Great players come in all shapes and sizes.

Lake Gibson’s Morven Joseph is a great player who happens to be on the larger side.

"He just looks different," Lake Gibson head coach Robert Paxia said.

The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Joseph looks and plays larger than life.

"He’s definitely a presence," Paxia said. "You can see him from across the field no matter where you’re at."

Joseph gives the Lake Gibson Braves an edge, mostly because he comes off the edge quicker than most high school players. He’s a quarterback’s worst nightmare. Through three games, this senior defensive end has collected five sacks.

"I get to hit people, get to chase the quarterback," Joseph said.

Not bad for a reformed offensive player. When Joseph first got to Lake Gibson, he fashioned himself as a receiver. Only problem? He couldn’t catch the ball.

"My freshman year I was trying to play wide receiver but it didn’t work out, so I ended up playing d-end," he said.

Offense’s loss was the defense’s gain. Joseph quickly transformed into one of the area’s top players. And he’s got his Lake Gibson Braves on track for big things this season.

"We’ve done a great job in the weight room since January as far as increasing our strength and just kind of coming together as a team," Paxia said. "This group as a whole is really quite close."

That close-knit bond shows up on Friday nights.

"It’s just about wanting to see each other succeed," Paxia said. "They push each other through practice, through weights and through the summer and they’ve kind of gone through the grind together.''

"We’ve been falling in love with each other," Joseph said. "We like playing as a team, that’s all."

Joseph’s looking forward to joining another team when his high school playing days are done. He’s committed to Florida State, picking the Noles over a host of other Division I schools.

"It was everything, like the coaches, playing on the field early, just all that," he said. "It just felt like home.

And there is that Florida State track record of sending defensive players to the NFL.

"I’m going to be one of those that goes on to the NFL, yes ma’am," Joseph said.