Lee Brown often sees examples of Ryan Miesbauer's strength on the football field. Whether it's as a running back on offense or a linebacker on defense, the Northwestern senior usually gains the upper hand against opponents.
"From my position as a safety I can see over the whole field," Brown said, "and when I move up [into the play], usually I see Ryan out of the corner of my eye and [an opponent] laying in front of him."
Miesbauer is one of the reasons Northwestern has opened up 3-0 -- winning by an average of 33 points per game -- and is ranked ninth among Wisconsin's medium-sized schools. The senior has rushed for about 300 yards and averaged nearly 7 yards per carry despite rarely playing in the second half.
Miesbauer and others credit his work in the weight room for helping him become a better player.
"I'd call him a freak of nature when it comes to lifting weights," Northwestern coach Dennis Scherz said. "He puts up some pretty phenomenal numbers for a high school kid and it shows up on the football field."
ADVERTISEMENT
When he's not carrying the ball, Miesbauer finds ways to punish opponents via blocking or tackling.
"I've been in this a long time and I don't know if I've ever seen a more explosive kid when it comes to blocking," Scherz said. "This season he's already had a dozen pancake blocks. When he coils and springs into a player, they're going down. He's fun to watch."
Miesbauer, who started lifting weights in seventh grade, recently began competing in powerlifting events in Wisconsin. He's posted personal highs of 570 pounds in the squat, 350 pounds in the bench press and 400 pounds in the deadlift. His squat total was tops at the last state meet, but he was disqualified for not recording a legal bench press.
While it once may have been a chore to head to the weight room, that's where the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Miesbauer can most often be found nowadays.
"It's always hard to be that dedicated to something right away, so it took a little while," he said. "But now it's second nature, something I do every day."
The added strength not only helped on the football field, but also was a benefit on the wrestling mat. Miesbauer qualified for the 2009 Wisconsin state meet at 215 pounds, despite usually wrestling opponents 15 to 20 pounds heavier.
"That definitely helped with the holds and being able to attack, get a hold and hold on and be able to turn them -- to be able to do whatever I want," he said.
Miesbauer's dedication has not gone unnoticed. Teammates such as Brown are following his lead.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Seeing what he's done for the past seven years or so, I thought he was doing pretty good so I wanted to give it a try and see if he could help me," said Brown, who believes his strength has increased dramatically since he began working out. "And he's been helping me a lot."
Scherz said that's typical of his quiet co-captain. Nothing flashy, just a meat-and-potatoes style that's contagious.
"He's the kind of guy who leads by example, and it's hard for kids not to follow his example," Scherz said. "He's extremely dedicated. If you had 11 guys like Ryan Miesbauer, you'd be pretty fortunate."
