Chris Umscheid
The Spartans charge onto the field through a tunnel made up of Solon’s Youth Football players Friday, October 3 for the Homecoming Game against Keokuk. The Spartans rolled the Chiefs 58-6 to improve to 6-0 ahead of Senior Night this Friday, October 10.
After Solon’s Maddox Kelley scored a 49-yard rushing touchdown in the first drive of the game versus Keokuk, quarterback Eli Kampman isolated himself on the bench with a computer and watched film.
He was frustrated. He overthrew a receiver prior to the score, and his self-expectations don’t allow those imperfections. The film session lasted about 30 seconds as he played cornerback on the defensive end. He’s also the placeholder for the extra points.
Kampman does it all. His all-around ability, led by his excellent play at quarterback, led to him landing a preferred walk-on offer from Duke University — his first Power Four offer. And he backed it up with a performance of six completions for 89 yards and two touchdowns along with a 13-yard rushing score and a 26-yard pick-six.
In the first quarter alone.
“This is what I expected, quite honestly,” said head coach Lucas Stanton. “He gained a lot of experience being in some really good games last year, even though it was on the defensive side of the ball and playing a little [bit of wide] receiver. I think that’s helped him as a quarterback too.”
The Duke offer came in on October 2, five games into the 2025 football season. Five games prior, Solon football was seen as the sixth- or seventh-best team by several news publications such as the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Southeast Iowa Union, and Sporting News.
Before its 58-6 victory over Keokuk, the Spartans were atop the Class 3A rankings with a 5-0 record that includes a 35-20 win over preseason No. 1 Mount Vernon. Kampman has led the charge with 1,265 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns during that span.
His offseason preparation is coming to full fruition.
“It was a lot of stuff in my head, just making sure my mental is right, because [playing] quarterback is a lot more mental than it is physical, and knowing where the ball should go,” Kampman said. “So that’s helped me a lot, plus the athletes that surround me on our team are very helpful as well.”
After Solon finished the first quarter with a 42-0 lead, Kampman didn’t play another snap on offense for the remainder of the game. He appeared on defense and special teams throughout the second quarter and sat out the entire second half.
“I want to get my buddies in the game that don’t play as much,” Kampman said. “I want them to get the credit they deserve for pushing us in practice and being able to do it on Fridays.”
And as if the night couldn’t have gone better, Kampman was announced as the homecoming king at halftime, voted by his peers in his grade — a testament that his impact as a person goes beyond the gridiron that translates to on-field success.
“He’s the biggest leader out of football too,” junior wide receiver Maddox Kelley said, who had two touchdowns in the win. “He pushes everybody, he wants the best for everybody… He’s not calling them out, but he’s telling them how they can be better, stuff like that. It just benefits our team.”
Elsewhere in 3A-4
Washington (Solon’s Senior Night visitor) topped Fairfield 42-30 on the Demon’s Homecoming Night and Mount Pleasant rolled over Fort Madison 61-0 for their homecoming.