ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Liberal High School senior Brenton Spohn-Hardman has been honing his skills on the gridiron for many years and soon, he will be looking for ways to take his game to the next level.

Spohn-Hardman was recently selected to participate in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in December and he said it was a great honor to be selected.

“Being in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl will give me the chance to compete along with other super talented athletes from across the country and help me keep developing my skills while representing Liberal,” Spohn-Hardman said. “I actually didn't know about the game until right before I went out to a combine for them. They had sent me a letter in the mail and invited me out to a combine just to get looks, get me in front of pro coaches, college level coaches, and just to see what I could do. The combine happened near the end of the school year and was very similar to the combine you see for the NFL – they had the 40-yard dash, bench press, pro agility, and individual work like catching the football, blocking, etc. Then, we had competition periods including seven-on-seven, and it was a really great opportunity to go out there and compete. A lot of the guys there were really good talents – I went and looked at the rosters at one point, and there were a bunch of guys there who could easily go to the D1 level.”

After the combine, Spohn-Hardman said he thought that was the end of the scouting. However, that turned out to not be the case.

“Because I had such a good outing, I ended up getting an invite in the mail maybe a month or two later that told me I was invited to play in the Blue-Grey game,” Spohn-Hardman said. “The selection committee has a bunch of guys who were NFL and college level players and coaches, so I feel very honored I got selected for something like that, especially being from a smaller town like Liberal. The fact that I got selected as one of the guys to go play in this game is very much an honor because that means someone things I could be up there with those guys have called going to that D1 level.”

Initially, however, Spohn-Hardman said he was in disbelief about being selected.

“Honestly, at first it was one of those situations where I was thinking ‘This has to be a joke or something,’ because I was not ready to have been selected for something like this,” Spohn-Hardman said with a chuckle. “But after we did we did our research and looked into everything, I realized it was a legitimate event I was being invited to, and after a bit of time, it slowly started fully sinking in. I don't think I ever had a really big moment where I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I got selected!’ but there were multiple smaller moments where it would hit me ‘Wow, I really get to go do something.’ I still have don't have any offers football wise yet, so if the time comes around for the game, and I still don't have any offers, this will be that last opportunity to prove I deserve to go to the next level.”

Spohn-Hardman said the work and time he has put in on the field has brought him to this point.

“I've been around football since I can remember, but I think my first football game was when I was about 5 years old,” Spohn-Hardman. “Athletics has just been a part of my life, especially football. I grew up playing football, and it was just something I feel like the longer I can play it, the better I'll feel. This is the path I've chosen, and I’m also trying to live up to younger me's dreams. Younger me wanted to go play ball and see how far he could get. So this is me working and trying to live up to what younger me wanted. It’s all about staying disciplined and not letting anything else determine what I want to do.”

While the opportunity is exciting, Spohn-Hardman is seeking donations to help offset expenses, and people can donate through Venmo to @melhard17, PayPal to @melissahardman1, or via cash or check made payable to Spohn-Hardman’s stepmother, Melissa Hardman.

“Any donation, no matter how much, will definitely help me be able to chase this opportunity, and it’ll also help me pursue a goal I’ve been working toward for so long,” Spohn-Hardman said. “Whatever people can give, we will take. It's definitely been a blessing having a lot of family members and a bunch of family friends who have been very generous and very willing to donate.”

Until the game, however, Spohn-Hardman said he is focusing on the Liberal Redskins’ current season, which he said should be full of excitement.

“At the moment we are at the beginning of the football season, so training-wise, I’m working with the team, doing weights training, making sure I'm staying healthy, and doing everything that I need to do,” Spohn-Hardman said. “I'm giving 110 percent during practice and 110 percent in the weight room, trying to get bigger, faster and stronger. And then once football season's over, I’ll definitely be staying in the labs, continuing to go to the field and continuing to work on my footwork so when the actual game rolls around, I'm not stiff and tired, and I'm locked in at 100 percent. Come out support us during the season, we’ve got a long road ahead and a couple tough matchups this year, especially toward the end of the season. We want to get further than the second round this year, because we've been stagnant all three of my years. Hopefully, as a senior, I can help lead us further than before, maybe even to a State title.”