Hastings Taking ‘All in’ Approach to Football Season

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(L-R:) Andrew Tenthoff, Julian Carnavali, Nick Puoti and Charlie Richardson.

September 7, 2024

By Tom Pedulla—

During a recent Hastings practice, members of the team wore green t-shirts with yellow lettering that read, “All in.”

They understand that they need to be all in with whatever first-year coach Christopher Crooms is instilling if they are to turn around what has been a losing program.

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“I want to bring winning back to this town,” said Crooms, 42. “And, to do so, that starts with practice.”

Crooms is a former quarterback and wide receiver who gained valuable coaching experience at Mount Vernon at the junior varsity and varsity levels. As someone who served in the Army, he understands that the pursuit of excellence requires dedication and grit.

“If you are going to be on my team, you are going to have to fight. I’m going to build fighters,” he said. “I don’t want any pushovers.”

The upperclassmen, weary of losing, are all in. “He’s going to bring a lot of heart and intensity, which we kind of lacked last year in practice,” said senior Charlie Richardson. “We’re doing a lot more running and more intense drills.”

Richardson will see time at running back and wide receiver while playing linebacker on defense. Quarterback Julian Carnavali, one of the team captains, is leading by example. Crooms is impressed by how quickly the junior gained a thorough understanding of a playbook that players say is more extensive and offers a better variety of plays than what they relied on in the past.

Key seniors are Andrew Tenthoff (wide receiver and cornerback), Royal Peterson (wide receiver and cornerback) and Nicholas Puoti (right guard and defensive tackle).

The Yellowjackets will have to find a way to compensate for lack of size and experience up front. Puoti is the only senior on the offensive line. The other members of that line are juniors Aidan Curtis and Colin Sexton as well as sophomores Aidan Hansen and Theo Suniewick.

Crooms and his staff are being well received. “We all think we can go out there and win games this year. We’re excited. We’re more energetic,” Carnavali said. “They are teaching us a lot of things we didn’t know in the past.”

Tenthoff is eager to put the past behind him. “It’s always rough losing,” he said. “But when you’re surrounded by guys this special and this confident, you’ve got to have faith for the next year and the next game.”

Crooms has one eye on the present and one on the future. He understands the importance of building a strong youth program so that players will already have a strong foundation in the game when they begin their high school careers.

The Yellowjackets hope this year can set the tone for future success.

“I really do hope it’s a turning point,” Puoti said. “I can see these kids having a bright future. I can see us doing great next season and for years to come.”

It starts, of course, with being “all in.”

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