Hastings’ Triple Threat Athlete Heading For Wesleyan University

By Tom Pedulla–

   In an age when many student-athletes specialize in one sport in high school, Keith Capuano stood apart from the crowd. He was a young man for all seasons before his recent graduation from Hastings High School.

   The 6-4, 205-pound Capuano competed for five years in basketball (he made the varsity as a precocious eighth-grader), four in football and three in baseball. That’s 12 seasons in all. And that was a whole lot of running and pounding. “It was tough, but it was fun,” he said. “I enjoy being able to say I played all three sports for a long period of time.”

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   Why not specialize with the hope of maximizing his talent in one sport? “I never really felt a reason to specialize because I wasn’t set on what my best sport was,” he explained.

   It all worked out in the end because Division 3 Wesleyan University was among a number of schools that recruited him to play football. He quickly committed to Wesleyan when the opportunity presented itself early in his senior season. “I was talking to a few schools,” Capuano recounted. “Wesleyan was the first school to offer me and it made the most sense to me. It was pretty much my top choice other than a reach for Division 1, so I jumped on Wesleyan when I got it.”

   Other Hastings athletes who are committed to competing at the next level are Luke Ciszewski, (baseball, Division 3 Purchase); Katie Drozd, (basketball, Division 2 University of New Haven); Oliver Faranda, (tennis, Division 3 Oberlin); Sam Jacobs, (soccer, Division 3 Baruch); Andreas Kotronis, (soccer, Division 3 Pratt); Katie Strutton, (track and field, Division 3 Haverford); and Jason Wyatt, (football, Division 3 Macalester College).

   Capuano played tight end and outside linebacker at Hastings. The Cardinals recruited him as a tight end. His days of playing organized basketball – he finished with 1,150 points as a Yellow Jackets power forward – and baseball are over. He is fine with that. “I would say I enjoy football the most,” he said. “The level of physicality in football is very exciting to me. It’s a lot of fun to play.”

   Capuano prides himself on his elusiveness. Football, with its 100-yard field, allows him ample room to roam.  “The field is so open. You can do so much on a football field,” he said. “It gives me a lot of free rein to do what I can do.”

   And that is a lot. He closed his Hastings career with 95 receptions and 1,750 yards. He notched 26 running touchdowns and threw for another score. He also made things happen defensively with 130 tackles and four interceptions.

   “I would say my hands are pretty solid and I’m very good after the catch,” he said. “I gain a lot more yards with my physicality and speed that people don’t expect me to have. I’m more shifty, but I do like to run over people when the time comes.”

   Capuano was a three-time captain in football. He displayed great leadership when he was sidelined for most of his junior season due to a surgically repaired torn labrum that required longer to heal than expected. He had suffered the injury while pitching. Nonetheless, he remained the best teammate he could be during a poor season by essentially becoming one of the coaches. As difficult as the injury and rehabilitation were to deal with, he grew from that challenging time. “It made me realize how important sports were in my life,” he said, “and not to take anything for granted.”

   Hastings’ immense loss will surely turn into Wesleyan’s great gain.