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11/21/2023 02:23 PMCamaraderie among a unit of players, or an entire team on a bigger front, can draw attraction to the game of football in many young athletes. Tommy Hansen falls under that categorization, and has found great admiration between his teammates, particularly with the offensive line that has helped pave the road to him pounding the rock on the ground.
The North Branford football junior running back and outside linebacker played basketball and baseball growing up, but as time went on, he found it did not quite suit him. Yet once trying football in 3rd grade, it fit like a glove. This season, he has amassed 1,259 rushing yards and 18 ground touchdowns for a clip of 179.9 yards a game for the xxx Thunderbirds (update these stats late next week since this won’t run until 11/30).
“I really like the environment and brotherhood with football both on and off the field,” says Tommy. “I would not be able to do what I am doing this year without my offensive linemen doing their job and part. For me individually, I just stay patient when I first get the ball, find the hole, and then run full speed ahead through it.”
The atmosphere around the squad has just fueled Tommy’s fire that much more to keep up his marked improvement this fall. He notes it is a symbiotic relationship among his peers: he motivates them to perform at their peak, while they help bring his swagger up to help him shine.
“Over time, I have found that I have become more motivated to win,” Tommy says. “I think it comes from being around the team. The guys just bring up my mood to play my heart out and give it my all every day.”
While Tommy is drawn to gaining all the ground yards he can and pounding his way to paydirt for the Thunderbirds, he explains that one of the more demanding components mentally of the position is having that accurate acumen on knowing just the right moment to run down an alley.
“As a running back, it is fun scoring and to just be able to run through people whenever you want,” Tommy says. “It can be tough when it comes to knowing just where to run and following your blocks.”
Speaking more to the Xs and Os of the gridiron, Tommy telestrates that working within the linebacking corps has aided his ability on defense by knowing where the ball carriers are going, and their exact tendencies before landing the terrific tackle.
“Last year, we had a bigger team so I did not play much defense,” says Tommy. “Yet this year, I have to keep going and just do it all for the team. Playing linebacker and running back helps, because I know what the running backs want to do, and it makes it easier to read where they are looking to go.”
North Branford football Head Coach Anthony Salvati notes that Tommy embodies the essential mentality of an iron man ball carrier, by pounding the rock without any trepidation or apprehension.
“Tommy is the heartbeat of the offense and players look up to him because of his on-field success,” says Salvati. “He lives up to the hype. He trains hard in the offseason. He's a gym rat and still trains 3-4 times a week, even during the season. He's fearless on the field, he's strong and he's built for the game. Tommy isn't afraid of the moment either. He runs hard, downhill, makes people miss, and punishes defenders when they tackle him. He's the definition of a complete running back, and he hasn't even sniffed his full potential yet.”
Adversity rears its head quite frequently over the course of a football game, season, and a person’s life–leading the way for several teachable moments. Tommy illustrates that no matter what the hurdle, whether coming face to face with a defensive lineman, seeing a multi-score deficit at intermission, or facing an internal and personal struggle, one must continue to fight and push past it.
“The main lesson I have learned from football is that times get rough, but you still have to just keep going,” says Tommy. “I have learned that through football; we have had games where we were down by a couple scores at half and came back to win. You just have to tell yourself to never give up.”
Moving towards punching a postseason ticket, Tommy and the T-Birds house a championship-type mentality in not backing down from any adversary on their schedule. They simply know they need to secure a spot in the December dance, and then the rest will take care of itself, thanks to their attitude and efforts acquired throughout the course of the campaign.
“The team is definitely in a good mindset,” says Tommy. “We believe we can beat whoever, and it just comes down to us being fully focused, and then if we have that, we can beat whoever. We just have to lock down a playoff spot and go from there.”