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08/19/2021 12:00 AMDi’Angelo Jean-Pierre is primed to make a big impact for the Valley Region-Old Lyme football team this fall. The junior receiver and defensive back received All-Pequot Conference First Team honors as a defensive back his freshman year, and after a year layoff from the gridiron due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Di’Angelo is ready to build on his accomplishments with the Warriors.
When Di’Angelo earned his All-Conference honors as a defensive back, he felt proud. Di’Angelo set out to accomplish that at the beginning of his freshman year, and though it may have seemed ambitious, he got the job done.
“Going into freshman year, that was my goal,” said Di’Angelo. “I felt that all my hard work paid off, and that it was a stepping stone to what I want to accomplish as a player.”
Di’Angelo is excited to once again take the field with his fellow Warriors, and he believes that Valley-Old Lyme has the potential to be a defensive force. The offense will probably take a bit of time to develop, but the Warriors should be in a good position by the time the state playoffs roll around.
“I think we’ll do very well this year defensively. There will be a lot of stuff to work on with a new head coach and offensive coordinator,” Di’Angelo says. “I think we can get the job done and make the playoffs. I think with our hard work, we can be a top team in the conference.”
Di’Angelo may have received recognition for his defensive play, but he believes that his best play comes on the offensive end of the ball as a receiver.
“I feel I’m a better offensive player. I have a lot of advantages due to my play style. I can catch really well,” says Di’Angelo, who lives in Chester. “I’m very fast, and I’m strong. I can knock someone over with a stiff arm and out run them.”
Di’Angelo also knows that playing in the secondary on defense and hauling in catches as a receiver are mutually beneficial positions to improve each aspect of his game.
“I feel like being a receiver really helps me catch the ball on defense. I think this year, though, I’m concentrating more on coming up and hitting someone with the ball,” Di’Angelo says. “When I go up to try for an interception, it’s mostly instinct. I’ve been playing football since the 1st grade, so it’s second nature at this point. I trust my ability to get to the ball, and if not, then I will get to the receiver so I can take him down with the ball.”
Di’Angelo is a football lifer, and he has experience all over the field. Di’Angelo has played linebacker, running back, defensive back, receiver, and quarterback. That wealth of multi-positional experience allows Di’Angelo more insight into how the game works so that he can anticipate what’s going to happen next as a play unfolds.
“It helps me having all that experience. It helps that I’m very athletic, and I know football like the back of my hand. I know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it,” Di’Angelo says. “I put so many hours in this game. I watch a lot of film, too. In youth football, I knew every play that teams were running. You could always see me watching film as a freshman, too.”
Di’Angelo’s fantastic freshman season made the cancellation of the 2020 football season that much harder to swallow. Di’Angelo took the loss of his sophomore year in stride and made sure to keep his mind and body ready to compete this year.
“Last year, I mostly focused on school to be honest. I knew I wouldn’t lose my talent over the year. I was active. I worked out a lot. I put on 20 pounds of muscle since my freshman year. Last summer was tough,” said Di’Angelo, who also plays basketball at Valley. “I worked out at my house [with] Andrew Yermenson. He goes to Valley, too. He plays football and basketball with me. Mentally, I needed my friends to get through. We would play X-Box and stuff, and schedule time to work out. That’s how we mostly handled it.”
Warriors’ Head Coach Hill Gbunblee is excited to see what Di’Angelo can bring to his squad this season. Even with just the one year of varsity football under his belt, Di’Angelo’s intimate knowledge of football will be a huge asset, according to Gbunblee.
“The biggest thing about Di’Angelo is he’s the most experienced person coming back for us. He was All-Conference as a freshman—the first ever for us. He was dedicated to the weight room and building his body up. He registered his three maxes to total 895 pounds. He’s working to get in the 900-pound club,” says Gbunblee. “His skills, his attitude, his maturity are all right there. He comes from a successful lineage of players through our system. He knows there are a lot of eyes and pressure on him this year. This is the year where colleges are looking at him, and he’s got a good mindset about that. He sets a great example for our kids.”
Di’Angelo wants to prove himself even further on the gridiron this season and has goals for the next two years with the Warriors. After that, Di’Angelo has his sights set on playing collegiate football. For now though, Di’Angelo wants Valley-Old Lyme to relish every opportunity that they have to play this year.
“This year I want to go All-New England. There are a few state records I want to break that I have in mind, too. I definitely want to play football in college, and then we’ll see how it goes from there,” says Di’Angelo, who thanked Susan Carpenter for everything. “It’s so important to get back on the field. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to showcase my talents. The first scrimmage and the first game are things I’m looking forward to. We’ll never get this season back, so we have to make sure to leave it all out on the field.”