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12/08/2016 11:00 PMNate Lastomirsky is what one would call a football lifer. Nate started with flag football when he was just four years old and, once he was old enough to put on the pads, Nate began playing tackle and he’s been on the field ever since.
Nate attended Notre Dame-West Haven as a freshman and then joined the Yellowjackets the following year. In each of the last two seasons, Nate helped East Haven finish with at least a .500 record, including a mark of 7-3 last fall. He recently completed his career with the Easties by guiding them to a 14-0 victory versus Branford on Thanksgiving.
“I really only went [to Notre Dame] to surround myself with a winning program. After my first year, it just wasn’t the right fit. It wasn’t my home and I didn’t feel at home, so when I transferred back to East Haven, it felt good because I was back in my hometown,” says Nate. “It was a phenomenal decision to transfer back. [Head Coach Melvin Wells] and his staff changed the attitude of the program. We bought what they were selling and turned it around.”
Nate has made major contributions for the Yellowjackets as a defensive back, but his athletic ability escalated him into the backup quarterback role as a junior. Then as a senior this season, Nate took the reins as East Haven’s starting QB.
“The spring before my junior year is when I started to play quarterback. When we split the team up for our spring game, one team had [last year’s QB Trevor Angelo] and the other needed a quarterback, so coach thought I was the most qualified. I ended up as the backup my junior year and started two games when Trevor was injured,” Nate says. “I didn’t want to play quarterback. I wanted [Evan Damian] to succeed. But over the summer, he couldn’t make a few practices because of a vacation and I had fun throwing the ball, connecting with my teammates that week. That was when I decided I wanted to step up and play quarterback.”
Coach Wells says he was quite impressed with the composure Nate showed in his first year as his team’s full-time quarterback this fall.
“The kid was thrown into the quarterback position, but he led our team, and it was a pleasant surprise to have his maturity out there,” says Wells. “He put us in a good position to be successful.”
For the season, Nate threw for 418 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 250 yards with three scores. More important than the stats, though, is the fact Nate played a major role in East Haven winning its last three games of the campaign.
“That was one thing me and the offensive coordinator and I discussed. His No. 1 rule is you can’t be greedy. I completely understood that and I really wouldn’t pull the ball and run unless I saw a clear opportunity,” says Nate. “The other guys are more experienced running the ball. I had faith in my guys, so I’d let them run rather than making a play for myself.”
Defensively, Nate played cornerback in his sophomore and junior years and then made the move to safety as a senior. After recording 61 tackles and one interception last season, Nate made 94 tackles and picked off four passes this year.
“Our secondary coach thought I’d succeed more at safety, so he moved me,” says Nate. “Safety is a lot different than corner. You’re scanning the whole field, which gives you more opportunities to make better plays.”
Even though he wasn’t a captain in his senior season, Nate still took on a big leadership role with his play at quarterback, plus his prominent position on defense.
“My leadership ability grew a lot throughout the season. I wasn’t a captain, but every senior on the team was a leader in their own way,” Nate says. “I learned that being a leader isn’t necessarily about being the star of the team. It’s about doing what is in your team’s best interest. There are a lot of plays where I could’ve run it, but chose to hand it off. I wasn’t going for my own stats, but for what was best for the team.”
When Nate isn’t on the gridiron, he competes for the Yellowjackets’ indoor and outdoor track teams. Nate took up pole vaulting with the program and has turned himself into one of the SCC’s best.
“The main reason I started was because a lot of the football kids did it,” says Nate. “My friend Steve DellaCamera pole vaulted and I watched. He told me to grab a pole and try. I spent a whole season training with him and that’s when I decided to make my main event the pole vault.”