In Austin Amelse’s first year playing football, he has excelled in the sport. According to head coach Jason Foster, Amelse plays like he’s a veteran on the team.

“(He’s a) very tough, intelligent kid. It’s his first year playing football, you wouldn’t know it. He picked it up so easily. He’s probably the fastest kid on the team,” Foster said. “His awareness is not of a first-year player; it seems like he’s been playing all his life.”

According to senior Amelse, he stopped playing in fifth grade because he got hurt frequently. However this year, he said he finally persuaded his parents to let him play. 

“I took a very long break because I was getting injured constantly. My parents thought it was a good idea for me to stay out of the sport,” Amelse said. “Ever since I got into high school, I’ve been trying to convince them to let me play. I finally convinced them this year.”

Sophomore captain Henry Bendickson said since Amelse plays hockey, it helps with the physical aspects of his position.

“He’s a physical player. He’s a fast player,” Bendickson said. “Since he played hockey, he knows his way around the physical game. He’s good in pretty much all aspects: tackling, running the ball and running routes.”

According to Foster, Amelse’s commitment is a good example for the team and always appears in practice.

“He has an unwavering work ethic. He studies the playbook, and he comes on the football field with it in mind. It’s always go time (for him), whether we’re running sprints or whether it’s something for the team aspect,” Foster said. “He’s always one of the first ones to finish with everything that we put on them.”

Bendickson said Amelse is a great player on and off the field and has put in a lot of work to improve himself and the team.

“Austin is a really good football player. I respect him a lot as a person and a lot as a player. (He’s a) good dude, great football player and great athlete all-around,” Bendickson said. “He makes sure all of his work is solid. He tries to learn everything that he can and that makes the team much better.”

According to Amelse, the team is showing a lot of progress and is excited for what’s going to happen with this season.

“Our team is showing a lot of improvement. Our last game was a big step forward. We’re low on numbers this year like every year. But there (are) good things to come, and we’re taking steps to do that.”

To see Amelse play, the next game is at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Orono High School against Orono. To attend, contact Andy Ewald a day in advance for admission.