Athlete of the Week- Elijah Solum, Spring Grove Football

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – It’s a dream come true for Elijah solum and Spring Grove.

“I just saw the opening took off and once I got in there it was like ‘wow this is actually; we’re playing in the bank, in the Viking stadium’ so that was super amazing,” Elijah Solum said.

Solum did more than play he shined under those stadium lights.

“I got to give a shoutout to our o-line they stepped up helped me in the pocket. Then also running too, made some pushes in the middle so I could get in there.”

As the QB’s three touchdowns, all rushing powered the Lions to a win in the 9-man state semifinals.

“I think about the play made the other night, kind of the shovel pass over the middle to Caleb griffin there kind of off script type of play that picked up a big first down for us. Just plays like that throughout the year stands out as Eli’s ability to just be a playmaker in the flow of the game and make things happen,” Spring Grove Head Coach Kody Moore said.

Solum’s talent wasn’t the only thing he showed. After trailing early, it was his leadership that took centerstage.

“Eli’s greatest quality is the fact that he never gets too high or too low, he’s just that steady leader that regardless of what’s going on in the game he kind of keeps the same temperament and that allows the rest of our guys to kind of follow that,” Moore said.

He’s been the full package for Spring Grove all season long.

“He’s lets his daily actions do the talking for him and that’s the kind of leader that I appreciate having because you know at the end of the day guys want to see their leader doing the work not necessarily just hear about it but see him going about his business. That’s the kind of kid that Eli is,” Moore said.

Now him and this team are just one game away from a state title.

“It’d just be a dream come true right there. That what we work so hard in the season, waking up at 5:45 to lift it what we all dreamed about is lifting that trophy up,” Solum said.

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