High school is a time for students to find their interests. It is a chronological expedition of self-discovery and finding true friends, as well as teammates. For Junior Ben Christman, football has never been a question of skill. 

The Friday night lights shine down as Christman dominates the field. Parents and students, friends and family, even teachers gather to watch as he assists his teammates and heartily attempts to help block the opposing team from scoring a touchdown. From playing flag football in the second grade, to verbally committing to The Ohio State University as a junior, Christman’s passion for football will never be misplaced. 

Christman has received 25 offers from different schools around the nation to play football. Some of these schools include, Penn State, Ohio State, University of Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kent State, University of Toledo, University of Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame. Over the summer, Christman decided to verbally commit to The Ohio State University. Christman explains what it is like to commit to OSU.

“OSU checked all of the boxes in what I’m looking for, it felt like home. At the end of the day, it was 100% my decision. When I told my parents that I wanted to commit they got pretty excited,” Christman said. 

Christman has been thinking about his decision for months now. Christman went into greater detail about how he felt while trying to choose a school. 

“It was cool to start building relationships with coaches from across the country, but it eventually got overwhelming for me, but then I committed and a ton of weight got off my shoulders . . . trusting my process, taking advice from my family, teachers, and coaches [was a great deal of this process],” Christman said. 

Christman has been backed in this decision by his family. Christman talks about how his family is excited that he will be close to home and going to OSU. 

As well as his family, Christman’s teammates have been exceptionally proud of what their friend has accomplished. Junior wide receiver and safety Dylan Baun commented on what his favorite part of playing with Ben is. 

“Playing with Ben is really amazing because every time I look over at him he is pancaking another player. Practices are great with Ben because he is a true leader and he keeps his teammates going, he brings a lot of high energy, spirit, and whatever a football team needs to win,” Baun says. 

Christman must see his teammates every day for practice and at school. Christman commented on how his peers feel about his new-found decision. 

“They got excited when I committed, since then we’ve just kind of put that aside and focus on winning, [I want them to know that] I’m committed to Revere first! We’re family,” Christman said. 

His coaches have dedicated time and effort to help the team become the players on the field on a Friday night. On and off the field, Christman’s coaches have helped him develop his skills. Coach Dave Flegal explains what it is like to have Christman on the team. 

“Well for the most part it’s nice knowing that we have a player who can dominate any player on the other team, he’s someone who can get good blocks for us and if he isn’t too tired on the field he can play a pretty good defense for us too,” Flegal said. 

The football team has to connect through bonding to better communicate while on the field. Another teammate of Christman’s,  junior Zayne Lehman described what Christman’s personality is like on the field. 

“He brings a lot to the table, he has a very competitive side he always wants to win, he’s a great leader too. Most [players] have a little chip on their shoulder when they go against him during practice because they want to be able to say that they beat him,” Lehman said. 

While Christman is preparing to play for OSU in the upcoming years, he will play for Revere until he graduates.