Behind the athlete: Northeastern University welcomes 'Ty' ball games By TIM SPARKS
It's amazing how two consecutive playoff-ending defeats can tarnish the memory of the good times on a high school football team. Northeastern University junior tight end and former Eleanor Roosevelt High School star Ty Sibert is very familiar with that feeling.
"Not necessarily," said the Glenn Dale native, when asked if there was a most memorable moment for him with the Raiders. "We lost both playoff games (my junior and senior years). We expected to go out with a championship both years, so we definitely didn't fulfill our potential. It's hard to remember the good times when you go out with a playoff loss two years in a row."
It's been a slightly different on-field experience for Sibert since making the move to Massachusetts. Memories have been made, and cherished, as a member of the Huskies. Like the homecoming game during his freshman year, when Northeastern went into overtime with one of its biggest rivals. After answering their opponent with a touchdown, the Huskies successfully went for the two-point conversion and won. The excitement prompted everyone to rush the field.
Both teams' players undoubtedly had some butterflies during the waning moments of that contest. But there was no nervousness at all for Sibert when he made the transition from a local high school stud to a college student-athlete in the Colonial Athletic Association. Sibert, after all, was used to being away from home.
"Honestly, I adapted to Northeastern right away," said Sibert. "I don't really get homesick. My mom would send me away for five weeks every summer. I would go to these overnight camps in Vermont, and I would stay for five weeks. So when I arrived (at Northeastern), everything just came naturally to me. Plus, I'm a people person, so it didn't take any time for me to adjust."
As a child, it didn't take Sibert long to adjust to the game of football either, despite battling asthma. Sibert's mother was hesitant to allow him to play football, but the sport actually helped her son to conquer the debilitating respiratory disorder.
Sibert soon discovered that asthma would not be the only challenge he would face. After playing youth football with the Bowie Bulldogs, Sibert really began to show promise at Roosevelt. He played on the varsity squad for two seasons, but it was his senior season that created the most buzz. As the team captain that year, Sibert was named to the All-Metro, Prince George's All-County and Prince George's 4A All-League teams.
Unfortunately for Sibert, those accomplishments were not enough to woo many recruiters from Division-I colleges. In the midst of creating his on-field resume, there was a factor that was constantly working against him, one that was completely out of his control: his size.
Maybe if the 6-foot-1-inch, 251-pound Sibert had stuffed tissues in his cleats, he would have been more attractive to recruiters.
"Of course (my size hurt my value)," said Sibert. "Most of the schools told me, 'I wish you were just a couple inches taller. The big schools were looking for tight ends who were 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4, and I obviously didn't fit what they were looking for. My size definitely played a role in recruiting, but it all worked out because I love playing at Northeastern."
The last thing on the mind of Sibert now is a frustrating recruiting process. He has his game plan for Saturday on his mind. Though he is not the Huskies' first option at tight end, he is expected to play a vital role this season in two tight end packages.
His goals for this season are clear. He wants to be - and stay - prepared.
"When I need to step up, I just want to step up," said Sibert. "Our starting tight end (Brian Mandeville) is 6-foot-6, 260 (pounds), and he is expected to get drafted next year. So I probably won't have as many balls thrown my way, but I'll be ready when my time comes."
It looks like Sibert's "time" will come next year at the absolute latest, as Mandeville will be long gone by then. Sibert clearly knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity, so it would be wise not to underestimate his possible contributions to this year's team either. High school players would also be wise to heed Sibert's advice about perseverance. After all, perseverance has been the theme of his career from the very beginning, when he overcame asthma.
"Set your goals high, aim high," Sibert advised. "Anything is possible nowadays. Make sure that your priorities are in order, and everything will take care of itself."
