Christian Brothers Academy begins their 2021 season on Friday, and there is one player you might be seeing in the end zone a lot.

“You going to see hard working stuff. You’re going to see a lot of running," Syair Torrence, a sophomore wide receiver, said.

When Torrence arrives to practice, he straps on the cleats, dishes out some footballs and picks out his gloves. It’s a process getting ready to play the game he loves.

“I think I realized how to love the game in 8th grade when I kept putting the work in," Torrence said.

He leads the stretches as a 10th grader. It wasn’t long ago that he changed positions.

“When I was 11, I started playing wide receiver. It just felt right to me. It felt good to catch the ball, score, I was tired of playing fullback," Torrence said. 

It also wasn’t long ago that he got his nickname.

“My dad gave me a nickname. ‘Angry Bird,’ cause I’m always mad. I ain't always mad all the time. I’m always happy," Torrence said.

Nicknames seem to be common in Syair’s family. His brother is "Boogie," also known as Symir Torrence. The Marquette transfer came home to play ball at Syracuse University this season.

"Our love for each other is like, I don’t know how to explain it, it’s just different. We talk about the mistakes that we make and tell each other how we can make it better," Torrence said.

Syair took a different path, but still could end up rocking the Orange, just like his big bro. In the spring, he picked up his first offer from Syracuse.

“I cried at first and I was talking to my coach, then I called my mom and I started crying more," Torrence said.

With every step, and every caught pass, he’s working toward a goal.

“I always dreamed of playing football in college," Torrence said.

That dream is already very close to becoming a reality.