Football players are made during the offseason.
So are leaders.
That’s what Messiah McAlpine found out in January, when he started preparing for life as a varsity football player.
McAlpine is a sophomore at Father Judge High School, and during his freshman year, he was a solid player on the Crusaders freshman football team.
When the season came to a close, he played basketball for Judge, but he also made sure he found time to get in the weightroom. He worked on getting bigger, stronger and becoming a good football player.
He did more than make himself better.
“Freshman year was good, I started lifting with the varsity, and it got me stronger, both physically and mentally to be with the team.
“It wasn’t just me, the coaches helped me so much. I came in every day during the summer, morning lifts. After basketball season, I didn’t miss one workout. I got to know the coaches, started lifting with my guys. We’ve been going since February.”
Now, the time is paying off.
McAlpine is on the field all the time.
He’s starting at defensive tackle and plays a lot of offensive line at offensive guard and tackle, and has been a big reason for Judge’s 3-1 start to begin the season.
And he’s not just doing his thing as a football player.
Shortly before the season kicked off, Judge coach Ryan Nase let McAlpine know he’s playing a huge role on this team as a 10th-grader beyond what he does making plays on both sides of the line.
For his efforts during the offseason, coupled with his dedication to making himself and the Father Judge football program the best it can be, McAlpine was named a captain as a sophomore.
He went from being a freshman figuring things out to a guy who shows everyone how to be a Crusader.
“(Nase) announced it the day before the first game against Ryan,” said McAlpine, who lives in Logan. “It was at the end of fall camp. He said Messiah is one of our leaders and team captains this year. I was very happy.
“I think I’m good and I’m trying to get better. I try to focus on the team when we’re slipping, I try to keep us up. Not as a coach, but pick up my guys. I know what I reflect on them reflects on me. It sets me up as a leader and I try to handle that as well as I possibly can.”
McAlpine is one of many younger Crusaders who are helping the team early in the season.
He joins Cameron Edwards, Ryan Ekema, Ryan Hunte, Eli Rogers, Dominic Sheeron, Amare Simpson, Pierre Smith, Cam Watts and Dayian Turner as freshmen and sophomores who see significant minutes for the Crusaders.
McAlpine wanted to come in and compete, and now he has a chance to compete against some of the best football players in the state on a weekly basis.
“The sophomores are doing a lot,” McAlpine said. “Honestly, I knew I would take any opportunity this year, JV or I start on varsity and I’d do it 100 percent because I know I have to do the best I can for this team. The younger guys are having fun because we have a lot of friends starting together. We can make an impact on this team right away. We showed that if you come in and work during the offseason, you can do anything.
“I’m proud, I”m really proud of my guys because we’re fighting. The whole season, people have been doubting us since the end of last season. I’ve heard people say we won’t win a game. But we started 3-1. We’re trying to win more games. We want to play PCL games. We want to play the best.”
McAlpine knows the games get tougher. He hopes he and his teammates will do the same.
Judge soon has matchups against Roman Catholic, Archbishop Wood, La Salle and St. Joe’s Prep, and McAlpine looks at every one of those games as a chance to learn how to be great.
“It’s great, I love it, I love playing against the best,” said McAlpine, who credits his father and family, and the Crusaders coaching staff for helping him become the player he is. “I played against a four-star (recruit) on Lansdale Catholic and I did a good job. Now we get to play Prep, La Salle, Roman, Wood. My confidence is at an all-time high knowing I can do well. If I can play against a four-star player, I can do well against anyone.
“It helps that we’re a young team. We’re going to be good this year, but we’re going to be good for a while. We know that if we work and do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll do very well. It worked for me.”
McAlpine has high hopes for his sophomore year. He wants to continue to improve, set the table for a great final two years on the Judge football team, and make the junior varsity basketball team, where he will continue to work on bettering himself for both sports.
“I got so much stronger in the offseason thanks to the work I put in, and I hope to do the same this year,” McAlpine said. “I just listened, worked and I got better. With all the young guys, we’re learning from the juniors and seniors. I think we’re only going to get better.” ••
