Abby Epstein – News Editor
Despite still being months away from a potential kickoff, football players are looking at the dynamic of their team and gave insight on the upcoming season as well as themselves.
A Facebook live called Coaches on Couches, which featured no coaches nor couches, hosted three football players interviewed about themselves and their experiences: quarterback Jackson Ostrowsky, a sophomore, defensive back Kwadir Delgado-McIntyre, a senior, and offensive lineman Bobby Valeri, a senior.
The interview was conducted by Matthew Letkowski, associate athletic director of compliance. However, only the athlete’s answers were heard. Each player answered, starting with Ostrowsky, so the viewers knew when he popped up it was a new question being asked. One question asked to the players was a take on their coaches.
“[Offensive Coordinator Chris Bergeski] is a great coach, really puts us in a position to win, I feel,” said Ostrowsky, “really puts me, personally, in a position where I can get better each day, the stuff I might not pick up on myself, he definitely picks up on. There’s not much that gets by Coach Berg.”
Valeri took a different approach on the question by addressing the coaches as a whole and what they do beyond the work between the lines.
“The coaches do a great job of getting us prepared with the schemes and everything that we have to do,” said Valeri, “they work us out hard and are always pushing us to be better on the field and in the classroom.”
Delgado-McIntyre answered the question by addressing how the coaches lead and inspire athletes off the field rather than the work they do in games.
“They care, you can tell they care, they’re passionate about what they do, they’re passionate about this school in general, I think a lot of that has to do with the respect I have for them,” he said. “When you’re passionate for what you represent, it shows a reflection of who you are.”
The next question that was asked had to do with their favorite memory from football. Ostrowsky said his favorite memory was his collegiate debut last year at Bentley during their homecoming festivities, where Southern won behind Ostrowsky’s 405 passing yards and four touchdowns on route to a 31-17 victory over the Falcons.
“We played really well [at Bentley on Oct. 12, 2019] offensively and defensively,” Ostrowsky said. “It was a big win for us, it was, I think, our second win of the year and that was a big turning point for us as a team. We came together more, and the locker room after that game, it was awesome.”
Another question asked dealt with the alumni and the support they give to the football program, especially now with the launch of the Owls’ ‘Sell Out the Stadium’ campaign.
“Alumni give us great support every week and every game, it shows how much of a family Southern Connecticut is,” said Valeri.
Letkowski’s final question to the athletes was about why people, including alumni, should come out and watch their games at Jess Dow Field.
“You should come out to the games because we are going to show respect and represent you in the right way,” said Delgado-McIntyre.
The video has 635 views as of Oct. 19 and counting and can be found on the Southern Connecticut State University Facebook page.
“I call these guys my brothers,” Valeri said, “they’ll be my brothers for life.”
Photo credit: www.southernctowls.com
