Football
Favorite athlete: Tom Brady
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: FDR vs. Armstrong game
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One of our lineman turns around and gets absolutely demolished by our running back last year
Music on mobile device: Rap and today's hits
Future plans: Take over my dad's business, Worldwide Construction Equipment
One goal before turning 30: Stable life with a good job and family
One thing people don’t know about me: I love running, it helps me focus.
By Ed Morrone
Almost nine months after the Philadelphia Eagles demonstrated how crucial it is to have a reliable backup quarterback, the Harry S Truman Tigers have their own exhibit on the importance of a dependable second-stringer.
The two situations aren’t entirely parallel, as Truman’s version of Nick Foles, backup Robbie Tressler, was called into duty after an ejection and suspension of this story’s Carson Wentz, two-year incumbent starter Dylan Snelling. Snelling was not lost to a season-ending injury; he is firmly entrenched under center for the 8-1 Tigers, and this story most likely won’t end with Truman building a statue of Tressler outside its home stadium.
That being said, Tressler’s value, as well as the respect he demands from Truman players and coaches alike, is undeniable. Tressler has been a key cog in the complete rejuvenation of Truman football, once a Suburban One bottom feeder that has enjoyed its two finest seasons in program history in 2017 and 2018. Last year, Truman enjoyed a rare district playoff berth, and this time around are all but assured a share of its first SOL Continental title. The Tigers are likely to enter the district tournament as one of the top-five 6A squads and are there in large part due to the contributions of Tressler, who stepped in and guided his team to a 49-14 win over Tennent on Sept. 8 after Snelling and three other Truman players were ejected. Tressler started the next game for the shorthanded Tigers, a 20-6 loss to Council Rock South, but he had solidified the trust he had already earned from his teammates.
Tressler has been a quarterback all his life. He’s a competitor, so yes, of course he wants to be starting; but he’s also a mature, selfless young man who has stepped aside and sacrificed his own individual needs for the sake of his team’s success.
“Yeah, it’s definitely hard,” he said. “You want to play, especially when you’ve been playing quarterback since fifth grade. All those years of starting only to come into high school and not start at the position you want, it definitely sucks. But we also have a good player in Dylan who is doing a great job, so I try to pick up the slack elsewhere.
“As a backup quarterback, you always have to be ready. I’m always cheering on the sideline, because you never know when someone could go down. You have to be ready in practice and always paying attention because of what happened in the Tennent game. People got ejected, and I had to step in.”
Outside of the Tennent and Council Rock South games, it’s not as if Tressler’s only job is to stand on the sideline and hold a clipboard. He plays on special teams on kick and punt coverages, and is also a backup wide receiver, but perhaps his most important job is the team’s holder on extra point attempts.
“He’s the only holder I trust, to the point where I don’t want to use him anywhere else because I know how valuable those points are,” coach Mike LaPalombara said. “If something happened to Robbie, we’d be chasing those points all night. I’m very confident sending him out for the extra point and knowing he’s in charge of the whole thing. He’s so composed, and that’s so big for a team like ours.
“He’s so committed to our team. He’s never complained, and I’ve never seen any disgruntlement on his face after Dylan ended up being the quarterback. Robbie is such a high-character kid to not be behind me complaining about not being the starter. I know he really wants to be, and if something happens to Dylan, we feel confident in Robbie to go out and run the offense and have it function as it does now.”
Just as the Eagles proved last season, consistent winning tends to sweep all egos under the rug. The revitalization of Truman football since LaPalombara took over before the 2017 season has been steadfast, with the Tigers winning 15 of their 20 games in that span. It takes every single player on a team to have a season like the Eagles had in 2017 and Truman is having now, and Tressler has grabbed on to his important role and seized every opportunity he’s been given.
“I’ve focused on being a holder, being a wide receiver and still knowing all of the plays as the backup quarterback,” he said. “Because I need to know where everyone on the field is as the backup quarterback. Wide receiver is easy since I know who I have to block and the routes I have to run.
“And being a holder, that’s definitely not as easy as everyone might think. From the rhythm of the ball being snapped, to me catching the snap, to the kicker kicking the ball all while defenders are coming in from the outside trying to block it … you have to get the timing right. Focusing on all that can be pretty hard, but it’s something we as a team do well.”
And much like the relationship between Wentz and Foles, there is a bond and mutual respect between Snelling and Tressler. Tressler admitted there was a bit of a rivalry when they first got to Truman, but that the duo has played with and against each other since middle school and are much more solid friends than bitter, jealous rivals.
Snelling’s edge on the starting job is his mobility, and Tressler has no qualms about who should be starting under center for the Tigers.
“Dylan’s done a phenomenal job as the starter, and he deserves it,” Tressler said. “Whoever has the better talent deserves to start. He and I go back to elementary school. We’ve grown up together and we support each other no matter what. If he comes off the field after a bad play, I’m the first one in his ear being his biggest supporter I can be. We are a team no matter what, and I know that all of this is not about me. All that matters is us getting a ‘W’ at the end of the day.”
Tressler knows this season is the last he’ll play organized football, so he’s hoping the Tigers can truly punctuate this special season with a district title. A top student at Truman, Tressler has his sights set on a two-year degree before diving headfirst into the family business, Worldwide Construction Equipment, which his father started from scratch and has run for the last 29 years. Tressler has always been interested in business and said he will ultimately take over the company when his father is finished working.
“Robbie is a very respectful, and that level of respect is a testament to his parents, who did a great job with he and his twin sister,” LaPalombara said. “I’m happy he had the opportunity to play the position he’s always wanted to play in those two games this season. Those are two varsity games he’ll always remember, stepping in at quarterback for our team, and I think those two games made him feel that much more a part of the season we’re having.”
Regardless of the amount of playing time he’s received, Tressler has had the time of his life being a part of the resurrection of the Truman football program. The community has rallied around the Tigers, and Tressler will always be able to look back and say he was one of the players who helped drag Truman football out of the gutter. He hopes he and his teammates can reward that support with a district championship, but for now the Tigers are just focused on the game in front of them. Beat Bensalem this weekend and the Tigers will have earned their first SOL championship, even if it will be shared between them and either Pennsbury or Neshaminy.
Then, who knows? Truman certainly has the talent to compete for a district crown, and the team knows that if anything happens to Snelling again, they have their own version of Nick Foles to step in and ensure the team doesn’t miss a beat on the way to achieving its lofty goals.
“Last year it was a huge deal just to get into the playoffs, and right now we have the best record of any team in Truman history," Tressler said. "It would be a big deal to win this conference championship, and it would be an even bigger deal to get to the playoffs and get a win.
“It’s been a fun season so far, but we know we still have work to do. We’re always going to want more. In past seasons, we’ve always been at the bottom, so this has been a huge motivation and confidence boost for us. In previous years, we’ve always had losing records with no shot at the playoffs, and these last two years, they’ve just taught me to learn how to be more responsible and selfless. It’s pushed us all to become better football players and that above all else, we are a team.”
