Senior running back Nate Kroutil has a hard time waiting when it comes to football.

And it seems he’ll do anything to occupy his time leading up to kickoff.

“Caught myself cleaning the whole house because I can’t sit still,” Kroutil tweeted last week prior to Blaine’s game against Coon Rapids. 

Kroutil turned his angst this week into two touchdowns in the Bengals’ 33-7 win over Centennial in a West Metro North subdistrict matchup at Blaine High School on Friday night.

This season’s mid-August start has made the time before games pass even slower for Kroutil.

“Usually you have school to distract you throughout the day, but right now you just sit at home waiting,” he said.

Bengals head coach Tom Develice has seen the effects.

“He wants to play,” Develice said.

A three-year starter, Kroutil leads the team this season with 130 rushing yards. He finished with 49 on Friday, including 17 on a touchdown run in the second quarter.

He also caught a 23-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Griffin Fussy early in the first.

Kroutil attributes the fast start to his pregame ritual of eating a Snickers bar.

He is excited to be back on the field this season after a hamstring injury forced him to sit out more than he wanted to last year.

“Hamstrings take awhile to heal,” Develice said. “(Kroutil) lost patience last year, but he’s come back stronger.”

Kroutil attributes his improved health to working out in the summer with a trainer. 

“It’s helped to know my body and know what I can do. It’s definitely why I came back injury-free this year,” he said.

Despite sitting out some time last season, Kroutil finished second on the team in rushing yards with 227 on 50 attempts.

“Nathan brings an intimidation factor,” Fussy said. “He shows up day in and day out and puts in work.”

Kroutil is more than excited about his team’s performance so far this season, and said he thinks Blaine can make a solid run to the Class 6A state tournament

As for cleaning before games, Kroutil doesn’t have plans to change his newly formed habit.

“I think it might be a new pregame ritual,” he said. 

Nate Kroutil scored two touchdowns in Blaine’s 39-7 win over Centennial in a West Metro North subdistrict matchup at Blaine High School on Friday night.

The senior running back put the Bengals (2-1) on the scoreboard early in the first quarter, hauling in a 23-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Griffin Fussy. 

Kroutil also had a 17-yard TD run with five minutes to play before halftime.

Fussy connected with senior wide receiver Grant Boege on a 27-yard TD pass in the closing seconds of the second quarter, giving Blaine a commanding 27-0 lead.

Mistakes and miscues kept the Cougars (0-3) from finding any rhythm on offense. Bengals senior Jackson Haveri returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter, and Centennial committed 16 penalties in the second half that stopped several drives.

The Cougars, however, put one drive scoring drive together midway through the third quarter. Senior quarterback Kyle Nordby completed a 48-yard pass to junior receiver Alexander Facon, setting up a 4-yard rushing TD from junior running back Riley Trettel.

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