WAUSAU, Wis. — Meet Horace Mann Middle School eighth grader, Silas Weber. Silas, 13, played eighth grade football at Horace Mann this fall. Silas also plays basketball and baseball, is a huge sports card collector and enjoys reading.

Silas’ dream has always been to play professional football. He wants to work hard in and out of the season and eventually play high school and college football. He would like to play at Purdue University.
Silas’ biggest challenge is his size. He is a smaller eighth grader.

“Other teams see a smaller kid and try to take advantage of that, but they don’t realize that I can hit hard and I am fast.” said Silas.

He currently lifts two times a week after practices.

“Your heart and will to win matters more than just your overall athleticism.” said Silas. “I love to compete and build relationships with a lot of guys. Football is a really big team sport.”

As a member of a team, Silas has learned that being a family with your teammates is hugely important

“You can’t go all the way as an individual.” said Silas. “It takes hard work and dedication more than just athleticism to succeed.”

Silas, like many athletes, practices a pregame ritual. “Before each football game, I have exactly three granola bars and I love to listen to a Youtube pump up playlist before I play.” said Silas.

Last year was Silas’ first year playing the catcher position in baseball and he made some mistakes. Silas shared that he overcame these challenges by taking the time to work with his brother on his catching skills.

“If I really want to achieve my goals, I can’t just sit around and hope they come true.” said Silas. “I have to work hard to achieve them.”

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