Mt. Pleasant, IA- Even 95 minutes away from home, Kellen Kohorst is keeping his family close by after singing his Letter of Intent to play football at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Kohorst will be following the family footsteps and getting a degree in education.
“Well, really, I want to be a coach. And so, I mean, it’s a very nice lead way into being a coach is being a teacher as well, but probably want to be at the high school level in some sort of social studies or something like that or PE. You know, one of those typical just football coaches’ positions in the teaching world that kind of I want to be in. And it’s been a thought since probably my freshman year when I kind of got into coaching and, you know, listening to people talk about coaching, it’s something that I knew I wanted to do. And teaching was a very nice lead way into becoming a coach.”
Beyond studying the same subject as his family, he will be joining the family lineage of alums and a friend from the Mt. Pleasant football program,
“You know, I just wanted to look at culture and overall, like the university as itself. It had a lot of just values that I really liked, and I appreciated. And you know, I had an older brother that went there, so comfortability, and then Payton [Walker] last year went there. So, it was just a super comfortable place, felt at home, not too far away from home, and it was just really comfortable, and I really enjoyed my time up there.”
Kohorst and Payton Walker were apart of the change for Mt. Pleasant football, as the team snapped a 23-game losing streak and eventually finished the season with a 4-5 record, which included their first home victory since October of 2020.
That momentum led to Kohorst and the senior class going all in on the 2025 fall season, but the journey actually started in the summer,
“You know, it just started in the offseason, and in the weight room, it’s going out and getting guys together, going whether that’s just, like you just want to mess around and play football. You just want to be around the sport. That’s how you’re going to get better, you know, bring guys to workouts, coming to workouts every day, you know, having a high attendance in the weight room, going to practice, going our hardest every day. I mean, it all just adds up. It’s those little things that add up, and it just leads you to be successful that we’ve been able to do the last few years and are going to continue to do.”
That hard work led to the Panthers outscoring their first three opponents 93 to 42 and moving to 3-0 for the first time since the 2008 season. Helping lead that charge was Kohorst, who started at right guard and defensive end. Week-in and week-out the Panthers dominated the line of scrimmage, leading to a special season and hopefully a special future,
“I mean, it was awesome. It kind of started with, you know, before the first game even just being named captain was something that I thought was really cool and special. And then, you know, just, you know, you string together, you go 3-0. That’s the first time we’ve been 3-0 in quite a while. And then, you know, just keeping that together and just going 1-0 every week. And you know, you get to the spot where you’re in the playoffs for the first time in 15 or so years. And, you know, it’s something that we liked right now, but we hope that even for future generations, future teams, that they continue to build off that to where we’re state champions.”
The First Team All-District offensive lineman got to participate in some of the biggest moments in over a decade for the Panther program. The Panthers rushed for over 1,600 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns and registered 32 sacks as a team, 1.5 coming from Kohorst. This domination led to Mt. Pleasant going 7-3 and clinching the postseason for the first time since 2010.
Yet, it was their first district win of the season that proved to be the most unforgettable moment of the year,
“Probably beating Washington. That’s something that I’d never experienced in my lifetime. You know, I saw my two older brothers, you know, have some really tough losses against them. And, you know, going into this year, it was just, it’s the game that you circle every single year on your schedule, no matter what. And you know, going in there and beating them and beating them convincingly, you know, is super special. Celebrating with the team in the locker room and on the field, even, it was just a very surreal moment that I know I’ll look at for the rest of my life.”
Their 44-20 victory over the Demons was their first since 2008, snapping a 14-game losing streak against Washington. Kohorst finished his career with First and Second Team All-District honors, 65.5 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
Now, he gets to realize a dream that not many get to realize,
“I mean, it’s something that, you know, you dream about when, you know, you’re younger. I mean, probably at D1 level, but still just going to college football anywhere is just a dream that a million people don’t want to do, and I’m just happy I can be one of those people that can do it.”
The St. Ambrose Bees finished last season 4-7 and 3-3 in the conference, as Kohorst looks to make an impact on the defensive line. He is the second Panther to commit to playing collegiate football, as Max Sloat is taking his talents to Mount Mercy University.