CBS 58's Hometown Athlete: Sussex Hamilton's Ben Bayer one of best in boys Wisconsin volleyball

SUSSEX, Wis. (CBS 58) -- With all apologies to Ferris Bueller, for Ben Bayer, life comes at you pretty quick.

"July 15 happened," Ben Bayer says. "Started getting recruiting questions from Long Beach, and then, you know, went to NORCECA with Team USA. Obviously, the state championship happened. But just all within like one year. It kind of just all came at me."

That's Team USA's U-19 national team, a scholarship with the defending NCAA champions in Long Beach State and, oh yeah, trying to repeat as state champions with his Sussex Hamilton high school team.

"And in that state championship match? It was Ben," Sussex Hamilton head boys volleyball coach Grey Little says. "That was our go to guy. That's not all we needed, but that's what it called for in that moment."

Ben has the chance to not only take the Chargers to another level, but also the game he loves so much.

"I looked up at these older guys. Like, you know, that were going to college. Committing. I wanted to be that guy," Bayer says. "So, for me? Just thinking about, now I get to be that guy, and they're looking at me like, 'Hey, I wanna be like that.'"

"It's hard to get those positions. Especially at Long Beach," Little says. "That's one of the best programs in the nation, arguably. So, to have a guy that can go and compete and that they want to be there? Not just that deserves to be there, but they want him there? That says something about him as a player and as his character, too."