(S25) - PT 3 - Early Decisions

[Reno]

284 words

Tree was never a really highly recruited prospect coming out of high school despite putting up phenomenal numbers during her time spent there. The biggest issue that Tree faced in her recruitment stemmed from several coaches who discounted her playing status due to gender, or the odd obsession with axes that no one is sure where it came from, one of the two. This led to Tree having to settle for those lesser known programs that were desperate for warm bodies to throw onto the field in an attempt at relevance, which just so happened to be the University of Bayfield. Growing up in Ohio everyone dreams of playing for Ohio State or Cincinnati, and Tree was no exception, but settling for Bayfield wound up being a situation that greatly helped Tree become the elite player that she is today. Tree would start as the second string tight end on the roster before a preseason injury to her teammate Tad O’Had gifted her the starting spot and let her run away from it. It wasn’t always a seamless transition though, as Tree was a primary quarterback in high school who would flex out at tight end for gadget plays due to her size, so learning how to become a full on tight end was a rough transition for her. It’s one thing running routes as a big receiver maybe once or twice a game, but running those routes and getting hit immediately constantly was a big adjustment to make. Blocking was an issue of great concern in her freshman season with college but towards the end of her college career Tree became a very solid blocker despite having the worst footwork on the team.