Ford hopes to use versatility to lead Souhegan football

If all goes according to plan, by this time next year, Tyler Ford will be getting ready to continue playing football as a college wide receiver.

It’s the position Ford played as a junior, and the spot where schools are recruiting him to play, but for the next few months, the Souhegan High School senior won’t be lining up on the edges.

He’ll be under center, or as close to under center as a quarterback in a spread offense can be.

The move isn’t ideal, for Ford or for the Sabers, but it’s one that will best benefit the team, and so far, the college coaches who have shown interest have understood.

“It’s been hard when I go to the college camps, whether I should go as a quarterback or receiver,” Ford said. “I tend to go as a receiver, but they’re all fully aware that I’m going to be playing quarterback this season. Most of them like that. They like to see a kid that’s an athlete and can play multiple positions.”

It’s been a tough move to make for Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau, knowing that he’s moving his best, and most experienced, receiver to a different position.

“Without a doubt, Tyler is putting the team first, because he loves playing receiver,” Beliveau said. “He’ll embrace the quarterback position and do the best job he can. We think he’s going to do an excellent job because he’s a dual threat. He’s a playmaker. When things break down, he can find something. I like that.”

But quarterback won’t be the only position Ford is asked to play. Beliveau expects to use him on defense at one of the safety positions, and it’s likely that he could end up as the team’s kicker. If needed, Ford could also punt and return kicks, and Beliveau even holds out hope that he’ll occasionally be able to use him to catch some passes.

“We will be smart with Tyler Ford,” Beliveau said. “We have to get him off the field. He is a versatile kid and one of the top athletes we’ve had in a while.”

While Ford feels there are areas of his game he can still improve – spreading the ball around and being a leader on the field are two he mentioned – he thinks having played receiver in the past will help him when it’s time to make a big throw.

“I want to make everyone happy,” he said. “I know how it feels to drop a ball and I know how it feels to throw a ball and have it dropped. If someone drops a ball, I’m not going to be mad because it happens. I’m going to be more like ‘get the next one.’ ”

Ford has played four sports during his high school career – basketball, baseball, track are the others – but it’s been football that has always been his top choice. When it came to deciding which one to try to continue in college, it wasn’t much of a choice.

“I love the sports I play, and I want to play a sport in college,” he said. “Football I could play all year round. I spend the most time of my life playing football, so I figured that it’s something I like and I don’t get annoyed with it.”

That desire to play makes life a lot easier for Beliveau.

“The thing that makes sleep easier at night is that I’ve got a kid leading this team that loves football practice,” he said. “With Tyler, it’s so nice that he wants to be at practice. He wants to play ball and I wanted a kid like that.”