show them how to go into the weight room and be a leader on and off the field because I had guys like that in front of me.

“I had guys who set that standard for me, so I want to be the guy that sets that standard for them to become a winner and keep Southern Door football successful.”