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10/22/2020 12:00 AMStanding at 6 feet, 4 inches tall, Jimmy McGoey has made his presence felt for the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ basketball team during past three seasons. However, in his senior year, Jimmy decided that he wanted to give a new sport a try, so he signed up to compete for the Cougars’ football team.
Even though H-K isn’t playing games this fall, Jimmy worked his way up the depth chart at wide receiver by displaying his athleticism at practices. He’s hoping to suit up for the Cougars during a potential spring campaign.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching football, and I had some friends on the team that convinced me to play. My favorite aspect of the sport is the team aspect, and I enjoy catching passes,” Jimmy says. “I have always liked the game, and I’ve wanted to play for a while. It just never worked out with everything else going on. Then this year, it was now or never, and I felt like I was going to regret not playing.”
Jimmy averaged 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game on his way to earning All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors for H-K boys’ hoops last winter. Jimmy feels that his experience on the basketball court gave him a leg up when he decided to step on the gridiron.
“Basketball has definitely helped me playing football, because some of the cuts and movements are similar in both of the sports,” says Jimmy.
Head Coach Erik Becker was pumped up when he found out that Jimmy wanted to play football. Becker knew that the Cougars were getting an exceptional talent with Jimmy on their roster.
“He’s 6-foot-4, and he’s an All-Conference basketball player. He runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, and he’s an elite athlete with phenomenal talent,” Becker says of Jimmy. “We had a coach from Southern Connecticut State University come to practice to recruit a couple of other players, and he picked Jimmy out right away as having next-level talent.”
Jimmy credits Coach Becker for helping him make a smooth transition to the football field. Jimmy appreciates how everyone on the team has welcomed him with open arms.
“Coach has really helped me with the transition into football this year. He has embraced me joining the team as a senior and has helped me learn the game,” Jimmy says. “I make sure that I go to practice, and I’m always striving to be better. I also lift to make sure I’m getting stronger and staying in shape.”
While a few conferences in the state are playing 7-on-7 football, H-K has been focused on practicing in recent weeks. Jimmy and his teammates are staying ready in the event that the CIAC’s plans of playing some football games in between the winter and spring seasons does in fact come to pass.
“For now, we’re just practicing,” Jimmy says. “We are hoping to get a mini season in between the winter and spring seasons.”
If the Cougars do play football at any point during the current school year, Jimmy believes that the team is going to compete at quite a high level.
“I expect us to be a very successful team in the conference this year,” says Jimmy. “We’ve got a lot of talented guys on the team, and I just want to do my best to get us wins.”
With so many uncertainties surrounding football, the COVID-19 pandemic may also affect Jimmy’s final season with the basketball team. In the end, Jimmy just wants to be able to play some games with his teammates during his final go-round at H-K.
“I haven’t really heard anything about basketball yet, so I’m not really sure. I just hope to have a season, because this senior season is what I’ve been looking forward to since freshman year,” Jimmy says. “I hope to get a chance to play and have a successful season.”