FOOTBALL PROFILE: The Player

Position: C/DT

Year: Senior (Class of 2022)

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 250 pounds

Experience/accomplishments: 1 x All-Big Southeast District (2020) honorable mention; 1 x Letterwinner (2021); Team captain (2021)

2021 stats (thru 2 games): 2 starts (OL & DL); 2 tackles

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INTRODUCTION: The Personality

Q: Why did you choose your number?

“I sort of just got it handed to me as a freshman and then I got it again as a sophomore, but switched to fifty when I was pulled up to varsity because sixty-four was taken. When it became available last year, I just took it. I wanted to rock the same number all the way through.”

Q: What is your favorite uniform combination?

“It has to be either regular blue and whites, or the black and blue.”

Q: Do you have any family connection to the OHS football program?

“My brother (Vince) played and graduated in 2017. He tore up his knee really bad during his senior season against New Prague, but played all the way through high school.”

Q: Are you involved in any other sports or activities?

“Right now, I am just in track with football. But when I was in grade school, I played basketball and tried wrestling for a year as well.”

Q: Memorable phase frequently used by any coach:

 “I get told this a lot, and it’s one of coach (Jerry) Eggermont’s favorite sayings: ‘I am going to rip your arms off and beat you on the head with them.’ He’s obviously kidding and it’s pretty funny.”

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QUESTION & ANSWER: The Person

Q: You’re by far the most experienced linemen on either side of the ball and you’re also a captain. Talk about how you will handle the extra responsibilities as one of the team’s most important players and leader of two position groups.

“It probably hasn’t hit me yet. I understand that I am the only one coming back that has played on the line because we went with almost all seniors up front last year. But I know we have some good guys coming through this year for us. We have always had a solid four, five guys (in the Class of 2022) but obviously the coaches went with the seniors last year, which makes sense. But a lot of (the current senior linemen) didn’t get to see much action last year. It’s going to be different and there will be a learning curve for sure.”

Q: You had a really good season as a junior and earned all-district honorable mention as a first-year starter. Did you feel like that was possible before the season, or did you surprise yourself along the way by how well you played?

“I just wanted to battle and be a starter last year. I remember I wanted to be a two-way player and, unfortunately, there was an injury that gave me the opportunity to do that toward the end of the season, which was harder than you might think.”

Q: What’s the key to success when it comes to playing on both sides of the ball in the trenches?

“Basically, it’s all mindset. You just know everything is going to hurt. It’s your feet, your wrists, your hands, your shoulders — everything is going to be aching. You are going to have people falling into you and there’s a lot of physicality. You just have to shake it off and keep going — keep playing. You have to have mental toughness just to keep going when your body tells you to stop. You have to push through that.”

Q: Finally, what does it mean to be a captain of this team?

“It’s kind of crazy. A kid out of little Hope, Minnesota gets to be one of the Owatonna football captains. It’s just crazy to think about that sometimes. I mean, first, not many people get this opportunity, but for someone who doesn’t even live in Owatonna and has to drive almost 10 miles to school each day, it’s pretty cool. It’s just a great feeling, and definitely rewarding to see all the hard work pay off.”