Shawnee’s Kaden Bramlage
By Mike Moguin
Returning from an injury is never an easy journey, but Shawnee senior offensive lineman Kaden “Tank” Bramlage (6-5, 285) successfully pulled it off after suffering an ACL injury the previous season, before going on to win the District 5A-3 Lineman of the Year.
What was likely a plus was the direction he got from his strength and conditioning coach, whom he considers his favorite teacher.
“Coach Dub (Matt Wendelberger) teaches me how to take care of my body, with supplements and meal preps throughout my weeks of training,” Bramlage said. “He also teaches me how to push past my limits and not be comfortable. Meeting Coach Dub (Wendelberger) was a blessing for me, with him coming from a big college and showing me how it’s going to be on the next level, truly showed how much harder I needed to work and what I could do to help push myself and my team.”
Bramlage, who also powerlifts and is involved in track and field, contributes to the community while serving as a role model for younger people.
“I volunteer with my friends at the homeless shelter. I also help with Shawnee Public Schools when they need help moving things out of the schools or other places. I also give talks with kids on Wednesday at the middle school who don’t have that role model in their life, and I help try and be that person for them.”
What playing football has taught Bramlage that makes him a better person is “helping bring the people around me to their high points and also discipline, waking up everyday for 6 a.m. workouts, while staying consistent with that all year around, being a leader, praising my teammates on their ups and downs, figuring out how I can understand my their different personalities so I can help bring them up,” he said.
Bramlage is inspired by his brother, Andrew Phillips, who played fullback and kicker for Tecumseh, where he graduated in 2010.
“He has shown me how to work hard every day and push myself to not be average,” Bramlage said. “He is a very hard worker, working countless hours to let me live with him is truly a blessing, and I’m grateful for all he does for me.”
Teammate and fellow lineman Jaqwon Evans, a North Texas commit, has made the biggest impression on Bramlage.
“He is the type of guy that I surround myself with out in the weight room, field, or outside of football. Jaqwon and I have that ‘Iron sharpens Iron’ friendship. Any time we are hanging out, we are just trying to push ourselves to our next level, and the only way I’m gonna get him to his next level is if I’m gonna’ push him, like how he does with me, so that’s why I’m grateful to have that bond with Jaqwon.”
The best advice someone has ever given him was “stop living in the past and you determine your future,” he said.
What Bramlage likes about representing Shawnee High School is “wearing those colors representing my town, my family, my friends, and teachers, and running out of the tunnel on Friday nights. Seeing all those supporters there just makes me hungrier to go win the game for them,” he said. “I would first like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I would also like to thank all my coaches, family, friends, and teachers for believing in me. It truly means a lot to have this many supporters in my life, so I thank all of y’all.”
