Nathan Roach stands at 6-foot-1, weighs 215 pounds and carries broad shoulders connected to long, toned arms. He wears size 16 shoes and has the hands of an NBA forward. He’s physically imposing in his upright stance.

He’s also just 13 years old.

A Nashua resident entering eighth grade at Pennichuck Middle School, Roach is a physical specimen among his peers. It’s part of why he’s already one of the most coveted youth football players throughout New England.

Just three years into his ath­letic career, Roach has garnered much acclaim for his abilities on the gridiron, as well as his outstanding potential as he continues to grow and mature. That attention has led to national youth program invites, countless prep school scholarship offers and even interest from colleges, including Division I programs.

"It’s overwhelming at times," his mother, Marissa, said.

Along with natural size and tal­ent, Roach’s superior work ethic also stands out to coaches. And the results are already palpable.

"He loves to work and get bet­ter," Carl Taylor, who coached him on the New Hampshire AYF All-Star team last year, said.

Roach is a budding star, although it’s not evident through his personality. He’s soft-spoken and polite. He’s driven academi­cally and dreams of one day be­coming an engineer, a biochem­ist or even a doctor. Like any 13-year-old boy, he enjoys playing video games and texts his friends to make weekend plans.

But Roach shies from his notoriety. He loathes his mother’s bragging to family and friends, especially when his accomplish­ments are broadcast on Face­book.

"He’s like, ‘Mom, I’m just an­other kid. I’m just like everyone else,’"Marissa said. "He doesn’t feel like he should be recognized. It’s just funny how he is."

According to his mother, Roach’s humbled nature was shaped by a difficult upbringing that left him insecure at a time when such prospects for success seemed like a pipe dream. He continues to face other adversity.

However, those challenges have helped him develop an appreciation for where he is, and the motivation to fulfill his dreams.

Born into it

If you ask Roach why he didn’t play football until he was 10, he’ll tell you it’s because he was too big to play Pop Warner in Mas­sachusetts.

It’s true. Pop Warner leagues have weight and age require­ments at each level that are tough for a boy built like Roach to meet.

However, money was also an irrefutable factor.

Marissa was a single mother when Roach was born in northern Massachusetts. Making enough money to support them both was a struggle for years as they moved throughout the area to towns such as North Andover, Methuen and Wakefield.

"It was very hard for us," she said. "We barely made it by."

Even after she met Joe Sul­livan, who was a single father at the time and whom she’s been with for the last eight years, when Roach was about 6, activi­ties such as football weren’t an option due to the financial strain.

"That’s why he didn’t play," Marissa said. "Especially when he was little I just couldn’t do it."

Circumstances improved for Roach and his family as they moved to New Hampshire, where they now live in a Nashua con­dominium. Money was still tight, but by fifth grade he was finally given a chance to play sports.

Football, of course, was the sport he most wanted to play; it’s what he’d grown up around. His family’s basement is dedicated to the New England Patriots. There are framed photographs, posters and jerseys hanging throughout the room along with other team memorabilia.

"I was born into it," Roach said while wearing a sleeveless shirt and athletic shorts one morning.

Roach was allowed to play for Souhegan in the junior high foot­ball league despite being under­age. At the time he was shorter and heavier, playing offensive line against older, more experi­enced players.

"I was intimidated by all these athletes," he said.

But more than anything, Roach was inspired. He was captivated by the thrill of each play, the battles of strength and the future opportunities football could provide.

"I never really knew what it took to get into really good col­leges," he said. "I wasn’t aware of all that before I started playing football. All this hard work can pay off in the long run."

So work hard is exactly what Roach did. It turned out he was a pretty good player, too.

He holds his own

Roach was a fifth-grader in a junior high league. He was one of the slowest and least athletic players on the team despite his size advantage.

But it was clear to those who watched he was already grasping the game.

"When he started playing he picked up everything very quickly," said Sullivan, who first introduced Roach to football. "He could understand complex plays at a young age."

Roach said he was about 5-foot- 8 when he started playing, and still heavy for his age. He needed more time to grow into his body before he could reach his athletic potential.

In the off-seasons Roach would attend football camps to improve and challenge himself against the best competition in the area. Money was still a concern, so Marissa was selective about the camps she would sign him up for, only choosing the ones that would give him the best experience and most exposure.

One of those camps was the New England Elite Clinic at Bent­ley University, where he was lin­ing up against high school-aged players, some of which bordered on 300 pounds, and performed admirably as he gained more experience.

One player he matched up against in a camp last year, Ma­rissa said, had a scholarship offer to Boston College.

"He holds his own," Sullivan said.

Between football camps and the junior high league, Roach caught the attention of Taylor, who scouts players in New Hampshire, following his sixth grade year. Taylor immediately spotted Roach’s potential and re­cruited him for AYF. He coached Roach for two weeks of practices last fall and admired his team-first attitude and willingness to play anywhere on the field.

