BleedGopher
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per Randy:
He was a hotshot sophomore at St. Edward High School in Ohio who received Big Ten scholarship offers. But he didn’t even see the field as a junior because of a mysterious medical condition. He returned to his native Minnesota as a senior, only to suffer a nagging ankle injury.
“A lot of kids would have quit,’’ Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. “He’s got to go through a lot of work to get on the field, a lot of preparation.’’
Wednesday marked the opening day of college football’s early signing period, and Bixby fulfilled the pledge he made when he was the first recruit to commit to the Gophers in the 2022 recruiting class. Among the 18 incoming freshmen so far for Minnesota, he is the second-highest-ranked player in the class.
Gophers coach P.J. Fleck offered Bixby a scholarship in January 2020 largely based on the potential that the defensive lineman showed as a sophomore at powerhouse St. Edward in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, Ohio.
Since then, Bixby has played in only six games, but Fleck stood by that potential.
“Incredible resolve. A lot of people would’ve folded up and said, ‘I’m not going to do it,’ ‘’ Fleck said of Bixby. “He looks good, he’s smiling, and he seems to be getting back to Trey. That’s what we all want for him.’’
Bixby’s health issue began in the summer before his junior season at St. Edward. During a workout, he experienced a strange sensation on his skin and welts forming. “After those bumps and the pain started, I started getting some throat closure every time I would work out,’’ Bixby said.
After trips to both the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic, Bixby was diagnosed with exercise-induced anaphylaxis with anhidrosis. “As his body temperature would rise, which happens in sports, he’d have an allergic reaction,’’ said Kyle Goblirsch, Bixby’s stepfather. “It was limiting his ability to sweat.’’
“It got to the point where I couldn’t sit in a chair for too long because the body heat from the chair itself would trigger a reaction,’’ Bixby said. “I would have to take cold showers in the middle of classes to be able to make it through the day.’’
Goblirsch and Trey’s mother, Heidi Bixby-Goblirsch, had concerns that the medication Trey was taking could cause autoimmune issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they had him attend classes remotely. He couldn’t play football his junior season at St. Edward.
“His entire life up to that point, he had never missed a game,’’ Goblirsch said.
The situation was frustrating for Bixby, who persevered by latching on to Fleck’s “Row the Boat’’ mantra.
“At one point, I had to get hospitalized because of how much it dragged on me,’’ Bixby said. “While I was in there, I kept focusing on what I could control and what I could do, and that was just keep moving forward, keep rowing. It directly applies.’’
www.mnfootballhub.com
Go Gophers!!
He was a hotshot sophomore at St. Edward High School in Ohio who received Big Ten scholarship offers. But he didn’t even see the field as a junior because of a mysterious medical condition. He returned to his native Minnesota as a senior, only to suffer a nagging ankle injury.
“A lot of kids would have quit,’’ Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. “He’s got to go through a lot of work to get on the field, a lot of preparation.’’
Wednesday marked the opening day of college football’s early signing period, and Bixby fulfilled the pledge he made when he was the first recruit to commit to the Gophers in the 2022 recruiting class. Among the 18 incoming freshmen so far for Minnesota, he is the second-highest-ranked player in the class.
Gophers coach P.J. Fleck offered Bixby a scholarship in January 2020 largely based on the potential that the defensive lineman showed as a sophomore at powerhouse St. Edward in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, Ohio.
Since then, Bixby has played in only six games, but Fleck stood by that potential.
“Incredible resolve. A lot of people would’ve folded up and said, ‘I’m not going to do it,’ ‘’ Fleck said of Bixby. “He looks good, he’s smiling, and he seems to be getting back to Trey. That’s what we all want for him.’’
Bixby’s health issue began in the summer before his junior season at St. Edward. During a workout, he experienced a strange sensation on his skin and welts forming. “After those bumps and the pain started, I started getting some throat closure every time I would work out,’’ Bixby said.
After trips to both the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic, Bixby was diagnosed with exercise-induced anaphylaxis with anhidrosis. “As his body temperature would rise, which happens in sports, he’d have an allergic reaction,’’ said Kyle Goblirsch, Bixby’s stepfather. “It was limiting his ability to sweat.’’
“It got to the point where I couldn’t sit in a chair for too long because the body heat from the chair itself would trigger a reaction,’’ Bixby said. “I would have to take cold showers in the middle of classes to be able to make it through the day.’’
Goblirsch and Trey’s mother, Heidi Bixby-Goblirsch, had concerns that the medication Trey was taking could cause autoimmune issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they had him attend classes remotely. He couldn’t play football his junior season at St. Edward.
“His entire life up to that point, he had never missed a game,’’ Goblirsch said.
The situation was frustrating for Bixby, who persevered by latching on to Fleck’s “Row the Boat’’ mantra.
“At one point, I had to get hospitalized because of how much it dragged on me,’’ Bixby said. “While I was in there, I kept focusing on what I could control and what I could do, and that was just keep moving forward, keep rowing. It directly applies.’’
Trey Bixby finds his way through illness and injury to the Gophers
The official home of Minnesota high school football.
www.mnfootballhub.com
Go Gophers!!