Following one of Salisbury’s best seasons on the football field in program history, one that ended with a rare appearance in the district tournament, a number of players have garnered interest from college teams.

One of those players is tight end Kyle Hartzell, whose freshman season was also the first year at the helm for current Falcon head coach Andy Cerco. Four years later and after putting in the time, dedication and hard work to help turn around the culture at Salisbury, Hartzell’s determination has paid off with a college athletic scholarship.

Despite receiving interest from numerous schools, including Sacred Heart, Bloomsburg, Stony Brook, Moravian and Utica, Hartzell decided on Lock Haven University to spend the next four years of his life in the classroom and on the football field.

“It shows that all of the hard we put in together is transferring onto the field,” Hartzell said. “It’s kind of crazy thinking about what we’re doing.”

The two-year starter at tight end and defensive end, who earned Colonial League All-League honors at both positions, visited many colleges on his list of preferred programs. And while there wasn’t much difference in his eyes on his trips, Hartzell admits the camaraderie and companionship he felt from his future Bald Eagle family was second to none.

“It was basically the same exact thing as all of the other visits,” Hartzell said. “But just the way the atmosphere was, the players and the coaches, I felt like I could work with them right there. They welcomed me into their family already and I wasn’t a part of it yet.”

But in a few short months, Hartzell will become a part of that family when he joins the team for workouts.

The decision for Hartzell came down to Lock Haven and its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference foe Bloomsburg, a steady presence in the conference over the past decade. Bloomsburg went 65-18 in the past seven years with four 10-win seasons.

So what was the biggest influence in persuading him away from Bloomsburg to Lock Haven?

“Bloomsburg doesn’t use a tight end as much as Lock Haven does, so that was kind of the deciding factor,” Hartzell said.

In his final season at Salisbury, Hartzell finished with 11 catches for 130 yards and three touchdowns. On defense he had 33 tackles and two sacks. He added another 14 catches, 234 yards and two touchdowns as a junior.

Hartzell plans to major in criminal justice at Lock Haven.

“I always kind of wanted to go in the military, but as I grew up that grew away,” Hartzell said. “But I always wanted to do something to help people.”