On a D-unit of down-linemen that shuts down opponents on land and air.
Article published in the October issue of the Siouxland Sports Authority.
© Copyright 2019, Siouxland Sports Authority. All Rights Reserved.
(SSA) – Told by his position coaches he was too slow to play middle linebacker, Seth Maitlen moved to defensive end.
And he loves it.
Maitlen is the cornerstone of a pursuing, relentless Morningside College defense. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior from Creston, IA., has developed an appreciation and an understanding of a position he’s playing for second consecutive year after all of those seasons as a MLB.
“Each day, I constantly try to improve on the day before,” said the returning first-team Great Plains Athletic Conference defensive end, one of nine returning starters from a defense that ranks 11th in the nation, yielding an average of 258.5 total yards per game.
“I came in as a linebacker, so this defensive end thing is new to me. Over the years, I’ve noticed a better understanding of the position, working on my hands and feet every day in practice, kind of being a smart defensive end out there. I was too slow at linebacker, so they moved me to defensive end. But I love defensive end, so I’m glad it all happened.”
Maitlen isn’t slow at his position. Seventh on last year’s defense with 58 tackles for the NAIA national champions, Maitlen also collected nine tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks for a unit which finished a 15-0 season ranked fourth nationally in total defense (264.7 typg).
He claimed his first sack of the season in a 51-29 win over Midland in Week 3.
Morningside co-defensive coordinator Casey Jacobson said: “A lot of it is, teams that play us, they don’t hold onto the ball very long because we’re pretty successful on getting to the quarterback. A lot of it comes down to luck which way they are sliding their pass protection, different things like that. We play left and right side [defensive ends]. A lot of it comes down to, ‘Hey, they run this play. I was in it that time and I was able to make the play.’”
Jacobson believes that Maitlen helped make Morningside’s defensive line faster because of the switch that was made after Spring Football 2018. Maitlen and fellow defensive ends Niklas Gustav and Chase Reis combined for 14 sacks.
Gustav and Reis used to be linebackers as well.
“They were bigger guys and they were able to hold their end down there,” said Jacobson. “So any time we get a guy like that by moving them down, we become fast on the ‘d’ line. Maybe as a linebacker, they weren’t fast, but at the defensive line they’re very fast. It allows us to keep building our team speed on defense.”
Maitlen understands. Gustav and defensive tackle Alex Paulson, like Maitlen, won first-team GPAC honors along with four other Mustang defenders, including linebacker Joel Katzer, who along with Northwestern defensive back Bryce Van Beek, shared GPAC defensive player of the year honors.
Maitlen, Gustav and Paulson help each other during the course of a game along with fellow defensive linemen Gage Grinnell, David Rios and Dom Barrett. No wonder that tackle totals on the defensive line heading into the third game of the season against Midland were so close, as Rios had 10, followed by Maitlen (9), Gustav (8) and Paulson (7).
“We definitely help each other out,” said Maitlen. “We each have a job to do and when all 11 players do their job, someone is going to benefit. Sometimes it’s you, sometimes it’s your buddy playing next to you. That’s how our defense works. We’re all assignment sound. When each of us does our assignment, it’s a pretty good day.
“Our other three defensive linemen do a great job making sure their gap is covered up and then, they fill their gap,” he added. “Sometimes that means the ball carrier runs into my gap, which means it’s a pretty easy tackle for me to make. Same with other players, if the running back or quarterback has nowhere to go, then someone should be able to come free and make the play.”
It’s a defensive line that has plenty of chemistry, playing nearly 18 games together. All 18 are victories by the way, highlighted of course by last year’s epic 35-28 win over Benedictine in the NAIA Finals at Daytona Beach, Fla. Reis, the former LB, had eight tackles while Maitlen, who had 36 tackles as a freshman linebacker in 2017, contributed five in a game where there were three ties and three lead changes.
The last of those lead changes came with 1:29 left in the game when quarterback Trent Solsma fired the 159th touchdown pass of his prolific Morningside career, a 16-yarder to his former Bishop Heelan High School receiver teammate, Connor Niles. It was Solsma’s 72nd of the season and Niles’ 34th TD catch (68th career).
Memories of that season are still fresh in Maitlen’s mind, including charging the field at Daytona Stadium. He doesn’t recall making any key plays in the game, but he remembers how he focused on just trying to do his job, each and every play, one play at a time.
And that’s something that he has maintained well into his junior season.
“I think that’s the mindset all of us defensive linemen and defensive players have and at the end, it worked out for all of us,” said Maitlen. “One play at a time. We preach here at Morningside you can’t focus on the next play or the last play. Just focus on the play you’re on, whether the play you were on was really good or really bad. It doesn’t matter anymore. You have to take each play one at a time.”
Maitlen was asked how the sack is obtained. Sometimes, he said it depends upon the opponent and the scheme the Mustangs employ. However, it always begins with film study each week. Tuesdays are the day of the week defensive players are told the beginnings of the game plan for the upcoming opponent.
“It all starts on preparation and knowing who and what you’re going against with the offensive tackle,” said Maitlen. “It happens during film and meetings and preparing yourself in practice. During the game, you might see it that one time. Then when that one time appears, you have to take advantage of it and work whatever move you’ve been working on and try to get the quarterback.”
The modest Maitlen shrugged when asked how he’d describe himself as a defensive end. He said he “would like” to have someone describe himself as tough, hard-working and relentless. Those are the adjectives that usually lead to the sack.
Jacobson sees another Maitlen strength.
It comes from his Creston High School days when he was a three-time Class 2A state wrestling qualifier, highlighted by a second-place finish at 195 pounds as a senior. He compiled a 54-4 record that year, after finishing eighth at 195 as a sophomore and fourth as a junior.
“The nice thing about Seth, he was a high school wrestler, so he has really good body control,” said Jacobson. “He understands how other guys are moving. He has really good hands and balance, so he’s able to do a lot of things on the defensive line. He is always in the exact spot that we ask him to be in. The guy just keeps making plays. It’s fun to watch him play.”
Incidentally, Maitlen is the nephew of Morningside head coach Steve Ryan, who has a 173-40 record in 18 seasons. Ryan has guided the Mustangs to eight consecutive GPAC titles, 15 straight playoff berths and at least to the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship Series six times in the last seven years.
Ryan said “it was harder than it should have been”, in terms of selling Maitlen on playing for the Mustangs. “He’s gotten bigger and stronger,” said Ryan. “He plays harder and faster each and every year. He’s become a confident player out there.”
“I’m glad he came [to Morningside],” Ryan added. “I take great pride in watching him. I probably don’t communicate this to him, but I’m really proud of what he has become as a player.”
Maitlen said it’s too early to tell if this year’s defense is better than last year’s. After all, each of the top seven tacklers are back, topped by the Katzer Twins at linebacker, Jacob at 120 and Joel at 118. They were first-team GPAC picks along with Maitlen, Gustav and defensive back Klayton Nordeen, third with 97 tackles.
Jacob Katzer leads the way this season with 26, four more than his twin. Nordeen has 18 tackles and is one of two players with both a fumble recovery and an interception.
“One thing that sticks out to me, we all run to the ball really well,” said Maitlen. “We are all a relentless group of players. We have all been playing a lot of games together, so we have that chemistry that you can’t fake or you can’t make on your own. It develops over time. That’s a main key of it. We all enjoy being out there together and playing with one another.”
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