By Maleena Luckadoo
Athletes thrive off of positivity and encouragement, for the Hamilton football team, Nate Friday was exactly that. Nate Friday is a junior this year and he plays for the Hamilton football team. He is a versatile player who plays Outside Linebacker and H-back, and he split his time between JV and varsity this past season.
“I started playing football in 5th grade,” he shared. According to Nate, his brother had a big impact on his choice to play football. “…He was playing it at a young age. I never really got into it until he did.”
Nate’s favorite part of being on the football team was spending time with his friends who he acknowledged as “basically family.” “It makes me sad,” noted Nate, “I’m never gonna have a team like it again.”
Although the team’s record was 4-5 this year, Nate still has a lot to be proud of. Apart from football, he also participates in wrestling and track. He is a very active and well-rounded student-athlete.
One of his favorite memories of football is from when he caught his first pass in the 6th grade, which happened to be a 2-point conversion. It was a defining moment for him, and he has been in love with the sport ever since. Nate is a dedicated and passionate player with a bright future ahead of him.
According to Head Football Coach Phillip Koops “Nate works really hard, he’s a kid that didn’t play a lot as a junior. He’s great in the weight room and sets a great tone in there. He is a great example to other kids.”
Coach Koops continued on by saying, “He contributes on the scout team and in practice all week every week. He played some in the JV games as a junior, he’s improved because of that. We [the coaches] really think that Nate is gonna be one of those kids as a senior who takes a jump from being a backup player to a kid that is gonna earn playing time. Much like Hoyt Ferguson and Joey Klein did from their junior to senior year.”
“Nate provides kind of the voice of the football team on the sideline, always encouraging and just helping create a better culture.” – Grant Petroelje
“He brings a lot of energy to the sidelines and to the game. Whenever we’re in a game he’s always getting people hyped up and getting people going his voice is usually gone by the end of the game so for him to be there and be yelling and cheering everybody on and being that support really just brings a lot more to our environment.” – Aiden Lynch
Nate is someone who understands the importance of hard work and determination. He believes that every day counts and that taking small steps towards his goals is crucial for success. Nate is always ready to go above and beyond to achieve his objectives, and he knows that hard work is the key to improvement.