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12/21/2016 11:00 PMJeremy LaCasse saw his first significant varsity minutes with the Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team this fall and the fully focused senior made an impact from the moment he stepped on the field. Jeremy joined the Warriors as a sophomore and he hadn’t even played organized football prior to that season. However, none of that made a difference to Jeremy, who wanted to become one of the team’s key players, pursued that goal, and achieved it this fall.
“I had never played football before,” says Jeremy, who lives in Deep River. “Only watched it and knew some rules.”
During his freshman year at Valley, Jeremy was thinking about another sport to play besides baseball. After talking to his friends and some of the football team’s coaches, Jeremy decided to go out for the team and was determined to get ready for his first campaign.
“Everyone I talked to gave me the same response. They all emphasized on how big of a family they are and I wanted that, but I also knew I needed to do a lot in order to be geared up for that upcoming season,” Jeremy says.
Jeremy focused on building up his physique that summer. The weight room was open almost every day and so Jeremy was there almost every day. He attended the team’s conditioning sessions and remained faithful to his schedule. Jeremy became a member of the Valley-Old Lyme football program in his sophomore year and Head Coach Tim King immediately recognized his potential.
“I told him he was going to be an important player. He worked hard and had great motivation to do all the right things,” says King. “Also, if he made a mistake, he always, I mean always, took responsibility. That’s hard to find.”
Jeremy took a pretty big leap between his sophomore and senior seasons, gaining a lot of experience at the JV level, while maintaining a strong work ethic. Following his junior year, Jeremy knew there was a lot of competition for Valley’s starting right tackle spot and so he stepped up during the offseason to try and earn that position. This season, Jeremy became a varsity starter on the Warriors’ offensive line as their right tackle.
“When Jeremy first came to talk to me about football, he was small, but he got in the weight room, and he built himself to be a starting right tackle,” says King of Jeremy who’s 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds. “He continued to prove himself and, by the end of his junior year, he had developed himself into the player he wanted to be. He went to different camps and participated in the Lineman’s Challenge.”
Prior to the recent season, Jeremy and Coach King had a conversation regarding his role. King told Jeremy what the coaches expected of him and what he needed to do to be a fixture on the Warriors’ line. Jeremy responded by giving 100 percent to increase his strength, speed, footwork, balance, and endurance. Coach King says all that effort paid off based on how well Jeremy played in his senior year.
“Our offensive line was our challenge this year. But Jeremy was one to jump out at you and pretty much took on most of the top rushers,” King says. “Ultimately, I’d say he gave up three or less sacks this year.”
Jeremy wound up earning All-Pequot Conference Honorable Mention as an offensive lineman based on his performance this season. Jeremy views that as a huge accomplishment, especially considering how it was his first year as a varsity starter.
“With this award, coaches get together and vote on the best in the league,” says Jeremy, who was also named one of the Warriors’ Most Improved Players. “I wasn’t an All-Pequot, but my name was thrown around and mentioned a lot and, with this being my first year starting varsity, I think it’s a big accomplishment to earn Honorable Mention.”
Jeremy and the Warriors wound up having a great year that saw them win nine games during the regular season to earn a berth in the Class M State Playoffs, where they defeated Berlin 30-12 to advance to the semifinals. Although Valley lost to St. Joseph in the semis, the team finished with an excellent record of 10-2 and Jeremy was pleased with how his Warriors played, particularly in the Berlin victory.
“Everyone doubted us going into the game against Berlin. So we had nothing to lose because everyone already thought we were going to lose,” he says. “After the win against Berlin, we came in strong against St. Joseph. Unfortunately, the score just wasn’t in our favor.”
In a short span of just three years, Jeremy LaCasse sharpened both his physical and mental skills as a member of the Valley-Old Lyme football program. Jeremy concludes by thanking the people who helped him reach this new level of success.
“Honestly, I am just thankful for my coaches for giving us their absolute best,” says Jeremy. “I’m also thankful that my coaches and teammates pushed me to my highest potential and accepted me with open arms.”