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Boone Grove senior Tyler Torbeson is already in his third season as a team captain.

It still seems surreal to him.

“It was crazy,” Torbeson said of being a captain as a sophomore. “I didn’t believe it at first, I’m not going to lie. I would’ve never expected me to be picked as a captain my sophomore year, especially when we had other people able to fill that position very well. But it is an honor.

“I’d say I’ve definitely stepped up and showed how great a captain I can be, and hopefully I can continue to be a great captain.”

The 6-foot-3, 170-pound linebacker/receiver has grown into the responsibility, and the Wolves have grown with him. A young team in recent seasons, Boone Grove (3-1) has already matched its total victories from last year. One more win, and the Wolves will have their most in a season since they went 10-1 in 2019.

“We’ve been together for a few years, and it helps to have that experience,” Torbeson said. “We’ve been building up through all of the losses, the wins, all of the practices, the extra running.”

Boone Grove coach Dan Kukulski didn’t doubt that Torbeson could be one of the catalysts of the process.

“He’s a true leader,” Kukulski said. “We made him a captain his sophomore year — that’s how much we believe in him. That’s the first time we’ve ever done that. Just from that young of an age, he was showing he could be a leader.”

Torbeson shares the role with senior wide receiver/defensive back Josh Oglesby and junior quarterback Mark Rowland this season. Oglesby expressed his respect.

“He’s always trying to help people and help the underclassmen, the freshmen and sophomores,” Oglesby said of Torbeson. “If you have questions, even I go to him, and I’m a captain too. He’s been a captain for three years.”

Torbeson has produced on the field too. He has a team-high 46 tackles this season, including three for loss, after also leading the Wolves with 96 tackles last year, with 13 for loss, two sacks and two interceptions.

Torbeson took over a starting spot in the second game of his freshman season when a teammate’s injury opened the door. He walked through and locked it behind him.

“He keeps our linebacker crew in check,” Kukulski said. “They know if they have a question, where they should be, where they should align, what they’re doing, they look to him. That’s impressive. He’s a coach on the field.”

Torbeson said defense has come naturally to him over the years.

“I’ve always been in touch, always had that defensive mindset,” he said. “I’ve been reading my keys more this year. I’ve mainly been trying to focus on forcing everything inside so I have help and it’s not just me in the corner.”

Torbeson has made significant strides on offense this season. He has 21 catches for 313 yards, second on the team in both categories to senior Corey Noonan, with a team-high five touchdowns.

He had just five catches for 49 yards last season.

“I’ve improved my catching a lot,” Torbeson said. “I definitely dropped a few passes last year. But I’ve made up for it two times as much this year. I didn’t think I’d be this far. Me switching from wideout to a slot receiver also helped a lot to give me opportunities to get the ball and be open.”

Torbeson has taken advantage in the Wolves’ high-flying offense with Rowland at the helm.

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“We have a lot of guys catching the ball for us this year, and Tyler’s a key component,” Kukulski said.

Torbeson’s brothers are among the underclassmen he mentors. Sophomore Aiden Torbeson is an offensive lineman/defensive lineman, and freshman Ryker Torbeson is a wide receiver/defensive back.

“It’s weird,” Tyler Torbeson said. “It really is. I’ve never actually played football with Ryker before because of our age gap. In eighth grade, I played with Aiden when he was in sixth grade. That was fun. I liked having him on the team, someone I know to have my back.

“With all of us being on the same team, it’s crazy. It’s different. I don’t have to go to middle school games now like I did before with Ryker.”

Torbeson also runs track, primarily as a hurdler, and added volleyball to the mix in the spring. But football is his go-to sport.

“The coaching staff has a meeting every Sunday, and we were saying, ‘If we could have 11 Tyler Torbesons at any one time, it would be an awesome world,'” Kukulski said. “The guy is a great student. He believes in student-athlete. He has a really good football mind.”