See all posts in the Kirk’s Captain Corner series
(Kirk’s Captain Corner is a regular feature that will allow Carver County residents to get to know the student-leaders of the various teams in our high schools. Today, we feature senior Grady Mathiasen, Captain of the Chaska Hawks football team.)
How long have you been playing football?
Nine years, since third grade
What position do you play and how did you end up there?
I play defensive end. I was a striper (weighed too much to be a skill position or carry the ball) from third to fifth grade, so I learned line on both sides of the ball then. I played some interior backer for the last three years of youth, but didn’t like it the same as I did with line so I made the switch back and am on my fourth year playing defensive end at Chaska High School. I’ve loved all the ups and downs playing at the spot and it’s been easy to stick with it.
The weather for the football preseason has been… warm, to say the least. How have those two-a-days gone?
They’re hard. My teammates and I have really had to find that inner strength to combat the heat, physicality and long days that come with fall camp. But with that, it’s some of the best times of the season competing against each other and earning your spot while helping the team.
You are one of the more spirited players on the field – what are your favorite ways to get your teammates fired up as well?
Contagious energy. I’ve always brought a different type of energy for the sport and it always lifts the guys up. The school day of the game is always where it starts for me. Dapping my teammates up, making sure they’re ready for the night, and when game time comes it’s all about celebrating, and getting on the guys if they’re making mistakes or not playing to their full potential.
What has been your favorite memory of playing with the Hawks football program?
Definitely last year’s week one game against Alexandria. I’d never even suited up for a varsity game, so getting the start was truly a dive in headfirst. I remember pacing around the weight room with the team pregame, heart racing and blasting my music, and feeling like the world was going to end if I didn’t perform to my standards. Even though we ended up losing, it was an unreal first-time experience with my brothers and I even got my first varsity sack.
You’ve had a chance to get to know quite a few current and former pro athletes over the years – what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from one of them?
Jaylen Nowell—back in 2019. I remember interviewing him when he was a rookie, and he was telling me that he first dunked at my age (11 or 12). At that time, I was working on left-handed layups and was a pretty poor basketball player. I remember telling him that, and he put it in a great perspective to not overthink where I’m at now, but to keep working and become a better player every day. Even though my basketball career didn’t last much longer after he told me that, I have used that advice in football to become a better player and as a person, becoming better every day.
What does it mean to you to be a team captain?
It’s an honor. It means that my teammates trust me enough to vote me for the award, and that my hard work lifting in the off season and grinding every day of practice hasn’t been unnoticed. It also means my coaches trust me with the captain privilege, to lead the team on and off the field. Just another reason to help me keep going and fighting for the greatest team in the world, and to honor all the love and opportunity that has come with it.
