Cristian Sarmento realized at an early age he was destined to be a sports geek. It just took a little while to find his niche.

The Lakewood native first turned his maniacal energy toward soccer, but the endeavor was somewhat similar to mixing fuel with flames. Too much energy from Sarmento, too little contact in the sport.

It was a natural progression for Sarmento to gravitate toward football. The coaching staff and fans of the University of Northern Colorado couldn't be happier that Sarmento eventually found his way.

Sarmento, a senior linebacker, will begin his final season in Greeley with an opportunity to leave UNC as one of the top tacklers in the program's history.

It's a testament to Sarmento's relentless style of play that he has achieved that feat despite an inauspicious introduction to the sport.

"Once I got a little older I switched to football. . . . I was a little too aggressive for soccer," Sarmento said. "I still remember one of my first (football) practices. I kept jumping offsides, and the coach was yelling at me. I said, 'What do you want me to remember, the snap count or the play? Because I can't remember both.' I guess I've come a long way."

After graduating from Lakewood High School, Sarmento redshirted in 2004 and played defensive end under former UNC coach Kay Dalton in 2005, posting three sacks in a reserve role.

When Scott Downing took over the program before the 2006 season, Sarmento was moved to outside linebacker and responded with a team-leading 81 tackles, earning honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors.

Downing moved Sarmento to middle linebacker last season, and he finished second in the Big Sky in tackles, with 135 tackles, despite missing the final game of the season.

This will mark the first season at UNC that Sarmento will play the same position in consecutive seasons, a proposition that has Downing giddy about what his tireless linebacker might achieve.

"He's a football player's football player," Downing said. "He loves working out in the offseason. He loves practice. He kind of is what you want your football program to be built on. He's a coach's dream, because he works as hard off the field as he does on the field. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do in his senior year."

Sarmento, a physical education major, landed on the Big Sky all-academic team last year and hopes to someday teach youngsters how to play the game his way. Perhaps even after some of them wander over from the soccer field.

"Hopefully, I can give kids the same opportunity I had," he said. "If not for football, I'd probably be working construction or in the military."