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Football injuries make positive impact on scholastic players

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Football is a contact sport. Players get hurt– a lot.

And when they suffer injuries playing high school football, it often sets them on a course for the rest of their careers.

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That was certainly the case for a bunch of Middlesex County all-star players who competed in the 25th annual Snapple Bowl at Woodbridge High School on July 19.

Middlesex County beat Union County, 22-6, in the annual all-star game that raises money for the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside and the Lakeview School, a private school for children with disabilities, in Edison.

Every all-star in the game has graduated from high school and is looking toward the future.

A good amount of these rising collegiate freshmen are planning college majors, and ultimately, careers in sports medicine or physical therapy.

Edison High School fullback/linebacker Donavan Benoit is going to East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania to play football and major in sports medicine. Benoit played with two sprained MCLs this past season.

“I’ve always wanted to still be in that sports background type area,” Benoit said. “I want to help other athletes avoid injuries.”

Benoit’s teammate at Edison, and on the  Middlesex County all-stars, wide receiver Ahmed Aly, missed five games with a dislocated elbow in 2017. He has also had concussions, knee injuries and an ACL injury during his football career. Aly, not surprisingly, wants to become an athletic trainer for a college or high school.

“When I get an injury, it motivates me to work harder. And when I see other people injured, I feel for them,” Aly said. “I want to help them get back on the field as soon as possible.”

Metuchen High School safety Dan Kindler dealt with injuries to his shoulders, ankle and thumb during his high school career, missing half of two different seasons. But he stayed healthy as a senior this past fall, playing in every game.

“It made me so happy to know I’m playing in this game (The Snapple Bowl),” Kindler said. “I had my best season.”

Kindler will not play college football at Kean University, but he will major in “biology for physical therapy,” he said.

“I have experience with physical therapy and I like helping others,” Kindler said about his plans while attending the college in Union.

Old Bridge High School defensive end Ramon Paulino is going to play football at Kean University. His goal is to make it to the National Football League. But failing that, Paulino, like Kindler, is going to try to become a physical therapist. He will join Kindler in the biology department at Kean.

But unlike Kindler and the others, Paulino never dealt with injuries in high school. “I’ve been scot-free,” Paulino said, laughing. He wants to help others avoid injuries, too.

In addition to sports medicine and physical therapy, law enforcement, the military and education are popular career paths for high school football standouts. Some Middlesex County all-stars are planning careers in those areas as well.

Sayreville High School defensive lineman Damian Lupo plans to major in criminal justice at Wagner College in New York. Lupo wants to “become a state trooper and eventually be in the swat (team),” he said.

“I just like the adrenaline rush,” Lupo added.

Sayreville offensive tackle Tristan Behr is joining the United States Navy.

“I have a grandpa in it and my other grandpa always took me to West Point games,” Behr said. “It’s always been in my family. Teamwork and hard work. I’ll stay in for a bit and try to come out as a state trooper.”

Bishop George Ahr High School tight end Jack Roarty’s father, Tom, is a coach and teacher. And Tom’s example inspired his son to follow the same path. Jack Roarty will major in education at Middlesex County College.

“I want to be a teacher at any level,” Roarty said. “K-12.”

Other players, even though they played football, are still teenagers, meaning they aren’t sure what they want to do. They just have a slight idea. Old Bridge wideout Liam Knowles falls into this category.

Knowles will attend Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. He is not going to play football and is undecided on a major. But, he does have one idea.

“Maybe psychology,” Knowles said. “I like thinking about how people think and picking their brains.”  

 

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