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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Missouri at Lindenwood  |  Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016  |  1:30 p.m.  |  Harlen C. Hunter Stadium - St. Charles, Mo.
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Commentary

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Northwest Missouri State's football team heads into its eighth game at Lindenwood Saturday afternoon with many examples on why it is ranked No. 1 and winners of its last 22 games.
 
Some might point to the defense that can absolutely shut down the run. Others could like at the stats of senior quarterback Kyle Zimmerman, who has thrown 23 touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
 
Of course, there is the coaching staff that has the Bearcats mentally and physically ready to perform at their best each Saturday.
 
For me, one of the best example of what defines the success of Northwest football program is senior tight end TJ Schieber and his story a day before the Bearcats played at Central Oklahoma on Oct 8.
 
Schieber, a senior from Hamilton, Mo., has only caught four passes for 23 yards this season.
 
"I am a blocking tight end," Schieber said. "That is what I do. There is no way to sugar coat it. I block a lot, and I have about two routes a game. It is not a bad life. It is what I am good at. I played offensive line in high school. I am comfortable. I enjoy blocking."
 
Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said Schieber is not giving himself enough credit.
 
"He blocks well. He is giving up 15 to 20 pounds a game to defensive ends," Dorrel said. "He understands leverage. He has good hands. He is a strong kid. His footwork is phenomenal. He is a very good student of the game. He knows when the D-end is going to crash on him. He understands what we are trying to do in the run scheme. From the pass-catch standpoint, we trust him."
 
Schieber does even more for the Bearcats than blocking and catching the occasional pass. He is helping in the development of sophomore tight end Austen Eskew and freshman tight end Marqus Andrews.
 
"Marqus Andrews is playing at a high level," Dorrel said. "I attribute a lot of that to his position coach and TJ. They are so detailed with him and demanding, saying 'Marqus, you can do this.' And he is doing it, playing at a great level."
 
Any football program that has long-term success has seniors and juniors passing down their knowledge to help freshmen. Schieber is like countless other Bearcats before him in that regard.
 
But the defining moment, in my opinion, of why student-athletes in the Northwest football program buy into what the coaches are telling them occurred Friday before Central Oklahoma game.
 
While the Bearcats practiced on Friday and then left Maryville for Edmond, Okla., Schieber, a chemistry with medicinal emphasis major, headed to Kansas City for an interview to get into UMKC Pharmacy School.
 
Schieber was with three other applicants all vying for one of the 155 spots. Just to get to that point was an accomplishment. UMKC gets 500 to 600 applications yearly for the 155 spots they offer.
 
"It was pretty relaxed," Schieber said. "You kind of talk about yourself. Why you want to be a pharmacist. Simple questions. Why do you enjoy pharmacy?"
 
Schieber likes pharmacy because of the science behind it. He finds it interesting how drugs interact with the body and how drugs are developed."
 
During the interview, Schieber didn't have to worry about the Northwest football coaches being upset with him because he missed a practice before a game and was unable to be on the bus ride.
 
After the interview process, Schieber's parents drove him to Oklahoma.
 
"When you recruit a kid and you talk to him about family and trust and being a great student-athlete, I have to back that up with my actions," Dorrel said. "It was never a question.
 
"We said, 'good luck, go interview and we will catch you down in Oklahoma.' He got to town about the time we were eating at a barbecue place. He came over and it worked out great."
 
Indeed. Schieber received an email on Sunday, after the victory against Northeastern State, that he was accepted into the pharmacy school.
 
"It was relieving," Schieber said. "I just have to finish my undergraduate degree and from there, graduate from pharmacy school, and I have my career planned out. It is kind of relieving that I know what is going on for the rest of my life."
 
Schieber's story is why Northwest alums should be proud of the football program. Sure, winning week after week is nice. Capturing a national title is an awesome experience that lives long after the clock strikes :00. I still have great memories from the 1998 and 1999 national championship teams.
 
But hearing stories like Schieber's has deeper meaning because the football players came to Northwest four or five years ago and are leaving with a bright future because Northwest doesn't treat the word student-athlete as an empty term with no substance behind it.
 
"Division II still believes in students," Dorrel said. "To me, it validates what our program is about when you get a guy like him into pharmacy school. I am very proud of him."
 
When you are watching Northwest on Saturday in St. Charles, get a look at #90 when he is blocking, opening holes for the running backs or giving Zimmerman time to pass. Like many others in his senior class, he has succeeded on and off the football field.
 
"Coach Dorrel tries to tell us to stop and reflect during the year," Schieber said. "But I don't think you can stop and reflect. You are still right in the middle of it. It is only half over."
 
The 2016 Bearcats want to once again play deep into December.
 
"Last year we learned how to show up every week and be ready to play every week," Schieber said.