Being a 3-sport athlete is becoming rare. How a State College junior balances it all

It isn’t often you find three-sport athletes in 2024.

As youth sports have grown, specializing in a single sport and playing it year-round has become more common. If an athlete does play multiple sports, it’s usually two.

“ I think there’s this illusion that you can’t be a multi-sport athlete anymore,” State College football coach Matt Lintal said.

However, State High junior Ty Salazer is putting that misconception to rest.

Since his freshman year, Salazer hasn’t just competed with the school’s football, lacrosse and basketball programs — he’s become a standout athlete in each of his three sports.

Last month, he scored his 100th career goal for coach Tyler Kaluza’s boys lacrosse squad. In December, he broke State High’s all-time football receiving record, eclipsing over 1,600 yards through just three seasons. And year in and out, he’s remained a significant piece for coach Brian Scholly’s State High basketball program.

“Th e best thing about him is he doesn’t really care about (individual accolades), he wants to help the team win,” said Kaluza, the coach who works with him most closely this time of year.

Salazer continued playing multiple sports from when he was a kid. Just around the time when most youth athletes choose to drop secondary sports as they enter high school, he never considered dropping football, lacrosse or basketball.

“I love staying in season. I love doing every single (sport),” Salazer said. “ I’m a natural competitor.”

Every week has become a grind for Salazer.

As fall becomes winter, he transitions from football to basketball. As winter becomes spring, he leaves the hardwood for the lacrosse field. And each summer has become a mixture of all three.

“I’m not gonna lie, it gets kind of rough sometimes ... it is a huge time commitment, but it’s what I love to do, and I don’t regret doing it,” Salazer said.

All three of his coaches emphasized that he isn’t just a standout athlete; the junior is just as committed to his education, leadership and staying involved in the community as he is to his performance on the court and field. And on each of the teams, Salazer sets the standard for himself and his teammates.

“He’s just a kid that you know you can rely on to handle his business and to be the best player that he can be,” Scholly said. “T hat’s contagious on other guys around him.”

There’s a load of benefits to being a multi-sport athlete that Salazer’s seen first hand.

For one, his raw physical skills — like speed, footwork and leaping ability — stand out compared to his peers, as each sport requires a distinct skill set that can complement him in his next season.

“He’s really quick in tight spaces. He’s got tremendous ball skills, (when) he jumps up and makes catches, he looks like he’s making a layup on the basketball court,” Lintal said.

In basketball, Scholly said Salazer’s defensive strength stands out due to his multi-sport background.

Nearly having year-round competition has also become an advantage — as he’s gotten more athletic experience, Salazer’s taken the mental lessons he’s learned from each sport into the next.

“E ach different sport makes me better at the next. If I didn’t play lacrosse and basketball, I wouldn’t be as good as I am at football. If I didn’ t play football and lacrosse, I wouldn’t be as good as I am at basketball, and vice versa,” Salazer said.

While balancing three sports, Salazer has racked up accolades as a junior that most don’t claim over four seasons. He was a captain for Lintal’s football program in 2023, totaling 66 catches for 1,079 yards and 12 touchdowns while being a Swiss army knife on both sides of the ball.

While those kind of numbers and the accolades are “reassuring” to Salazer, he remains focused on his team’s success, no matter the sport.

“He’s the guy we go to when the game’s on the line, we’re finding a way to make sure that he’s an impact player, and he always is,” Lintal said.

In the future, Salazer plans to focus on football. He’s already received offers from Lehigh and Dartmouth, and he sees higher potential for himself once he’s able to spend his time focusing on one sport.

“T he biggest downfall of playing three sports is I really don’t have that offseason to improve,” Salazer said. “I f I have a whole year to solely focus on on football, I’m going to improve way faster than guys who are already starting to plateau.”

Before he continues onto college though, Salazer still has another three-sport year ahead of him in the 2024-25 school year as a senior. Lintal, Kaluza and Scholly are all looking forward to continuing to work with an athlete that works hard, uplifts others and represents his school well.

“The cool thing about Ty is he doesn’t know any different. When he gets off the football field, he feels he’s ready to just jump right onto the basketball court,” Scholly said. “T he way he seamlessly makes that transition with as little speed bumps as possible is a testament not only to his physical abilities as well, but probably even more importantly, his mental maturity.”