Maestas inks with Peru State

Leyton High School senior Kordell Maestas will soon be traveling across the state for college after signing a letter of intent to play football for Peru State College.

Maestas, 18, is the son of Bridget Brauer and Joe Maestas and a native of Sidney. He transferred to Leyton High School in Dalton during his junior year.

"I wanted to try something new," Maestas said. "It's a great environment, and I like it a lot."

Maestas has played football since his freshman year, starting as a lineman. He soon realized that he was much better suited to be holding the football.

"I didn't like it, so my sophomore year I started learning how to be a running back," Maestas said. "And then when I came (to Leyton), I was starting."

During his time as both a Sidney Red Raider and a Leyton Warrior, Maestas said he fell in love with playing football.

"There's just something about it that makes me feel free," he said. "Especially as a running back."

During the 2015 season, Maestas finished with 1,036 yards rushing and averaged just over 115 yards per game.

With the Peru State College Bobcats, he will play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC).

Maestas said what drew him to the college was how it kept in constant communication with him, especially prior to his signing.

"They've shown a lot of interest and have been keeping in touch with me every day," he said. "I'd been accepted by a couple of other schools, but they would just kind of message me every now and then.

"But Peru, it was an every day thing. They just showed a lot of attention towards me."

Maestas said the other colleges also wanted him to switch to a linebacker position, which he said did not interest him.

"Peru wanted me to run the ball for them," he said. "That's the one thing that I love doing."

Peru State College is located on the east side of Nebraska near the Missouri border, which will put nearly 430 miles between him and his hometown of Sidney.

"It's a while away," he said. "About six-and-a-half hours driving, and I'll be so busy with football I probably won't have a lot of free time (to visit home)."

Maestas said he will be studying exercise science with his ultimate goal to become a trainer or weightlifting coach for high schools and colleges.

While he will start at Peru State during the fall semester, Maestas will have another big event coming up this summer when he joins 300 athletes from across the state to represent Nebraska on the Central Conference Track and Field team in Australia in early July. He will compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.

To prepare, Maestas said he runs every day wherever he can find a track.

"Anywhere that I can," he said.

Maestas said he also practices "explosive running," where he wears a weighted vest as he runs to add resistance, and occasionally wears an "elevation mask" that helps simulate running at higher altitudes.

"I'm just working and trying to build up my lungs to get ready for Australia," he said. "It's going to be the experience of a lifetime. One last thing to do before college."