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01/05/2022 11:00 PMGrowing up as a soccer player, Alex Fratamico would never have guessed that he would finish his high school career as a huge contributor to the Morgan football team that reached the playoffs. In 8th grade, Alex decided to make a change and joined the youth football team.
“It’s one of better decisions I’ve ever made,” says Alex. “I almost quit going into high school, but after freshman year with all the friendships and meeting the upperclassmen, I stuck with it.”
The decision worked out well for Alex and the Huskies as the team went 8-2 in the regular season, earning a spot in the state tournament. Coming into the season, Alex wasn’t sure what to expect as the team was coming off of a 7 on 7 COVID season and had a new coach.
With the unknowns, Alex and his fellow captains took their roles seriously, trying to work with the team in the off-season. Morgan started its season with a loss to Cromwell and many may have been discouraged, but Alex found inspiration.”
“We got to know the coach and at first we had a lot of questions going in with only 10 people going to workouts, but as captain, I found it important to help everyone find themselves and their roles,” says Alex. “That loss helped us because we became really motivated to work really hard and that led to a win streak. We caught fire and I’m really glad I got to go out with a playoff run.”
Individually, Alex racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards on the season to go with 14 touchdowns. He led the state in receptions with 73. Both he and Coach Kevin Sullivan had no doubt that Alex’s game against SMSA was his best performance.
With the Huskies trailing by 28 in the third quarter, Alex led the team in a comeback win with 225 yards, 15 catches, and three touchdowns.
“His best game was SMSA with two huge touchdowns at the end of the game to bring us back and take the lead–whenever we needed a big play, he was there and you couldn’t ask for more from a kid,” says Sullivan. “Alex is a great kid and a good leader and was our go-to receiver on the outside and was a fantastic player for us. He had to worry about getting double-covered but still found a way to make plays when we needed him most.”
Alex’s accomplishments earned him All-Pequot honors. Starting football as an 8th-grader, Alex is grateful to his coaches who have “led me in the right direction.” He also notes some of the keys to his success on the gridirons.
“Letting the game come to you is important. You have up and down moments, but it’s important to play as yourself so you in to the best version of yourself,” says Alex. “I found myself a couple years into playing. I didn’t start out very good, but with practice, learning, and experience, I found myself as a receiver.”
The end of football was eased slightly by the start of the basketball season. Alex has been playing basketball since he was five years old. Since then, he has spent countless hours outside practicing shooting or dribbling.
Now Alex is in the midst of his senior year with the Morgan boys’ basketball team. Even though the beginning of the season has been bumpy with COVID affecting the Huskies’ roster, including Alex, he has high hopes for his final season.
“I’ve missed a few games, but I’m very confident that when we’re at full strength, we could beat anyone,” says Alex, who also played AAU basketball in the off-season. “It’s good we got it out of the way now, so we’ll be at full strength for rest of season. Our goal is to go back-to-back for the conference championships. We have a ton of great players. Cooper Galdenzi came up and has been looking really good.”
Despite a COVID-abbreviated season last year, Morgan went undefeated and claimed the Shoreline Conference title, which was a “huge highlight.” In the championship game, Alex was named Player of the Game by GameTimeCT.
“I haven’t been the lead player because we had two All-State players last year, but I was happy to accept my role as a starter and come through a couple times,” says Alex, who saw some varsity time halfway through his freshman year before becoming a starter as as sophomore. “Sophomore year, I scored 12 points in overtime of the Shoreline Conference semifinals to help us reach the finals. We did fall short to Old Lyme, but it was still a successful season.”
As a junior, Alex was named All-Shoreline Honorable Mention and his hoping for a First Team nod this year as well as a shot at All-State honors. Alex is making the most of his final season with his lifelong teammates as they reach for their lofty goals.
“This winter will be my last time with the team,” says Alex. “For football, as the clock expired in our last game, it definitely hit me and tears were rushing down my face. It’s a tough feeling knowing that’s it, but I’ll try to make the memories last and it will be same for basketball.”
Alex is also hoping to help other make some basketball memories as a coach for a youth Park & Rec basketball team. Alex also shovels snow with Grove Gardens and volunteered at the food pantry in the past.
Though he would have loved to continue sports at the college level, Alex decided to focus on academics. He is planning to attend Penn State, where both of his parents went. Even though he won’t be competing, he is looking forward to being a fan as “the football environment is insane there.”
Alex is thankful to his parents for their support over the years, noting that his dad, Mark, was always willing to practice with him and his mom, Katie, comes to every game.
“Ever since I was a kid, my dad was always pushing me to be the best player I could be, always had my back, and has been a great coach,” says Alex.
“My mom doesn’t coach me like my dad, but she’s always a great supporter and comes to every game and cheers for me no matter what,” he says.” They’re two great role models.”