Thiessen signs with Tabor College
Past, present, and future coaches of Tyrell Thiessen, Hillsboro High School senior, could not be happier to hear he signed a letter of intent Tuesday to play football at Tabor College this coming fall.
The 275-pound, 5’11” running back and lineman led the Hillsboro Trojans to a 10-1 record this past year, and had several post high school athletic offers to consider.
“Mo Lattimore from K-State was here to visit with Tyrell several times,” Hillsboro Athletic Director Max Heinrichs said. “I have to say though it is just great for all of us to see Tyrell sign with Tabor. He is a great person blessed with great athletic abilities. I am so glad we will get to see him play at a higher level close by here. I expect he will be an impact player pretty quickly at Tabor.”
Heinrichs coached Thiessen for three years at Hillsboro.
Tabor football coach Mike Gardner said there would be a transition time for Thiessen at the college level but he too looked for Hillsboro youth to make a positive impact and find a home on the roster.
“Tabor is great fit for Tyrell. He can do a variety of things for us and I couldn’t be more excited to get him signed,” Gardner said. “I want him to feel comfortable before I start dictating where he will be, but I expect we will use him primarily on the offensive side of the ball.”
Gardner said current Tabor fullback James Monroe would be a senior this year. Bringing in Thiessen to learn under him was a great transitional position for the team and for Thiessen.
While moving the ball seems to be a given in Thiessen’s future, Gardner also said not to rule out a defensive role for the Hillsboro standout.
“It is possible we might want to move him into a defensive role right away and I am sure he could make a big impact there,” he said. “We will just have to wait and see how things work out.”
Thiessen was joined for his signing day picture on Tuesday by his parents Linden and Dorene Thiessen, his high school football coaches Lance Sawyer and Scott O’Hare, and Tabor coach Gardner.
Last modified Feb. 14, 2013