MORGANTOWN—Two years ago, Levi Teets became the first collegiate football player to graduate from Trinity Christian High School when he signed on to play for Grove City College’s Division-III program.
Going from a high school team with as many players on the entire team as his position group includes at defensive back at Grove City was certainly something he had to get used to, as Teets played nearly every snap for the Warriors on offense and defense during his time in Sabraton.
“Being up at Grove City has helped me grow in all areas of my life. It’s been a great experience so far,” Teets said. “There is no other place I’d rather be. As for the football team, the coaches are great. Coach DiDonato is a fantastic coach. He cares for all his players and wants us to excel on the field, academically and spiritually.”
After spending his freshman year learning and figuring out his role on the roster, Teets earned the opportunity to see the field this season, his sophomore year, and made some noise. He earned his first career interception at the goal line in the third game of the season against Allegheny.
“It’s been a great opportunity to get more action on the field,” Levi said. “It can be easy to get discouraged freshman year not playing very much, but just as our coaches say, ‘Focus on your vision, not your circumstance.’ So, I just stayed locked in and kept working, and it has paid off this year. Getting my first interception this year was incredible. It’s great having moments like that to see all the hard work paying off.”
He cites his time playing for Trinity Christian as one factor contributing to his success.
“I think my time at Trinity prepared me very well for Grove City, although it is a lot different having well over 100 guys on the roster compared to the 15 we had throughout my high school career,” he said. “I think coming from such a small school was beneficial because we all had to work so hard to compete with teams that had double and triple our roster size. Also, all the coaches at Trinity instilled so much knowledge in me and turned me into the player I am today.”
Teets was named a Class A all-state player twice during his time at TCS, and he led the Warriors in nearly every statistic you could record during his senior year.
As a nationally ranked team in Division-III football, Levi says being a part of the program at Grove City allows him to grow his game every day.
“Grove City’s success has been incredible. Experiencing two conference championships and two playoff appearances in the first two years of my career has been unbelievable,” he said. “Being part of a top 15 team, you are surrounded by talent at practice daily. Playing against such talented guys every day prepares us for every opponent. The coaches also always have us fully prepared for every situation because of the vision they instill in us. No matter who is there for us, we know they will succeed because we all share the same vision.”
Now, with his first two seasons under his belt with the Wolverines, Teets knows what he has to do to continue to progress among the roster and earn even more opportunities to show his ability.
“As for goals for the offseason, I just want to continue to work hard and be able to contribute to the team in any way that is asked of me,” he said. “I feel like I took a step up in my play from my freshman year to sophomore year, so I just want to take another step up for the final two years of my career.”
