Throughout the Summer, Football Senior Captain Michael Ononibaku has agreed to write a weekly journal, filling us in on the progress of his and his team's training in preparation for the upcoming season.
Read past entries:
Week 1 Week 2
Week 3, July 20, 2005
With only three weeks until training camp, numbers are increasing in workout attendance, and the new Multi-Sport Field is looking closer and closer to completion. Second session of summer school has begun, bringing a few guys back to school to train. Our attendance has improved from 25 to over 35 guys. This summer's turnout has certainly been the most impressive that I've seen in my past four summers. A lot of credit goes to our strength coach Augie and to the players who preceded us for having set the standard of work ethic that summer training now entails. The alumni are also responsible for building the football program and for bringing it to where it is today. Many have continued their commitment by donating toward the Georgetown football program. The new Multi-Sport Field is looking better and better each day, thanks to donors who have collaborated with Head Coach Bob Benson and the Athletics Department to make this project possible. It would only be fitting to repay our supporters with a phenomenal upcoming season - playing in our brand new stadium. This sentiment drives my teammates and I to train as hard as we do this summer.
We recently welcomed ten new additions to our summer workouts, mostly younger guys and a couple of returning starters. The first day of training this week was a rude awakening for some of the new guys, but as the days went on they quickly adjusted. Many were surprised to see the progress that has been made with the new stadium. Right on my way to work out at the Yates Field House everyday, I am able to catch a peek at the progress on the stadium. I've been tracking the developments; recently they laid down the turf and put the big blue and grey "G" logo in the middle. I often envision how nice it will be once we start playing on the field, and seeing the progress right before my training makes me eager to work out even harder. I want to be prepared to dominate on this field come September. Mehdi Hassan agrees; "every time I see that field bro, I can see myself making big plays and having the fans cheer us on, I can't wait for this season boy!"
Last week, Matt Froncske made an appearance towards the end of one of our workouts, and for me it was a pleasant surprise, especially since he was one of the players I used to look up to when I was a younger guy. Players like Fronscke, Luke McArdle, Will Skultety, and Dawon Dicks set the standard for players like myself in terms of maintaining a relentless work ethic. Luke McArdle was a player that many also looked up to, including tight end Glenn Castergine, who hopes to step up his game this upcoming season by training hard right now. Fronscke and a couple other recent alums have continued to show their support for this program by donating money to benefit the guys training this summer. There are many other alums who have played here and have made a serious impact in upgrading our program in past years. Back in the early 1990s, current Coach Robert Sgarlata, along with his fellow captains Brendan Boler, Brian McNulty, and Beau Riely played an integral part in getting the Athletic Department to upgrade Georgetown football to Division 1-AA. Since then the program has steadily improved thanks to alumni supporters like the Eacobacci family and Chris Murphy, as well as dynamic players like Gharun Hester and JJ Mont who helped Georgetown win league championships in the late 90s.
As Brian Tandy would say on occasion when we break after workouts, it's "our time!". Right now definitely is the time for Georgetown football: we're about to play in a stadium that players in past years only dreamed would be possible. Now that dream is becoming a reality, and as players it's only right that we come out this season and make our supporters proud. Senior offensive lineman Robert Layahne feels pretty excited about this year, and he wanted to add, "We're here this summer because we want to get better and win games this season...not only do we intend to prove something to ourselves and to this league, but also prove something to this school, the fans, and the supporters of Georgetown football.
