Longley Athletic Complex, Photo Courtesy: Dean College
Within the next few weeks, the Dean football season will be coming to an end. On a Saturday afternoon, they celebrated their homecoming and senior day. The Dean football team has 17 graduating seniors who have spent the past few seasons doing their best to move this program in the right direction. We would like to take one last moment to celebrate them and acknowledge all their hard work.
This group came to campus in August of 2021 and immediately went to work. This is a group of men who stayed strong and withstood a lot of adversity. They adapted to coaching changes, stayed loyal throughout tough seasons, and combated busy schedules with school and athletics.
The first player we will highlight is senior captain Joe Penton. Joe is a Business Management major from Manassas Park, Virginia. The first thing I asked Joe was what it meant for him to be a captain. He stated, “Being a captain means that the guys on the team trust and believe in me enough to follow me into battle.” When asked about his favorite part about being on the team he said, “Competing with my teammates and the memories.” He stated that the team has had a positive impact on him when he said: “Without Dean, I honestly think I would be in a bad spot. Dean football gave me a second chance to chase my dream and be in control of my life rather than just getting by high school and going to work”. When talking about what he learned from being on this team he told me, “‘Enjoy the traffic, basically that means knowing that there’s gonna be things in the way but enjoy the process and ride getting there.”
My next player is All-Academic Team defense tackle Noah Pearson from Tilton, New Hampshire. Dean Football has impacted Noah through “...leadership, work ethic, and mental toughness.” He continued by saying “Every day is a grind but all the adversity has helped me to become more confident on and off the field.” His favorite part of the team was “The friendships I've made through the four years here. I've met a lot of great guys and coaches that will be lifelong friends.” When talking about what he will miss the most he said “My teammates and being locked in for a game. There's a different level of preparation that we put in during the week than any other sport. So come game day being able to play for not only yourself but for those around you despite, how you feel physically is going to be something that I miss after it's all said and done.”
The Dean football season will conclude on Saturday, November 16. Stay tuned for the time and location of the game.
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