2021 DT Tywone Malone Proves He's Willing To Work & Sacrifice
Few people understand what it takes to be a multi-sport athlete at the college level and even fewer ordinary high school sophomores can truly appreciate the hard work and sacrifice required.
But Tywone Malone is not an ordinary high school sophomore.
The Jamesburg, N.J., native proved that when he signed up for an hour-plus commute each way to Bergen Catholic High School as an eighth-grade.
“When I was in eighth grade, one of my friend’s brothers came here,” Malone explains. “He told me a little about the program. I came up here to check it out for myself. When I shadowed a freshman for a day, that’s when I actually fell in love with the school and wanted to become a Crusader.”
So, these days, Malone is up around 5:30 each morning to catch a 6 a.m. bus that has a few other stops before getting him to Bergen Catholic in Oradell for class around 7.
“I felt like it was a better fit for me to come to Bergen and play football and good education and become a man,” he says. “That’s just what the school is and what it’s all about. That’s what I came here to do.
“The teachers help you with everything. They teach you everything you need to do about being a man. During football practice, sometimes if you’re having a rough day, a coach will come up to you and say, ‘You’ve just got to keep going. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing bad or good. You’ve just got to keep grinding it out.’ That really matures me as a man.”
His parents were proud of the decision he made as a youngster.
“They really love it,” Malone says. “They say, ‘Yeah, it’s a better fit for you, better education.’ They were willing to make the sacrifice, so I had to do the same.”
In the fall, Malone is a standout defensive tackle for Bergen Catholic’s famed football program and in the spring, he’s a power-hitting first baseman for the baseball team. In between, he’s busy working out for both.
That means after the 5:30 wakeup call, Malone doesn’t return home until after 8, sometimes after 9 at night.
“I do homework before practice or I’ll do homework on the bus,” he explains.
He acknowledges the transition was tough in the beginning.
“I didn’t know how to get around,” he says. “I would get home mad late and I’d be tired coming home from school.
“You’ve just got to keep going and you’ve got to fight through it.”
That’s what he’s done and it’s paid off.
He’s receiving a tremendous amount of attention for his potential on the diamond and has already landed more than a dozen scholarships on the gridiron from schools like Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC and Duke among others.
Malone is hoping to play both sports in college.
“If they’re willing to let me play both, I’m going to play both,” he says. “That’s what I’m hoping for right now.”
He’s already made visits to Virginia Tech and Rutgers who have given him approval to play both.
“I’ve still got to go visit other schools to talk to them more about it to see what they think about it and if I could do it,” he adds.
Notre Dame is one school he looks forward to visiting and speaking with the coaching staff.
Malone didn’t come to Bergen Catholic with these kinds of expectations.
“When I first came in as a freshman, I really thought I wouldn’t have opportunities like this, but I kept working and grinding. My opportunity came and I had to take advantage of it.”