Wisconsin

Brock Jensen has reached great heights with top-flight teams at every level of football in which he’s competed.

Climbing different versions of Mt. Everest, though, never gets dull — and Jensen is making sure that he enjoys the view.

The former Waupaca standout is getting some down time this winter after being a member of the Grey Cup champion Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League.

Jensen was a backup quarterback behind CFL legend Henry Burris and Trevor Harris, and played solid football when given the opportunity. The Redblacks won the Grey Cup with a 39-33 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Nov. 27.

The Grey Cup victory completed a triple crown of titles for the 26-year-old Jensen. He has won championships at three levels, starting in 2008 when he led the Waupaca Comets to a WIAA Division 3 state football title. Jensen went on to quarterback North Dakota State to three Football Championship Subdivision national championships from 2011 to 2013, finishing fourth in 2013 in the voting for the Walter Payton Award. He headed north to join the Redblacks in 2015 after being waived by the Miami Dolphins in their 2014 training camp.

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“For me, reaching the pinnacle at every level now has been truly special,” said Jensen in a phone interview. “The past year was an incredible experience. After we won the Grey Cup, I started thinking about the first time I put on pads in Pop Warner. I never thought this game would treat me this well and that I would have so much success.”

Jensen didn’t get a chance to play in the Grey Cup title game, but had a good season overall. In four games, Jensen completed 29 of 43 passes for 330 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while compiling an efficiency rating of 105.8. He also rushed for 73 yards on 19 carries.

Jensen’s best performance came in Week 5 at Saskatchewan when he replaced an injured Harris and connected on 20 of 29 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-29 loss to the Roughriders. It was a strong showing in a tough environment — picture Black Hole Raiders fans wearing tuques and parkas — and a reason why the Redblacks have decided to pick up Jensen’s option for the 2017 season.

“Saskatchewan is a very hard place to play,” said Jensen. “Their fan base is one of the best in the league and it’s a very hostile environment. Go figure that my first playing time experience would be there. It was getting thrown into the fire. It was a tough loss but it was fun. I threw the first touchdown pass of my pro career and it was nice to get that out of the way.”

The Redblacks were quarterbacked down the stretch by the 41-year-old Burris, a former Green Bay Packer and Chicago Bear who has become a star in the Canadian game. Burris has won three Grey Cups and been named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player twice.

“Henry is definitely a CFL legend and just a great guy on top of that,” Jensen said. “It’s a privilege to get to learn from him, just to see how he handles everything. How he handles his teammates in the locker room. How he handles the media. How he handles the coaching staff. How he prepares. I’ve had a chance to observe him for two years now and learn from him and take some of his stuff and incorporate it into my game.

“It’s been a privilege sitting behind Henry, but I’m champing at the bit and eager for my shot.”

That could come as early as next year. Burris is reportedly considering retirement, although Harris, who played extensively this season, would be the favorite for the starting quarterback job, should Burris call it a career. Jensen has good size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) and a skill set good enough to keep Carson Wentz — the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback and the No.2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft — on the bench the first three years of Wentz’s collegiate career.

“Trevor (Harris) is extremely good,” Jensen said. “He’s a franchise-type quarterback and he’s proven in this league. He would be the No. 1 guy going in if Henry hangs it up, but in the CFL, you need a solid No. 2 because those guys are going to play a lot throughout the year. It’s very rare to have a No. 1 just play and start in every single game.

“I’ve learned to be ready because you never know when your opportunity is going to come.”

Jensen admits that adjusting to Canadian football — which features 12 players, three downs and longer and wider fields — has been different from the game he started playing in Waupaca.

“To me, the biggest thing is the three downs,” Jensen said. “I remember my first preseason game. I come in and complete a pass for five yards, then hand the ball for three yards and I’m thinking, ‘We’re sitting good. It’s third and two.’ Then I see the punt team running out here. Obviously, I knew it was three downs in Canada, but I was so wired from all those years of American football. I was like, ‘Oh, boy, this is Canada.’ ”

Jensen is spending his offseason in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, where he is making good use of his degree in education by serving as a substitute teacher. He is engaged to Kahla Becken — a former basketball player at NDSU — and will get married in the coming year. Jensen’s parents, Steve and Laurie, are Waupaca residents and Jensen plans to return home for Christmas.

“Right now, I’m taking a little time off from training and still kind of recovering from the grind of a long season,” said Jensen. “I’m subbing in the local school system and teaching here and there, different subjects. I’m open to anything. But I’m looking forward to going back to Ottawa. I got a little taste of playing this year and I hope to just keep things going.

“I’m very grateful to be playing this game and I’m having a lot of fun doing it.”

Tim Froberg: 920-993-7183 or tfroberg@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @twfroberg