Wildcat Purple - Chapter 2 - Michael Stueder

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 225 lbs, Michael Stueder was a coaches dream. Sadly, a kid who would play at linebacker or fullback anywhere else, was a defensive tackle and center on offense. This was the way it was in Claflin. When your school has 130 students total, and you have 24 kids out for football, and you have to have 11 of those kids on the field at a time, it was tough to build an offensive line. Stueder was the perfect anchor for that line.
Described in class by his classmates as a quiet, funny, charming guy Stueder didn't seem to be the type of guy who could punish opponents, drilling them senselessly into the turf. He didn't seem like the kind of kid who had 144 tackles his freshman season from his defensive tackle position. It was almost as if this kid changed completely on the football field. He went from quiet, smart, funny, charming Michael to big, mean, hard hitting, bone crushing Big Mike. Coaches described him as hard working, never give up, and having a huge heart and major sense of pride. This kids future looked bright for him.1

Even if he didn't make it on a football scholarship to college, Michael Stueder was sitting number 3 in his class academically. Scholarships were no problem for him. He had no worries there. In his mind, college football didn't even appeal to him. It was just something to take up time in high school. He knew he was good, but he didn't want to continue with it past high school. The only reason he played was to get out there in front of the entire town on friday nights and just crush somebody. Michael Stueder was the heart and soul of the Wildcat defense, and if it was up to him they would win state in 2006.