By Jim Fenton, Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- During his freshman year at Bridgewater State College, John Ferbert watched the 2005 Bears' football season from the stands.

After playing linebacker and tight end at East Bridgewater High School, Ferbert decided to concentrate on academics in his first year of college and put football on the back burner.

It didn't take long, however, for Ferbert to realize his stay away from football would be a brief one.

"Seeing that first game, watching that first play,'' recalled Ferbert of the '05 season, "it was like, ‘I have to come out for the team the next year.' The first game I went to, I knew I was definitely going to go out for the team the next year.''

Ferbert did just that, beginning with spring practice in 2006, and he earned more and more playing time at linebacker with each season.

The development of the East Bridgewater resident reached its peak this fall when Ferbert was named to the New England Football Conference All-Bogan Division second team after leading the Bears in tackles.

Ferbert made 90 tackles in 10 games, the most by a BSC player since Jason Wilson had 94 in 1997. His 56 solo stops are the most since four players exceeded 60 during the 1999 season.

"He had a great year, without a doubt,'' said Bears coach Chuck Denune. "He played out of his mind.

"He's very good against the run. He does a great job keeping backs contained. He struggled quite a bit against the pass, but he finally did a good job with that this year. He started to understand the whole game this season.''

Ferbert, who is in his fifth year at BSC and will graduate in May, put his focus on academics as a freshman in '05, but it was difficult to be without football.

"I wasn't really sure if I wanted to play at first,'' said Ferbert, who is studying for a career in criminal justice. "I just kind of wanted to focus on academics. But I just really missed the game.

"It was really strange not playing. But right after the season, I went to coach Denune and I told him I really miss it. He gave me a chance.''

Ferbert appeared in eight games in his first season, making nine tackles in 2006 while getting back in the groove.

"Taking that year off was huge,'' said Ferbert. "I didn't realize it, but I came in kind of out of shape. It took a year to adjust and get used to the system.''

His playing time was increasing as a sophomore and Ferbert filled in as a starter when injuries hit BSC.

Midway through the season, though, Ferbert suffered a knee injury when he was blocked during a goal-line drill in practice, ending his second year with the Bears.

"It was frustrating just because I was fighting for that position the whole time and once I got it, I wanted to keep it,'' said Ferbert. "It was tough to sit on the sidelines and watch. I was happy for the success (of the team), but, at the same time, I was disappointed.''

Ferbert eventually won a starting spot at linebacker during his third season and finished fifth on the team with 48 tackles, including two for a loss with a pair of sacks.

With only one year left in his career, Ferbert decided during the offseason to make the most of it and went through a rigorous training regimen with fellow linebackers Casey Florence and Jason Flannery of Bridgewater.

"I dedicated myself in the offseason to weight lifting and all the programs that were available,'' said Ferbert. "I did a lot of running in the offseason. Me, Casey and Jason did it together. It helped push each other to get better. That was really beneficial.

"We worked on our conditioning. We'd run on trails in the woods, work in the gym on agility, lift weights. I definitely wanted to come in with no regrets this season. I wanted to push myself in the offseason, and it definitely helped me.''

Ferbert had four tackles for a loss, an interception, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles this season.

"Game experience had a lot to do with what John did this season,'' said Denune. "But the work he put in the last two offseasons was probably equaled by only Florence and Flannery. They had success because they deserved it and worked for it.''

After sitting out the '05 season, Ferbert became one of the top linebackers in the NEFC and exits the BSC program as an all-division second-team selection.

"I couldn't picture this four years down the road when I played my first game at Bridgewater,'' said Ferbert. "I didn't expect to have that kind of success. I kind of came out to have fun.

"I tell people all the time how glad I am that I played football here. When I did recruiting last year for coach, people asked me, ‘Are you glad you did it? I said, ‘It was the best thing I did.' All my friends are football players. I'm glad I did it. It would have been one of the biggest regrets I would have had if I didn't play football.''