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10/03/2023 12:46 PMCamaraderie among friends has always motivated Alex Dombrowski to keep pounding on the gridiron, and it is that family affair that has pushed him to quite a lofty leadership position both on and off the turf.
The East Haven junior started off with football way back in second grade, and has been a fine running back for the Yellowjackets during his first two campaigns on the high school scene. After converting from the backfield to behind center as quarterback for the Yellowjackets, Alex has helped pilot East Haven to a sound 2-1 start to the 2023 campaign as a junior captain–guiding the offense to produce 63 points in that opening pair of triumphs.
“With football, I love the brotherhood within the sport with your teammates, and it has kept me going, along with the chance to prove myself to be a better athlete,” says Alex. “One thing that has helped me is getting in the gym at a young age and getting an extra step up over my peers. My coaches pushing me has also helped me.”
On every offensive snap, Alex is now just the point man for each play, he must be aware of his surroundings and the obligations of the 10 other young men around him. It can be daunting, but when the prep pays off on the play, it makes the stress all worth it.
“The hardest part of being quarterback is leading and just leading the offense and knowing everyone else’s job. But when a play works, it makes it so rewarding as a quarterback,” Alex says. “Now as a quarterback,
I keep the same full-force mentality that I had at running back, and it has given me an edge as QB I feel. The biggest part of preparation as a quarterback is watching film. I slacked on that going into our first game this year, and it showed. But I spent the last two games really working on that.”
The mental maturation has also manifested itself in Alex’s whole outlook and well-being as a student-athlete, helping him come to the realization that it is not about the size of the dog in the fight, but more about a measure of his bite and heart.
“A big part of my improvement as an athlete has been me growing up mentally,” Alex says. “I was down on myself freshman year because I was small, but then I accepted that I may not be the biggest guy on the field, but I can make the biggest impact. Physically, my speed from last year to this year has improved and I have gotten so much faster.”
Alex’s appointment to being a squad steward is an historic one with respect to the tenure of Yellowjackets’ Head Coach Scott Benoit–who praises the outspokenness and athletic ability of Alex as a competitor and leader.
“Alex is now a three-year starter who has been moved over from playing running back. He is a really vocal leader and such a hard-working player on the team,” says Benoit. “As my first-ever junior captain, he is such a great player and he is a great leader.”
Being a captain is the ultimate bonus of a dream job in the mind of Alex, primarily because he gets to corral momentum and lead a group of young men that he has shared the field with from a very young age, that he has also grasped great friendships with.
“The fact that I get to lead kids I have grown up and played with for so many years is great to me,” says Alex. “The team needs someone to help put them in the right position to win, and it has been great to have the chance to lead them.”
East Haven and Alex know that they must stay grounded while flying to this fast start to the season. It all starts by taking things one contest at a time, while visualizing and believing that they can pull out the W every Friday night.
“We just need to keep our heads down, and we have to just keep grinding as a team,” Alex says. “We also need to just go in every game and think that we can win. The mentality will help push us to more wins as the season goes on.”
When it comes to putting all your energy into your passion, Alex has discovered that it can yield some fantastic results that will have a profound effect on an individual in every other aspect of that person’s life–inspiring Alex to push himself to greater heights on the gridiron.
“Being able to play football in college is a great thing, and I realized it is something I really want to do,” says Alex. “Through football, I have learned that being able to put your full effort into something you love is so important. It can also help your success in all facets of your life, including your family.”