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11/10/2021 11:00 PMAs many of Morgan’s fall sports seasons come to a close, Andrew Nye and the Huskies’ football team are still in the thick of their campaign. With Morgan currently standing at 6-1, Andrew is making the most out of his senior season.
Andrew, a senior captain quarterback, has been putting up big numbers with the Huskies’ prolific offense this year. Morgan is a playoff contender heading into the home stretch of its season.
“I can’t believe we’re approaching the end of the fall season. Time really flies, and I want to take advantage of every moment, every practice, every game,” says Andrew. “Our season has been phenomenal so far, and I’m excited to get back to work and compete for a potential state playoff spot. Going into the season, the expectations were high, and I’m proud we’re exceeding them.”
The Huskies lost their first game of the season, but they have been perfect ever since then. Andrew is enjoying leading the team as one of Morgan’s four captains alongside Alex Fratamico, Garret Garbinski, and Jordan Armstrong.
“As captains, we sat down heading into season and said we want to succeed and we want to win,” Andrew says. “We talked about what we could do to build the program, turn the program around, and how you have to bring it day in and day out.”
Andrew has been playing with his fellow captains and the other members of Morgan’s 13-person senior class since he was a youngster. Most of them started playing football in 2nd grade. Andrew feels grateful to their youth coaches—Mark Palumbo, Greg Schmidt, and Bill Ranaudo—for the foundation they created.
“Since we were young, we always had this dream that when we’re seniors, we’ll make a run in our league. And now, we see the guys getting better and better every day, which is awesome to see,” says Andrew. “Morgan football has changed dramatically. Our new coach Kevin Sullivan does a phenomenal job and is building off our chemistry.”
As a first-year head coach, Sullivan is seeing Andrew make a significant impact for the Huskies both on and off the field this season.
“Andrew has been a fantastic player for us, but more importantly, he has been an even better leader and person, always going above and beyond to make sure our team is on the right track and doing the right thing,” Sullivan says. “Andrew has excelled since the moment I met him. He bought in and was ready to work. He saw the potential our team could have and wants to do everything he can to help us achieve our goals.”
When Andrew got to high school, he already had a bond with the Huskies’ coach—his father, Peter Nye. Peter, who coached the team for Andrew’s freshman and sophomore seasons, has had a big influence on his son’s career.
Andrew remembers hearing his father’s stories about playing football in college and, despite being undersized, competing for the New York Giants in a preseason game. That story not only inspired Andrew to want to play in college, but to work hard overall.
“When you work toward a dream, anything is possible, and I learned that from my dad, who’s been a great mentor to me and a great coach,” says Andrew, who is also grateful to his mother Val. “It’s been my dream since I was little was to play in college and get a good education. I’d love to be able to go out on the field after my high school career and continue my path and journey on a college field.”
Andrew has not decided on a school for next fall, but Coach Sullivan is helping him with the recruiting process. Andrew is considering studying sports management. He is an honors student who challenges himself with AP classes.
As a senior, Andrew wanted to try something new and joined the chorus at Morgan, saying that it’s a “great honor” to have John Lampe as a teacher. Andrew enjoys chorus and singing has become a hobby for him. He’s joined his church choir with his dad.
Andrew also plays basketball and golf at Morgan. Last year, the Huskies’ boys’ basketball team won the Shoreline Conference title, and Andrew is looking forward to “repeating that challenge” this winter. Andrew will once again hold the role of captain in the winter season alongside Fratamico and Connor Duffy.
“I’ve also played basketball since I was young and always loved it,” Andrew says. “The youth program and coaches were great, and I’m so lucky to have coaches when I was young who developed me. This season will be a fun one.”
Andrew is also looking forward to getting back on the golf course in the spring. After playing a few varsity matches as a freshman, Andrew’s sophomore season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The effects of the pandemic continued into Andrew’s junior year, shutting down the 2020 football season. Andrew and his teammates were upset to miss a year of competition, but losing that season has made Morgan’s accomplishments in 2021 feel that much better.
“Losing the season made us realize how much football meant to us. Not putting on the pads and having that year off was tough, but at the same time, it gave us time as juniors to develop and work toward that goal,” says Andrew. “We worked hard that season and the offseason, and we knew we can’t back down in our last season. We have one more year and want to take every advantage of that year.”
Morgan has three games remaining in the regular season as it pursues a spot in the Class S State Playoffs. No matter how things pan out, Andrew wants the Huskies’ seniors to appreciate every last moment that they’re on the gridiron this fall.
“Now it’s coming to reality that we’re seniors and it’s going to be tough when it’s over, but I have to be happy living through it and that it happened,” Andrew says. “We have to take advantage of every opportunity and not take anything for granted. I tell the guys every day, ‘You’re going to miss this when it’s over.’”