American Football no longer a mystery to Central Bucks East's German exchange student

It was peculiarly shaped, and bounced funny, but when Lorenz Forsmann finally got to hold an American football, he knew the sport was for him.

"With a soccer ball, you know how it's going to bounce," Forsmann said. "But a football is different.

"All I know is when I first tried it, I liked it and wanted to keep playing."

Growing up in Germany, the only American football Forsmann knew was what he saw on television.

"I liked the Denver Broncos first, but now I like the Eagles," he said with a laugh. "And I watched football whenever I could and tried to get my friends interested."

But it wasn't until last April, when the NFL held a youth camp about two hours from his home in Frankfurt, he got a chance to play.

Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons on hand

"(Dallas Cowboy star) Micah Parsons was there and the whole thing was just amazing to me," Forsmann said. "You could pick where you wanted to play, and I chose safety and running back."

The hook was set and Forsmann, a Central Bucks East junior, just needed an outlet to play his new sport.

"Lorenz has relatives in Jamison and he contacted them about coming over here as an exchange student," long-time CB East head football coach John Donnelly said.

"They were able to work that out and then he reached out to me, and we started talking back and forth and before you knew it, he was practicing with the team getting ready for the season.

"It was like he just fell out of the sky. Of course, we (the coaching staff) were a little skeptical because he had never played football, but we saw a video from the camp he went to, and he showed flashes on film. And he can really run and that's something you can't coach."

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Central Bucks East a fine fitfor Forsmann

Forsmann, who is just an easy-going teenager who speaks flawless English, simply just fit in.

He played mainly on special teams last fall but will play a larger role come this fall.

"I received so much help from my teammates because it was difficult at the beginning," the 6-foot, 170-pound Forsmann said.

"But I played junior varsity and some varsity and just loved being a part of the team."

He made enough of an impact on varsity to earn a letter.

"The varsity letter wasn't just given to him because he was the foreign exchange kid," Donnelly said.

"It doesn't work that way. Lorenz came here, worked really, really hard to learn a sport he didn't know much about and contributed for us. And, since he's going to be here next year, too, I could see him stepping in at free safety and also playing some running back.

"He's just a great story."

A two-sport standout for Central Bucks East

But his sports story (Forsmann also excels in the classroom) doesn't end there.

After football, Forsmann decided to give track a go.

"A classmate of his told me that there was a foreign exchange student that wanted to try track," CB East head winter track coach Chris Pierangeli said.

"And then Lorenz showed up in my classroom and said he'd like to go out for the team. I'm really glad he did."

Like football, running track was a little foreign to Forsmann, but he, again, was a quick learner.

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Central Bucks East record falls

Quick enough (pardon the pun) to earn a spot on the Patriots' 4 x 200-meter relay team that recently broke the 11-year-old indoor school record with a time of 1:31.17, a clocking good enough to earn the foursome a spot in this Sunday's Pennsylvania state meet, and in the New Balance National Meet in Boston in March.

"I run the second leg of the relay and it's been a lot of fun," Forsmann said. "I like trying new things, like Philly Cheesesteaks, and learning about this country."

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An open mind helping Forsmann flourish at CB East

That willingness to learn, according to Pierangeli and Donnelly, is what makes Forsmann stand out.

"He doesn't get nervous, like a lot of kids do, he just goes out and does it," Pierangeli said.

"For Lorenz, it's just the chance to try new things and make new friends and he's making the most of it."

Drew Markol: dmarkol@theintell.com; @dmarkol

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: CB East's German exchange student nurtures love of American football