Everyone knows how hard student-athletes need to work in order to play on the Division II level of any sport, let alone football. For 2007 Palmerton High School graduate Jon Weber, years of hard work paid off this season as he reached his goal of starting for the East Stroudsburg University football team.

During the 2006-07 football season at Palmerton Area High School, Weber was a part of a highly-talented team and although he contributed, he didn't receive many headlines for his efforts. His attempt at playing on the next level seemed possible, but he knew it would be difficult to actually do."I wasn't really that highly-recruited as a player, when I came into the program," Weber recalls. "My goal was to not have any regrets when I was done. When I got there, the upperclassmen were huge and it was scary to have to step on the field and go toe-to-toe with them. I knew what I had to do and that motivated me to put in the work and get better."Weber was recruited as a free safety and spent almost his entire freshman season watching from the sidelines.."I realized what I had to do. I was hungry for more playing time," said Weber.When it comes to training, there are plenty of routes that can be taken in order to get the job done. For the 6-2, 245-pound Weber, it seemed logical."It took a great work ethic," Weber said. "Lift, lift and lift some more. In the off-season, I would lift six days a week, do agility training, sprints, and I got into a routine of doing it everyday."With the goal of increasing his playing time in mind, the internal motivation for Weber had peaked."I really worked my tail off while I was there," Weber admits. "I hope that it would be some sort of legacy that I could leave behind for other players in my same position.""The only thing you can take credit for is the amount of effort you give on every play and in every training session. I'd say I'm satisfied with the outcome."The way Weber's career panned out, he eventually saw playing time in his sophomore season, after being moved to defensive end. He played in five games, had a solo tackle, two assists for a total of three tackles. It is safe to say that he wasn't satisfied at that point. He wanted more.In his junior year, he played in 11 games, had four solo tackles and four assists for eight total tackles."Making the transition to a different position wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," the sociology major (minor in criminal justice) mentioned. "I guess in that season is when I saw that the hard work started to pay off.""There were times when I thought I might not make it, I was buried on the depth chart and I would ask myself, 'Am I wasting my time?' That doubt, I kind of turned into motivation to train harder and get better."In between seasons, in the summers of 2010 and 2011, Weber could be seen working out at Palmerton Area High School, doing sprints, agilities and lifting. In his eyes, every day was an opportunity to get better, to improve."Looking back on the path I took, there's nothing that I could have done more in order to get where I got," he admits. "I know I worked as hard as I possibly could."As his senior year approached, Weber was ready to make a difference. His team wasn't as successful in the previous year and it was time to do all he could to fix that. At defensive end, he started in all 11 games, compiling 12 solo tackles while assisting on 19 more. He forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery, too.The Warriors finished the season with a 3-8 mark, but ended in fine fashion, as they upset Edinboro to end the season."We weren't as successful as a team as I would have liked to be," Weber stated. "But looking back on it, overall, I'm happy with how things worked out."While Weber played for ESU, the team finished 23-22, qualified for the PSAC playoffs in 2009, and had plenty of highlights to remember.However, looking at Weber's individual accomplishments, the soon-to-be graduate, should be proud."When I first got there, I maxed out at 225 on bench," he said. "The last time I did it, I did that same weight twenty-three times." As a student, he has a 3.3 GPA and a 3.5 in his major. He will graduate next month and will begin his quest for employment."Looking back on it, I wouldn't have changed anything and would have stayed with my decision," Weber said. "It was a great honor to play for the legendary Denny Douds at ESU."Douds leads the PSAC in wins as a head coach and is the all-time leader in games coached in Division II."I'd really like to thank my family, my friends and teammates for their support throughout the years," he smiled. "It wasn't the easiest goal to accomplish, but with the people I've had in my life, it made things a little easier."