This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/04/2019 12:00 AMEast Haven senior Jack Izzo has been playing football for as long as he can remember. Jack stepped on the field to play flag football when he was five, then transitioned to youth football, and is now in his fourth season as a member of the team at East Haven High School.
Jack has suited up at middle linebacker for the Yellowjackets the last two years, but this is the first season playing on the offensive side of the ball with the varsity squad. Jack is starting on the offensive line as East Haven’s center—a position that he last played for the freshman team three years ago.
“It feels good to be on the offensive line after I didn’t really play offense my sophomore or junior year,” says Jack. “It feels a lot better. I like playing on both sides of the ball. I really enjoy it.”
The Yellowjackets transitioned their offense to a shotgun formation this year. Jack feels that the switch was a blessing, because East Haven ran that same style of offense when he played center in his freshman season.
“I enjoy shotgun better than when the quarterback is under center since I feel like we did more shotgun my freshman year,” Jack says. “I think it’s easier to get it back there than getting it into their hands when they’re under center. The ball or his hands can be in the wrong place.”
Jack put in a ton of work throughout the offseason to make sure that his quarterback exchanges were on point. He also beefed himself up in order to play along the interior line. Head Coach Scott Benoit says that Jack is doing a great job of using his strength to open up holes for East Haven’s runners.
“Jack prepared himself well for this role. He’s very strong for someone his size,” says Benoit. “He’s about 190 pounds, but he’s very strong. Jack doesn’t come off the field for us, and he’s done a great job.”
Jack has benefited from working with East Haven’s new strength and conditioning coach, Fran Belevich. One of Jack’s greatest assets as an offensive lineman is his ability to get excellent leverage against his adversaries.
“Since I’m smaller, I can get low and under the big guys on the defensive line,” Jack says. “We did conditioning and strength workouts, which improved the whole team drastically. We ran up hill with weights, we did explosive workouts, and did a lot of core.”
Aside from the physical work, Jack is also feeling more comfortable when it comes to the mental side of the sport. By preparing himself from watching film, Jack is able to key in on what the other team is trying to do during the game.
“We look at the film every week to see what the opposing team is doing on offense and defense to get us better throughout the week,” says Jack. “We just focus so we can have a good mindset for the game.”
This approach is paying dividends for East Haven’s offensive linemen this year. The Yellowjackets are moving the ball up and down the field efficiently and have a record of 3-0 to start the season.
“It’s amazing that we’re creating these holes. We work so hard,” Jack says. “Another responsibility is to protect the quarterback. We work hard each practice, and we’re always trying to be better.”
While Jack like being back on the O-line, he also enjoys playing defense for the Easties. As the team’s middle linebacker, Jack is used to being in the thick of the action on every play.
“I basically run the defense as the middle linebacker. I enjoy tackling and hitting people,” says Jack. “I’ve been playing middle linebacker since my youth, so I know the position really well.”
Jack is excited that East Haven is off to such a strong start this year. Jack knows that the Yellowjackets’ goal is to play meaningful contests well into the heart of their campaign.
“I would like to have a successful, positive season,” says Jack. “The coaches are doing an amazing job working us hard and improving our team.”