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01/07/2023 12:37 PMWhether it is pushing himself to his physical limits on the field or weight room, or while stretching his mental capacity in eyeing cornerbacks’ tendencies or mastering new routes, Dante Rodriguez is a gamer and well on his way to becoming a standout wideout for the East Haven football team.
The sophomore wide receiver started sports very young by playing soccer and baseball. During his time in middle school, Dante saw flyers being handed out by the Yellowjackets’ coaching staff regarding the high school football squad.
The rest was history for the young man, as he had a sensational sophomore year in performing in big spots for East Haven on the gridiron this fall–finishing with six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown through the air, while also nabbing 15 total tackles on defense at safety.
“I used to watch and play football as a kid, and I loved it after my freshman year,” says Dante. “I love playing the game and being around my friends on it; it is like a family to me.”
Dante denotes that much of his prominence as a young underclassman comes from his crucial colleagues motivating him to be at his sharpest on a daily basis. They help propel him to really lock in as an athlete of the game and also as a student when it comes to honing in on his techniques.
“All of my coaches and peers have been huge for me,” Dante says. “They keep pushing me to do my best. My ability to get open also comes from the work we put in during practices. I keep working on routes and work with the other receivers on releases.”
When it comes to staring across his main adversary prior to a snap with a defensive secondary, Dante looks at the type of defensive formation and alignment before making his main moves.
“Usually, I focus on the release of the corners when I see them and line up with them,” says Dante. “Then, I try to get them off of me right away in man-to-man defense, or pull away further down the field when facing a zone.”
When working as part of the receiving corps on a football team, there are several different paths to pay dirt and points for a receiver to learn. For Dante, one old reliable route is the winner that he really loves to strike on while edging his way to the endzone.
“As a receiver, I love all the different routes and learning them,” Dante says. “It shows there are a lot of opportunities and jobs to do as a wide receiver. My favorite route to run is probably the post route. We would run it every game, I would catch it, and I had a touchdown on it this year. It is so rewarding for me whenever I catch the ball and get good yardage, or even a 1st down.”
Also taking part in hurdles and relays during track seasons for the Yellowjackets, Dante is able to stay in tip-top shape all year long for the pigskin. Yet another added attribute that aids him is resounding rapport with his signal caller in senior quarterback Dominic Salato.
“Dom and I are really good buddies. On some routes, when I am locked in, he and I just adjust on the fly and have me run more upfield,” Dante says. “Doing track has really helped me get my running form down and helped increase my speed.”
East Haven football Head Coach Scott Benoit praises Dante for a deep and diverse skill set no matter the down he takes on both sides of the ball, in addition to being a stand-up student-athlete.
“Dante as a sophomore is one of the hardest working and toughest players we have,” says Benoit. “He has excellent hands, runs great routes, blocks, and is extremely intelligent. He is also a very good defensive player. He is tall, fast, and covers a lot of ground at safety. Most importantly, he is a team guy and an outstanding student and citizen.”
Moving forward towards the upperclassman tier of his tenure with East Haven, Dante is working diligently to improve upon himself while additionally looking to contribute towards a marked improvement by the Yellowjackets as a collective group in 2023.
“For me, I really want to be the best version of myself that I can be,” says Dante. “We want to make East Haven better overall as a team. We want to improve upon our record this year.”