Kain strives for excellence, makes school spirit a priority
By Ken Luchterhand
When the Hinckley-Finlayson Jaguar cheerleaders sing out, “Hey Kain,” the crowd answers “Badda bing - badda boom,” with two claps.
They are cheering for one of the most popular players on the team: Kain Furey.
“It’s a cheer I started for volleyball and it kind of caught on and now they do it for football,” Kain said. “I hear them saying it when I’m playing football sometimes.”
Kain was part of the winning Jaguar football team this season, a team that went undefeated during the regular season and went on to compete in the playoffs. They lost in the third round of the playoffs, to Braham, 20-29.
He was named Homecoming King this year and, even though he doesn’t like to admit it, is a favorite with his fellow students. His school spirit could be considered as extreme.
“I try being humble about it, but yeah,” he said. “If you came to volleyball games and you saw me, I’m the one who leads everyone with the cheer. I dye my hair and my beard and put face paint on.”
The annual Football Banquet was Monday evening, Nov. 21, when Kain lettered for the third time in football, and also received a captain’s pin this year. He won All-District, All-District Lineman of the Year, Jaguar Pride Award, and also the Jaguar Lineman of the Year.
The Jaguar awards were voted on and elected from Jaguar teammates and coaches, and the All-District awards are voted on by the Minnesota Football District.
Kain is the son of Jason Furey and Leslie Behrens. His grandmother is Lois Behrens, the director of the 477 Program in the Ho-Chunk Nation Labor Department.
He is center for the team, number 69, and a senior at Hinckley-Finlayson. His little brother, Kolten, is a junior and a running back and linebacker with the football team.
“We were 8-0, the first time the team has been undefeated since 1939,” Kain said. “And since the school changed conferences, this is the first time we’ve won the conference. That’s another first.”
Going into the season, he thought that the team was going to be just fine offensively because they have a senior quarterback who is really athletic and big, he said.
“And we got a lot of athletic receivers and running backs,” Kain said. “The question for me was how defensive was going to go. But it turned out that, after the first game, defensively we came out really strong. Thinking about it, we understand one another and work so well together, we know how to comfort one another when one of us messes up. We connect perfectly.”
Although Kain’s main role on the team is playing center on offense, on occasion he does plays tackle on defense.
“We’ve been with our head coach since eighth grade. We’ve been with him for five years now. Our other coaches are great too,” Kain said. “Our lineman coach understands us. He knows how to encourage us. And we had so many more students out for football this year, they had to hire a new coach, who was a head coach before, so everyone knew him. It’s pretty great.”
The team was pretty balanced, running as much as passing.
“We had a pretty good one-two punch with our two running backs. On our wide-outs, we had one guy who is 6’ 4” and our other wide outs are fast and have hands,” he said. “Our quarterback can run the ball hard, he can throw the ball - he’s well balanced all around.”
When he’s not at school or playing sports, he likes to unwind by playing some basketball with his brother, or making something.
“My dad just bought a table saw, for all of us to use, so I really get a kick out of making things. Last year I made a nightstand. I had a blast doing that. I put it all together and I sanded it and stained it and glossed it. That took a good part of my school year,” he said.
“It’s cool. You don’t have to rush into things. It’s just you and working on it. You can think about whatever you need to think about and what you need to do. It’s a stress reliever,” Kain said.
He plays basketball in winter and, in spring, he watches softball and baseball and works out. But he never lets up in his school participation.
“I like being involved. I like knowing what the loop is, what everyone is up to. Not gossip, but just what is going on,” Kain said.
When he graduates from high school, Kain is planning to attend a trade school, possibly in architecture, and hopes to play football there.
“If I’m able to, I’ll definitely play football out of high school,” he said.
He receives high praise from his family, who encourages him to study hard and play harder.
“Kain is a superb leader,” said his grandmother, Lois. “He was picked by his peers as Homecoming King and he is very active with the underclassmen to get them excited about growing up as a Jaguar. Anyone who has the privilege to know Kain knows he always has a smile on his face and words of encouragement. He has a heart of gold.”
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