For many, finishing a season as a first-team All-Northwest-Conference football player leads to praise and a slower offseason, unless you’re Ty Hargis.
The Pacific University conference leader in all-purpose had a season competitors dream of, and yet, Hargis says he’s not satisfied. Instead of going home for the summer, he stayed in Forest Grove, Ore. to improve his skills.
“I focused on getting faster and stronger this summer to improve my game” Hargis said.
He worked with returners such as Declan Brown, Tui Tuietele and Gavin Hettinger to achieve success during this ongoing season.
As conference play for football nears, Hargis sees non-conference play as a chance to see what plays work and which strategies should be focused on during practiced more often.
“Non-conference season is huge in getting us ready because it’s a great test every week,” Hargis says. “We want ourselves improving so we can gain enough confidence for conference.”
Other than working on his own game, Hargis wants to work on his leadership. “Individually, I want to be a great leader and work hard, then everything else will work itself out,” says the offensive weapon.
Hargis hopes his leadership and offensive prowess will lead the Boxers to a place rarely seen on the football field. “Winning a Northwest-Conference championship is the goal,” says Hargis, while lamenting that he understands this is not an easy task.
Long ruled by Linfield College and Whitworth University, Hargis believes Pacific is on the cusp of a great conference season.
“We have a lot of good guys on this team, but it will come down to execution in game play,” he says. Hargis stressed the importance of being comfortable on the football field and to handling adversity in strides during each game.
“When a team works as hard as us, everything will work itself out on the field,” he says.
With the season in full swing, Hargis is back to what he missed most: being with the guys. “When you have 100 brothers on the sideline with you, it makes the grind all worth it,” he said with a smile.
The love Hargis has for his teammates and the Boxer community is put on display each week, at home and on the road.
Regardless if Hargis tops his statistics from last year, he will always be viewed by his teammates, peers and Pacific family as a top athlete for the university.
Leave a Reply