That’s what the sport has done for Winthrop’s Tyler Reeve.

“Tyler’s got everything together,” said Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton. “He’s a very driven young man. Football is one of those games where you can see a kid come through adversity. He was part of a state championship team and then had to rebuild. He took those types of things and focused on overcoming adversity as well as becoming a leader as a young man.”

Reeve may not be a physically dominant presence on the football field, but he earns the respect of people around him for his leadership and focus. He’s the kind of player everyone can look to and expect good things.

“He’s one of those kids that you can count on from freshmen to their senior year,” said Stoneton. “I was always able to call Tyler to find out where things were at.”

That makes this week of preparation for the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Saturday even more significant. It will be  Reeve’s final football game and Stoneton will be his head coach on the West squad.

“For me, this is full circle,” said Stoneton. “I played in the Lobster Bowl in 1993. I’ve been an assistant coach and now a head coach. I really wish every kid in high school football had this opportunity. To be able to do this with him and share this with him is an awesome experience.”

Reeve admits it felt a bit strange to be back on the football field again when the team took to practice last Sunday. With plans to attend the University of New Hampshire to study chemical engineering, he had pretty much put football behind last fall.

“It’s real nice to have this opportunity,” said Reeve. “It took me a little while for me to get everything back in my mind and get out of relaxing and get back that football mindset. I’m enjoying it a lot.”

He’s found the drive and intensity that comes with being a defensive lineman and it’s a welcome feeling.

“I feel my motivation on the field,” he said. “I know I have to go get that ball, and I get really pumped up. There’s just a motivation that comes with being out there on the defensive line and seeing that quarterback and knowing I have to get to him.”

Playing with some of the best senior football players in the state can be a bit daunting, but Reeve says he just focuses on doing what he does best.

“I try not to think so much about them,” he said. “I just try to do the best that I can. As long as I try my hardest. I feel good about myself and feel like I’m representing my community well.”

Being the only representative from Winthrop, Reeve finds himself on a club full of players he competed against, but he’s enjoying that opportunity to see life and football from a new perspective.

“It’s a very good experience,” said Reeve. “I’m playing with a lot of guys I played against in the past. I get to see them from a different side. Looking at them as an opponent is very different than looking at them as an ally.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

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