There will always be freshmen to watch at Iowa Central Community College, because the school is a two-year institution, but we're giving you the first heads up on a powerful forward from Penn HS who is really one to watch.

"Alex Kennach is the real deal," said his high school coach, Bart Bottorff.

He brings power and intensity to his rugby, and he will be a superb addition to the Tritons. Why the Tritons? Well, he'll tell you.

"Things are going really well in camp," Kennach told Goff Rugby Report. "My teammates are really welcoming and nice. We're working out in our own groups and being careful but it's really good."

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Kennach talking about his teammates is a nice little indication of how he thinks. He learned at Penn that it was the team, not the individual, that mattered.

Changing His Game Plan

"Playing rugby at Penn was a life-changing experience for me," said Kennach, who had picked up the game as an 8th-grader. Bigger, but also quicker, than most kids his age, he had little trouble running around defenders and pretty much dictating terms. So he figured nothing would change. "My freshman year I came in thinking I can play just how I want to play, as an individual. But in my first game I was trying to run around people and cutting off sides of the field from my support. I wasn't being a team player. I had a long talk with Coach Bart and he changed the way I play."

It took a few games, but not many, and Kennach realized that he could garner more satisfaction by setting up his teammates.

"I started to understand the game more," he said. "Coach Bart totally changed things for me. Every time before the game he'd come by and just say 'run straight.' I would run straight, and after the weeks went on my ball-handling skills got better. I was offloading more and setting guys up with assists. I liked that."

After only three weeks he was a different player, and he continued to look for ways to get better.

"I am still learning, but I am really comfortable even here at Iowa Central," Kennach said. "I know that a lot of the stuff we do is something I've done with Coach Bart before. Most of the adjustment is just adjusting to the tempo."

Harsh Lessons

Kennach's first choice for college was Lindenwood, but he acknowledges that he didn't have the grades. It's a cautionary tale he shares with his high school teammates.

"My grades weren’t the best freshman and sophomore year," he said. "I didn’t take it seriously. People tell you to take your grades seriously but then you don't. You think you know better. My junior year Coach Bart told me 'you can really go somewhere if you get your grades up.'"

He put in the work, but couldn't overcome the hole he'd dug for himself. He was fortunate that a program like Iowa Central exists. It's a varsity program, and you can go there for two years, get an associate's degree, and then transfer to a four-year school if you want. That's the stated goal for Head Coach Brent Nelson.

"I realized I could take the extra time at Iowa Central, focus on my grades, and still play high-quality rugby," he said. "Then if my grades are good I can transfer to Lindenwood. It was a tough lessons. Ever since I got denied I've been harping on my brother and guys on the Penn team about their schoolwork. It's great at Iowa Central. It's a good fit for me and it's been amazing, but I also want to use this lesson to help some of the younger guys."

A No. 8 In A Prop's Body

Mostly a No. 8 in high school, Kennach is a big body, 6-2 270, and that shape kind of screams prop if you think of the higher levels. He knows that, and so did Bottorff, who was loathe to trap Kennach in the middle of the scrum, but knew he needed front row time to build for his future.

"Playing prop then eight then prop, I've always been able to adjust," he said. "Here at Iowa Central they're talking about me being a tighthead, a loosehead, and also an eight. I will play anywhere. I was a big football guy and I thought about playing football in college, but I wanted to do something that I loved. Prop, No. 8, or wherever, I love rugby."

Kennach said his main goal is to get his degree and ensure that if a pro rugby career isn't in the cards he has a profession to fall back on.

It's a smart, mature outlook, and a humble outlook for a young player with enormous potential. But he's also a young player who knows what happens if you think you've got it all figured out.