Like any sport, football is won in the days before a game when players practice their game plan for that specific week’s opponent. Freshman football player Jett Tingelhoff’s success this week was no coincidence as he puts in his all during practices. 

“He gives all his efforts while playing both offense and defense,” Colton Schneider, freshman football coach, said. 

While doing this, he also encourages his teammates to do the same. 

“He encourages us to keep going and to stay focused all the time,” Freshman Kendall Gragert said. 

Being a leader, Tingelhoff’s efforts bleed into the team to show what a great example he is. He gets the team hype before games, often giving speeches at halftime and after each game. 

Aside from being a team leader and giving his full effort, his skill sets him apart from everyone else by a mile. 

“He’s one of the fastest players I have ever seen, especially at the freshman level,” Coach Schneider said. 

Being fast is a key skill as a quarterback in an offense that involves option plays. Tingelhoff’s speed would be nothing if he wasn’t able to get around to the edge with his shiftiness and agility.

Tingelhoff’s speed came into play in the victory over Skutt last Thursday, running for a sixty yard touchdown to take the 28-21 lead late in the game. While being a rushing threat, he also does his job on the defensive side. Playing safety requires Tingelhoff to stop the run plays of the other team, which again his speed allows him to shoot the gap and make the tackles at, or even behind, the line of scrimmage. 

Tingelhoff’s effort and team spirit mixed with his speed and agility allows him to be a dominant player on the football field and this week’s Athlete of the Week.