The Lakers have someone special on their Football team, senior Joshua Tillman his jersey number is 5 and on the team, he plays the positions of cornerback and receiver. He has been playing football his whole life and has an unbelievable passion for this sport. Tillman dreams of being a professional athlete in the NFL in the future, he has done the work and it looks like he has a bright future ahead of him.
Tillman has been playing for the Lakers since his Freshman year back in 2020-21 and has recently just ended his last season for the school, 2023-24. The amount of training Tillman has done just shows how passionate he is about this sport, He is a very valuable player for the team.
“These past four years have been very impactful,” said Tillman, speaking about how these past four years of Football have been for him. “I also learned important life skills like teamwork, leadership, and communication.”
Many colleges have reached out to Tillman, looking to recruit him for college football. This young man has been working his whole life for moments like these, he has gone out to visit these colleges, looking to see where he could see himself playing football in the near future, it is only a matter of time before he finally commits to a college.
“I also got to make lots of memories, and doing football things out of school has helped with football in school, like talking to college coaches and visiting their schools by being a high school recruit. Overall it’s been a great experience that I would never take back,” Tillman said, talking about all he has accomplished so far during his time on this team.
“His focus has been all about Football and keeping his grades as high as possible. His determination is almost admirable,” said Noah Harrison, fellow senior and teammate of Tillman. Harrison has played with Tillman since freshman year, they have been friends since the day they began to play football together for the Lakers. These two have a special bond, and when they’re both playing on the field, the chemistry is unmatched.
Many of Tillman’s teammates admire his determination and the amount of help he has been to the football team.
“I’ve known Joshua since the 6th Grade in middle school, and we have been great friends since the 6th grade and to this day. He is a great leader out there on the field and is also an inspiration to many of us, including me, who could never ask for a better teammate,” said Bryce Parker, a senior and fellow teammate of Tillman. Parker and Tillman have known each other for a while now and are great friends. They both have been playing football since their middle school days and still are playing together to this day.
Many teammates of his have seen what he is like on the field and all the hard work he has accomplished to be a great football player.
Tillman has plenty of support from his fellow teammates and friends. He has shown everyone how great you can be if you’re willing to work for it.
“What motivates me to be a successful football player is knowing how much time and effort my parents put into me for me to play football and always sacrificing for me,” said Tillman, showing his gratitude to his parents after everything they have done to get him to this point. It is with no doubt that Tillman has the support of many people, and nobody is supporting him as much as his family is. They have pushed Tillman to be as great as he possibly can be, and that’s what he is doing.
“The cause for all of this has also been God as well, blessing me with amazing people in my life, blessing me with health, and always having a plan for me.”
Tillman doesn’t only just play football. Whenever he is free he likes to spend time with his friends, with his family, and play video games whenever he gets the chance. Tillman loves to use his free time as much as possible because as you can imagine, football can become very exhausting.
“He always puts the important stuff before all of that though, whenever I’m on the game he’s never online, he never loses focus,” said Harrison.
He has a lot of people in his life who encourage him to be as great as possible. The amount of support he has just shows what a great person he is and how this drives him to be great at this sport. He was at every football game this season for his school and made it to the end. He played a major part in the team by helping win regionals and divisions.
“It’s been a real pleasure knowing him and playing with him, the energy he brings to practices is always fun and I look forward to practicing with him every day, he is very serious about perfecting his craft and finding a way to get on the field any way possible, he acts as not only a friend but a mentor and teacher to the younger players,” said Harrison, talking about his friend and teammate, Tillman.
“There isn’t much to say that people don’t know already, he is one of the best I’ve played with and those are memories I will always hold on to, he is one of my brothers and it has been an honor being able to play with him throughout these years, honestly nothing I would change about all the moments we’ve both shared,” said Parker, also talking about his dear friend Tillman.
His teammates really have shown how much this man means to them and how he has impacted their lives too. Tillman has been a great leader and has helped the younger players at West Bloomfield High School, to also pursue their dreams, he has been like a mentor to them, like Harrison said, and all that’s doing is setting up the next great generation of football players at West Bloomfield High School.
Football is one of the major sports of West Bloomfield High School, they have had many great players in the past just like they do now, and one of those is Tillman. Even if the season was cut short, Tillman and those many other players have made the Laker Nation proud.
“I’m honestly very blessed to have such great coaches and teammates on this team, knowing that this will be my last year made me want to cherish every moment during this season”, Tillman said. “We all played our hearts out this season, and it’s sad it’s coming to an end, but I will never forget any of these moments and I’ll always be a Laker.”
