Home town proudHartsock enjoys chance to represent area

In Columbus, Ben Hartsock is a superstar. In Indianapolis, he is a blossoming prospect who is beginning what could be a long career in the National Football League.
In Chillicothe, it's not about his fame or fortune. Here, Hartsock is a local boy who's made himself into a role model for people of all ages to look up to. - NFL Football -
"It's a lot of fun. I love coming back," Hartsock said Saturday while making an appearance at McDonald's in downtown Chillicothe. "It's just such a great feeling to come home and to have such a great community to support you. I feel very fortunate to have that support."
It would be the first of two appearances the Unioto graduate would make in Ross County Saturday. Later, he would speak in front of a few thousand fans and spectators at a Chillicothe Paints game.
It's not often that the second-year Colts tight end gets to come home for a visit, but when he does, people flock to see him. - NFL Football -
"There's a lot of guys that come from big cities that are one of a lot of people that have made it to (the NFL)," he said. "To have the whole town rally around you really means a lot. I'm proud to be able to represent them."
Though Chillicothe is not terribly far from Indianapolis on the map, it's much closer in Hartsock's heart.
"We try to keep up as close as we can through the Internet and looking at the Gazette online. My wife I know checks every day to see what's going on," he said. "I try to get back to Unioto as much as I can. If ever there's an opportunity during the off-season or during a bye week to come back for a football game or basketball game, we really try to do that.
"I'm only where I am because of where I came from. Unioto was a large part of that."
With Hartsock due to report to training camp in Terre Haute on July 27, this trip home will have to be a brief one. - NFL Football -
"I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "The off-season was nice. I feel like I've gotten a lot more comfortable with the system, just getting inserted into the program. I'm really looking forward to getting back into training camp and really trying to fight for more playing time."
As a rookie in 2004, Hartsock caught four balls for 33 yards. This year, he's hoping to become a bigger target in the Indianapolis offense.
"Everybody says that the rookie year is really kind of a blur. That's exactly what happened. You really don't know which way's up or down at any point," he said. "The second year you really know what to expect and it's not such a shock to everybody. The second year is when they say guys really start to flourish, so I'm looking forward to hopefully doing that."
Hartsock said that the upcoming preseason is when he'll be given a chance to make a name for himself.
"I'm still relatively unproven, but my opportunity will come in the preseason, during the preseason games and during camp," he said. "If I can get those coaches confident that I can go out there and be a reliable player, then I'll be able to go out and be on the field. If I don't have a good camp, I'll still be able to go out and play some special teams and play here and there. But it's going to rely a lot of the preseason." - NFL Football -
Now that he's shed the label of rookie, Hartsock said he's grown more accustomed to the fact that he's truly an NFL player.
"I was sitting at a table on the first day that we had gone to the practice facility. A group of rookies are sitting there and in walks (Colts All-Pro quarterback) Peyton Manning. One of these guys says, 'hey man, I don't want to sound dumb, but that's Peyton Manning.'," Hartsock said. "It's hard to get over the fact that he's your teammate and a peer of his. Because for so long you've looked at him as such a role model and one of the best of the best in the NFL. You just get adjusted and try to keep up."
Lately, Hartsock has been growing into the position of a role model himself, making public appearances as part of the Colts' "Make it Personal" campaign that sends the athletes to meet people in smaller communities throughout Indiana. - NFL Football -
"We had an appearance for the Colts where we went out to the Richmond Roosters. It was not until I got to their stadium that I realized they were in the Frontier League," Hartsock said. "Immediately when I got there I started saying, the Chillicothe Paints, that's my hometown team. I go to those games."
Naturally, the Richmond fans gave him a little ribbing about being a fan of one of their rival teams, but knowing that he's now a member of their beloved Colts, they eventually gave him a break. - NFL Football -
"We had a good time," Hartsock said. "They gave me some grief about Chillicothe, but I told them I'll always be a Chillicothe boy."

LANCE CRANMER
Gazette Sports Writer