Post Photos by Chris Siers Silas Teat makes it official and signs his letter of intent to continue his football career at Bethel University.
Post Photo by Chris Siers Teat was exceptional during his senior season, completing 66% of his passes and throwing 33 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
A life-long football player, the dream for Marshall County senior Silas Teat was to always find the perfect fit to play at the college level.
That dream has become a reality as he signed his letter of intent to continue his career at Bethel University.
“Recruitment has been pretty stressful, so I’m very excited about Bethel and the opportunity they gave me to play at the next level. I’m ready to work.
There’s been a few schools reach out over the years,” Teat said.
“At the end of the day, they (Bethel) gave me a great opportunity.”
Teat has been the driving force in the Marshall County football program that has led to 20-5 overall record in the past two seasons.
“Silas really elevated the trajectory of our program and allowed us to extenuate the talent in the program. He’s a very skilled, very accurate and very smart quarterback. But beyond all that, the leadership and the work ethic he set in the building. He was a quarterback every day, year round. It’s such a great legacy he left here,” Tiger coach Thomas Osteen said.
Teat got his start playing football from the ripe young age of five when his dad was a little league coach.
Teat picked up a football and nestled into the quarterback role and never looked back.
“I started at the age of five and my dad was a peewee coach. I immediately picked up quarterback. I’ve been playing my whole life and it just means the world to me,” Teat said.
During his senior season, Teat guided the Tigers to a 10-3 overall record, highlighted by a dominant 45-23 win in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs at Hardin County.
“My favorite memory was beating Hardin County on the road. They were the No. 2 or No. 3 team in 4-A and we went down to their place and beat them pretty well,” Teat said.
Teat showcased his efficiency during his senior campaign, completing 66% of his passes.
He threw for 2,330 yards and had 33 touchdown passes against four interceptions.
During his time at Marshall County, Teat established himself as a true field general and a leader of the Tigers everyday, even stretching into the offeseason.
“He’s meant so much to us. A couple of years ago, after Bryson Hammonds career ended, I knew we had a lot of talent in the program and knew we had a lot of skill position players that were going to be really good,” Osteen said.
Once Teat arrived in Lewisburg, it became a natural fit for the gun-slinging quarterback.
While some players may struggle with the transition to the collegiate level, Osteen is confident in Teat’s work ethic and football I.Q.
“No. 1 is his work ethic and character. Nobody is going to out-work him and nobody is going to be a better teammate than Silas. On the field, he’s extremely accurate and knows where to go with the football. He’s done it for so long, the game has slowed down for him in knowing where to go with the ball depending what the coverage is,” Osteen said.
Joining Teat at Bethel will be Antomme Cowthorn, who Teat has played with for the past two seasons at Marshall County.
“It’s very comforting because Antomme has been such a good friend to me and a good teammate. He deserves it more than anyone,” Teat said.
For now, it’s a steady regiment of working out and preparing for the transition to a college football environment for Teat.
He plans to pursue a degree in business management.
