Kain racks up catches as storm’s primary receiver

by Scott Schleisman

Junior Dusty Kain led the Iowa conference in three categroieslast year with 93 receptions, 1,466 receiving yards and 14touchdowns. Not bad for his sophomore season with the Storm.

Kain is back again this season as the primary wide receiver andhas left off where he started: forcing teams just to keep up withhim on the field. In his first outing of the year against IllinoisWesleyan, Kain earned 181 yards with 13 receptions and twotouchdowns. Kain is a preseason All-American and was chosen as oneof eight players to watch in Division III football by USAToday.

He credits his growth as a football player to his coaches andhis peers.

“Practicing against such a good defense makes our offense a lotbetter.” Kain said. “The guys that I go up against in practiceover-prepare me for Saturday’s games.”

One of the men Kain has been going up against in practice isjunior transfer Bart Black.

“Dusty is one of the best receivers that I have gone against,”Black said. “He has a good instinct [for] where he needs tobe.”

Being one of the best receivers in the conference obviouslyhasn’t come easily for Kain. He said the experience makes him abetter player.

“This is my third year playing college ball,” Kain said. “I justfeel more relaxed and comfortable.”

Kain is on track to graduate with a sports administration majorand a management minor. Many students get stressed out with just afull class load, but Kain manages a full schedule and twosports.

When spring arrives, Kain trades in the pigskin for a baseballglove. He has played outfield for Simpson successfully, collectinga total of 44 hits and 18 RBIs. Kain is a solid hitter, but he alsohas a consistent glove.

It is hard for Kain to choose which sport he likes better.

“I’m not really planning to play football after college but ifit happens, that would be great,” Kain said.

Through success on the field and in the classroom, Kain hascreated many options for his future.

“Coaching, playing football and playing baseball are all thingsI am interested in doing, but I’m not sure what I will pursue,”Kain said.

His schedule is usually full but he doesn’t let that botherhim.

“I’ve gotten used to balancing academics with sports. However,at times, it can be mentally challenging,” Kain said.

When Kain feels overloaded with work and needs some motivation,he thinks about his family. This year he doesn’t have to go veryfar for inspiration. Trent, Dusty’s younger brother, is a freshmanwide receiver for the Storm.

“Dusty shows up to practice ready and focused,” head footballcoach Jay Niemann said. “A player like Dusty makes coaching easy.With his focus and skill, he makes everything he does lookeasy.”