"He was one of the few play­ers I had who would say, ‘Coach, where do you need me to play? Even if I don’t know the position I’m willing to learn," Taylor said.

Roach said the turning point for him as a player came before last football season. He grew into his body, lost weight and became faster and stronger. He was suddenly not only the biggest, but also one of the most athletic players, playing tight end and defensive end.

Soon enough more coaches and scouts took notice of his prog­ress. At 12, Marissa said, Roach played in front of 13 Division I schools at a camp, and private school became a reality.

He also received All-America invites in Florida, Myrtle Beach and Pennsylvania.

"(Coaches and scouts) were shocked to see what he could do," said Marissa, who later said doctors estimate he could grow to somewhere between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-9.

But Roach’s success wouldn’t come without his own personal drive.

He commits himself to it

John Connolly remembers it as the moment he truly got to know Roach.

Roach made the basketball team as a first-time player last winter at Pennichuck, where Con­nolly is coach, athletic director and physical education teacher.

Connolly assigned two players to pick teams for a rebounding competition. Roach was among the last selected despite being the tallest player. Connolly knew he wasn’t happy about it.

"As he’s walking out after be­ing picked I read his face and I looked at him and I said, ‘This has got to tick you off a little bit,’ " Connolly said. "He says, ‘A lot, coach.’ I said, ‘Good, then resolve between you and your coach that this will never happen again.’ "

So, Connolly said, Roach committed himself to becoming a good rebounder, honing his technique and religiously follow­ing the conditioning suggestions Connolly provided him.

Roach was never picked last again.

"Once he puts his mind to what he wants to do, he commits him­self to it," Connolly said.

Roach’s dedication is what stands out the most to his coaches. He followed a strict conditioning program and limited junk food in his diet. The result was improved speed and agility, muscle growth and necessary weight loss to convert from of­fensive tackle to tight end. That commitment is how in just three years he’s become perhaps the most accomplished 13-year-old athlete in the state.

"He has come a long way since the first time I met him and he’s doing an awesome job," Taylor said.

What many, especially his parents, find most impressive is the way he balances sports – he also runs track and, according to Connolly, is a talented shot put and discus thrower – and school, and still excels in both.

"It shocks the heck out of me that he does as well with his grades as he does," Sullivan said of Roach, who regularly earns high honors.

Said Taylor: "He’s a model student-athlete for a lot of the other youth in New Hampshire."

He’s also succeeded in not let­ting such early recognition get to his head.

He’s still Nathan

Roach may be an intimidating figure on the field. But off it, Sul­livan said, he’s like a "big teddy bear."

One word Connolly used to describe him is genuine. He sees Roach as a role model for his peers to look up to. Sometimes in gym class, Connolly will ask Roach to help his classmates if they are having trouble with that day’s activity, particularly if it is one Roach is proficient in.

"He’s almost like an assistant teacher in gym class," Connolly said.

"I don’t know of a single kid that doesn’t like Nate Roach. He’s very friendly. He’s very caring. He’ll help a smaller, more inexpe­rienced athlete whenever he can.

Sullivan said Roach, despite the accolades, prefers to deflect praise to those around him.

"He never likes putting the spotlight on himself," Sullivan said. "He likes putting the spot­light on other people."

Added Connolly: "While all this is going on, he’s still Nathan."

Roach has faced some back­lash, however. According to Tay­lor, past teammates and parents have responded negatively to Roach’s achievements in ways he wouldn’t specify, perhaps react­ing out of envy.

Taylor regularly offers advice on how to handle such scrutiny, especially when it’s displayed publicly on social media. But he said Roach has managed it well on his own.

"He just doesn’t get down on himself when negativity is com­ing his way," Taylor said. "He’s learning how to embrace it."

On the right path

This fall, Roach will suite up for the Bedford Bulldogs in his last year of junior high football. Then it’s on to high school.

Where that will be is uncer­tain. But the list includes a bevy of New England’s top private schools south of the border in Massachusetts, such as The Rivers School in Weston; Brooks Academy in North Andover; St. Mark’s School in Southborough; and Buckingham Browne & Nich­ols in Cambridge.

Roach still has some tours left to make this summer. However, BB&N is his favorite thus far.

"The thing about BB&N is it’s right next to the city," Roach said. "Everyone in there was either working or playing sports. That’s all I do."

Although that part of his future is not clear yet, what is evident to those around him is that he’ll con­tinue to do what he’s always done: outwork his peers and apply himself in all facets of his life.

"With that kind of attitude he’s going to open a lot of doors for himself," Connolly said.

For now, Roach is still a 13-year-old kid, playing catch outside with his brother, Caden, wolfing down mom’s cooking and watching football on Sunday’s with his family.

But he always has an eye on the future, with football a crucial part of it.

"It’s put me on the right path to college ball, an education and a good job," he said.

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