Falteisek commits, will remain a Falcon
Abby senior will play for River Falls
There were times when the pain was so intense, Falteisek swears he could feel the screws grinding in his bones.
The pain was the result of surgery done to repair a broken fibia and tibia that had torn through at the ankle. The injury came in the second game of his junior season, ending it immediately.
What followed then was surgery and months of rehab. “It was the most pain I’ve felt in my life,” Falteisek recalls. “I could feel the screws inside the bone.”
It would be two months before Falteisek would be able to walk on two legs, much less run, but he had the same competitive fire that had led him to over a thousand yards rushing as a sophomore aided his rehabilitation.
Falteisek pushed through his pain and worked hard to heal and strengthen his muscles, continually testing his limits.
“When I was doing physical therapy, it was really frustrating,” Falteisek recalls. “I knew that I would get back to close to the level I was, but I didn’t know if it would be the same level, so I pushed it until it was at the point where I couldn’t.”
Easily one of the best tailbacks to come through Abbotsford in recent memory, Ty had torn through the competition his sophomore season, toting the ball alongside Dalton Feddick and Cade Faber.
Together, the three combined for over four thousands yards on the ground, and Falteisek was a big part of that, carrying the ball for 13 touchdowns and over 1,100 yards.
He was poised for an even bigger junior year with Feddick graduating, but COVID-19 and injuries derailed those plans. But with one more year remaining, Falteisek was adamant he was going to get the most out of it.
And he was adamant colleges and coaches at the next level were going to pay attention to the frightingly fast running back from Abbotsford.
He first turned the heads of those scouts at the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association’s combine in Sussex in late March. Falteisek proved to be a fast healer, and by the spring of 2021, he was nearly back to 100 percent strength.
He knew he was fully recovered in April, when he finished with a 4.57 second 40-yard dash at the combine - one of the fastest times out of the 414 athletes in attendance.
“It really boosted my confidence,” Falteisek says about his results. “I had some of the other coaches, some D-2, who came up and they mentioned different positions.” Ty used that result to launch himself into the 2021 track and field season. He had managed to maintain a lot of his muscle mass and worked on his endurance and maintained his strength training regime.
Falteisek tore through the asphalt and rubber that spring, earning multiple all-conference honors. He capped the season by qualifying for the WIAA D-3 state track and field tournament in the 400-meter dash.
Amidst the backdrop of his successful track season, Falteisek was also busy fielding messages from recruiters and visiting football camps.
“I was already talking to Moorhead before that. I decided not to go there because that’s very far away, and for probably the same amount of cost, and River Falls is probably around the same skill level. Then there was Bemidji, they wanted me for linebacker.”
Falteisek was also visiting camps, including one at the NCAA D-1 North Dakota, and a showcase in Naples, Fla., in June. Both were eye-opening, but for different reasons.
“When got there we got to walk into the Fargo Dome, and that was an experience, actually being on the field and playing on it,” Falteisek said.
“Naples was not what I was expecting . . . I didn’t like the way it was run. You’d have very young quarterbacks, like seventh grade kids throwing the ball to you. I was not thrilled, and that was not a very fun experience.”
As the summer began to wind down, Falteisek turned his attention back to Abbotsford and his senior campaign. When he heard the news that things would be back to normal, that there would be a full season and playoffs, he was elated.
He also got to work, putting more time into the gym to set an example to younger players, and to be able to weather the season as the Falcons’ bellcow running back.
“I wanted to make sure that I had a good season, but I also know that I wanted to be a good leader and make sure all the younger kids got the experience that they should.” The Falcons opened the 2021 season on a tear, dropping their first four opponents with some lopsided scores. The Falcons climbed in the rankings, reaching as high as fifth in the state.
They lost some of that momentum at the tail of the season when COVID and injuries reared its head, forcing two games to be cancelled.
It did little to slow down Falteisek, who finished his senior campaign with 1,527 yards and 16 touchdowns in only nine games. That mark stands as one of the top five rushing performances of all time in Abbotsford, and those numbers attracted some attention.
“It was not just all me though. I had my big guys up front, like most of our line was over 200 pounds, so they could get the guys moving. I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of that.”
Falteisek not only earned first team honors at running back, he also earned WFCA all-region honors and was a semi-finals for the Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch award, an award that recognizes the top running back in the state.
Those numbers attracted a fair share of suitors for his talents, with schools in the WIAC and St. Johns University in Minnesota.
St. Johns appealed to Ty because of their pedigree, with the Johnnies having won four NCAA D-3 national championships, but when he visited the campus, while the facilities were great, their competition was not.
“St. Johns versus their teams, it’s just not fair. Their conference for them is so easy, and they just destroy everybody. When I watched a game, they won 52-0. That’s not for me. I want to play where everyone is good.”
Falteisek visited UW - Oshkosh next, but it was a trip to RIver Falls that made him commit the very same day. He took in a game, saw how competitive the team was, and how well liked their coaching staff was.
Being close to home and having family in the area also appealed to Falteisek, who hopes to suit up and get a chance to play this fall. He knows it’s going to be hard to see the field, since he’ll be competing against grown men, but he’s eager for the challenge.
“It’s going to be the same thing, starting over from the bottom again, but I’m prepared to put the work in.
“I am really excited about it. I just hope that I don’t disappoint anyone. I know that in our class I’m the only other person going to the next level.”
FLY, FALCON, FLY - Ty Falteisek wears a UW - River Falls jersey after officially committing to the Falcons last month.SUBMITTED PHOTO
