Maryville native set to start at center for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Maryville Head Football coach Matt Webb remembered Jalen Sundell as a good athlete and a pretty good bass fisherman.
But Coach Webb saw something in Sundell to play college football.
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“You’re happy to see good things happen to good people,” Webb said. “I remember him looking at me and saying ‘Really Coach, you think so?’ And I said ‘Yeah.’ You look back at those conversations, you don’t know if they matter or not, but certainly he and I talk about that day.”
That college stop for Sundell was North Dakota State, but after college, it was a struggle dealing with injuries, having to skip the combine and going undrafted.
“Guy’s dealing with an injury, he’s newly married. He couldn’t pass a test for the Cleveland Browns and was working at a warehouse in Minneapolis.”
Sundell didn’t quit though, and a second opportunity arose in Seattle .
“Just an internal fortitude by him saying, I still want to do this. I still want to give it one shot, and just like anything in life, I remember talking to him about, just give it a try.”
Sundell made sure to make the best of it, not only fighting to make the roster but earning the right be named the starting center. And this season, after a knee injury midseason, he’s on a Seahawks team headed to the Super Bowl.
“Really excited, it’s something you’re just really happy to see. And trying to do God’s will is what ended up getting him in Seattle and giving him this opportunity,” Webb said.
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Coach Webb still talks about ball with Sundell, but most of his conversations are about being a good father. And Webb says Sundell’s road to the Super Bowl in Maryville is not lost on the community.
“This year we’re still celebrating the Super Bowl up here in the great God’s Country of northwest Missouri because we’ve got one of our own. There’s a lot of Seahawks gear and a lot of 12’s,” Webb said. “There’s a young man going through a difficult time, a 10-year heart patient named Jacob Walter, that Jalen’s already sent a jersey to. So, anytime you see one of our own going off and starting in the Super Bowl, we’re extremely excited for the Sundell family.”
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