04-08-2022, 09:48 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-11-2022, 10:09 AM by Crunk. Edited 1 time in total.)
It's not every day that a Bethel student is thrown into the national spotlight, but Xavier Valorian finds himself in that very position. The star Defensive Tackle for the Royals the last 4 years, Xave declared himself eligible for the Season 35 DSFL draft early this month. Prior to the draft, Xave had the good fortune to be picked up on waivers by the Minnesota Grey Ducks whose stadium is close to campus. I was able to catch up with Xave after his first game with the Grey Ducks against the Norfolk Seawolves.
Peter: "Xave it as great to see you out there today and watch our Grey Ducks get a win to clinch a playoff spot. How does it feel to be out there?"
Xave: "It's truly like nothing you've ever experienced. The competition is so fierce and the training is rigorous. It feels like I haven't slept in a week. Awesome to get to the playoffs so early in my career there."
P: "I can imagine the thrill. Could you tell me a bit about how you felt the game went?"
X: "We knew the Seawolves would give us a fight to try and jeopardize our playoff chances and they did not disappoint. While I wasn't able to get a sack this game, getting my first career tackle for loss feels great and is a good way to get started. This game is pushing me to train even harder than before so I can continue to make a difference for the Ducks now and we permanent team in a few weeks here."
P: "You mentioned the competition is harder than ever. What has been the biggest change from college to the DSFL?"
X: "The size of the linemen! *laughs* They're just so much bigger and stronger than they were when I was a Royal. Going from D-3 to DSFL is a larger gap than many realize and I'm feeling it. Currently working on getting my Agility and Tackling up so I can be more of a playmaker on the run and elite sacker on the pass. Got a ways to go but it's coming along."
P: "Great to hear you've got a focus and are pursuing that. Last question: you like to Tweet a lot and we've seen you already start to rib over rookies. How has it been joining that elite community?"
X: "The league has done a great job of getting all of us comfortable and providing resources for our training and development. The Grey Ducks have welcomed us with open arms and are always willing to answer questions. I know my fellow rookies would say the same for their teams. I like to get those rivalries started early as it just drives me to continue to improve."
And there you have it. We will continue to watch Xave grow in the league and follow him on this incredible journey. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Homecoming game later this week and cheer on our own Royals.
- Peter Lange
Peter: "Xave it as great to see you out there today and watch our Grey Ducks get a win to clinch a playoff spot. How does it feel to be out there?"
Xave: "It's truly like nothing you've ever experienced. The competition is so fierce and the training is rigorous. It feels like I haven't slept in a week. Awesome to get to the playoffs so early in my career there."
P: "I can imagine the thrill. Could you tell me a bit about how you felt the game went?"
X: "We knew the Seawolves would give us a fight to try and jeopardize our playoff chances and they did not disappoint. While I wasn't able to get a sack this game, getting my first career tackle for loss feels great and is a good way to get started. This game is pushing me to train even harder than before so I can continue to make a difference for the Ducks now and we permanent team in a few weeks here."
P: "You mentioned the competition is harder than ever. What has been the biggest change from college to the DSFL?"
X: "The size of the linemen! *laughs* They're just so much bigger and stronger than they were when I was a Royal. Going from D-3 to DSFL is a larger gap than many realize and I'm feeling it. Currently working on getting my Agility and Tackling up so I can be more of a playmaker on the run and elite sacker on the pass. Got a ways to go but it's coming along."
P: "Great to hear you've got a focus and are pursuing that. Last question: you like to Tweet a lot and we've seen you already start to rib over rookies. How has it been joining that elite community?"
X: "The league has done a great job of getting all of us comfortable and providing resources for our training and development. The Grey Ducks have welcomed us with open arms and are always willing to answer questions. I know my fellow rookies would say the same for their teams. I like to get those rivalries started early as it just drives me to continue to improve."
And there you have it. We will continue to watch Xave grow in the league and follow him on this incredible journey. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Homecoming game later this week and cheer on our own Royals.
- Peter Lange
![[Image: XaveValor.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/XaveValor.gif)
![[Image: ItQUhUv.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ItQUhUv.png)
![[Image: 030p.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/4ydd5ZF0/030p.png)
