As the final seconds ticked off of the fifth third ballpark scoreboard, time seemed to slow itself down in an instant. He looked all around him to see an entire student section packed with soaked FHC students erupting in celebration. The coaches threw their headsets off and jumped into the celebrating mob of Ranger players, and his trance was broken by a teammate leaping onto his back. The 25-0 victory against their arch rival FHN was just one of the many incredible memories of the varsity Ranger football season. Through the rain and muck of a treacherous and cold Friday night, they battled until the very end. For most seniors on that team, it was their last season suiting up for a game under the Friday night lights; but for a lucky few, their journey was only beginning. Senior Tanner Hallock will surely cherish his senior season for the rest of his life, making an unprecedented run into the playoffs and creating memories that can never be erased. But, he will now have the chance to put on those shoulder pads for four more years and wear the same colors too. Only this time, he’ll be playing for the school of his dreams and continuing a family legacy.

It was only days before High School Signing Day 2017, and senior Tanner Hallock found himself swaying between his options. He had already verbally committed to Grand Valley State University, the winningest team in college football history by percentage. The Lakers had offered him a scholarship that intrigued the young QB, and he was set on playing in Lubbers Stadium for the next fours years. Then, with only days to go before signing day, Tanner made the switch and chose Michigan State University. It had been his dream to become a Spartan ever since he was a young boy, so to be given the opportunity to put on a jersey and play for head coach Mark Dantonio was too hard to turn down. He and his family took a trip out to East Lansing to talk with Dantonio and some of the coaching staff, and he fell in love with the program even more than he already had previously. Tanner recalled how impressed he was with the staff in his visit prior to Signing Day.

“[Coach] Dantonio has a phenomenal staff,” Tanner said. “The experience that they gave me on my visit was unbelievable. They are all just great men, and they really put a lot of emphasis there on becoming a man and what that means to be one. They went out of their way to get to know my family and showed me that it’s more than just football.”

Tanner’s father, Ty Hallock, spent his college days playing for the Spartans and went on to play in the NFL for a total of four years. One could say that football runs deep in the Hallock family. The long time youth and high school coach could not have been more proud of where his son is heading and the journey that is in front of him.

“My wife and I are beyond pleased that he is getting this opportunity to attend MSU,” Hallock said. “As graduates, we know how special this university and community is, and we hope that he enjoys it as much as we did and is able to give back while he is there.”

Like most parents, Hallock will be sad to see his son leave, but he knows that there are an endless amounts of opportunity lying in front of him.

“As a parent, you know there will come a time when your child will leave your home and begin their independent journey,” Hallock said. “It just seems to happen faster than a parent would like. When you love someone as much as you love your child, it is never easy. We hope we have done enough for him to get off to a good start. We will never not be there for him so long as we are on this earth.”

For Tanner, he will be in an all out battle for playing time next year. There is an open fullback position that he will most likely be fighting for. It is projected that he will probably be redshirted in order to get a feel for being a student and being a part of the program. No matter the outlook on Tanner’s freshman season, he could not be more excited to embark on the process and begin working with the team that he has been watching and following for his entire life.

“I don’t know if there are any words that could even put justice as to how excited I am to start up the season,” Tanner said. “I pinched myself everyday, because I couldn’t believe it. Once signing day was over, everything began to set in. Now, I can’t wait to set foot on that campus this fall and begin my journey. All in all, it is beyond awesome.”