The moment has never been too big for Caden Vandenberge, who is a senior tight end at Forest Hills Eastern in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Whether it be working out at Power Strength since middle school, or playing travel basketball on a national team, Vandenberge has shown up, put his time in and excelled.
And, he is planning on doing the same at the next level, as he has recently committed to Northern Illinois University.
"I started playing football as soon as I can remember with flag football in elementary school. I never missed a practice or workout, and when I am at them, I give 100 percent. There was no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be successful just because of the amount of work that I put in and I put in and I really just believed in myself," Vandenberge told Heartland Sports Report recently.
After a successful high school career, Vandenberge was drawing attention from various schools, including many in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference teams, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the MAC. In the end, he opted for Northern Illinois University, who won the MAC this past season, which was something that appealed to Vandenberge.
"It was hard to say no to NIU after they are just coming off a MAC championship and they have the MAC Coach-of-the-Year. Their facilities are awesome and coaches are great. It seemed to me that they are building a winning tradition. It’s also a good distance from my home but not too far," he told HSR.
And, what did NIU like about their new tight end?
"They told me that they are looking for an athletic tight end that can catch the ball good and block good too. They are saying once they put 20 more pounds on me, I will be a dangerous tight end for them," Vandenberge acknowledged.
And, being a "dangerous tight end" is one of his goals.
"I’m going to work my butt off to try to get on the field at tight end, but that is a long shot with them having two 6th year seniors coming back, so I am going to work to get on special teams, so I can get on the field my first year," Vandenberge said.