AT: Hi everyone, my name is Alan Tai.
AS: And my name is Ananda Singh. Welcome to Episode 29 of Time Out! Each episode, we dive into the sports scene here at Monta Vista and explore the journeys of athletes from different sports. In this episode, we’re joined by senior Finnegan Hassy, who is a running back and linebacker for Varsity Football.
EE: When did you start playing football and how were you introduced to the sport?
FH: I first started playing around fifth grade. I started playing flag football and that’s how I got introduced to the sport. My dad, he was a Raiders fan his entire life, so I used to watch it all the time on TV. Then, in freshman year, I got interested in playing on the football team, so I joined my freshman year.
EE: What was the most memorable moment you had on the football team?
FH: Probably just this season in general and meeting new people. It’s good to bond over something that you know you really like.
EE: What are some challenges that you faced while on the team?
FH: Conditioning, a lot of the time. It was hard for me to get up to speed with all the Varsity players when I was in freshman year, but I eventually got up there. Another one of the hardships is disagreements on the team with the coach when we were a losing team.
EE: You talked about disagreements on the team and with the coach, can you talk about that a bit more?
FH: Sometimes when we’re on offense and the QB wants to run a different play than what the coach says, they get all mixed up and then they argue. That’s really what it’s about but we overcame that.
EE: How did you overcome those challenges and how did you stay motivated?
FH: I just didn’t focus on the negatives, I always focused on the positives. I just drove towards a goal and that goal was to win or to get a touchdown.
EE: How do you balance academics with football?
FH: I make sure to have time management. I usually plan my day in the morning like eat, football practice, study, workout, go to bed.
EE: Are there any athletes or figures that you really look up to?
FH: Probably some old Raiders players that I really like are Bo Jackson. He was a running back and multi-sport athlete, and I’m a multi-sport athlete so I really look up to him.
EE: Are there any traits that you really want to see in yourself?
FH: He is very gritty and very outgoing as well, which I also want. He’s very funny.
EE: Since you recently finished the football season as a senior, what are your thoughts on how the season went and what did you take away from the experiences?
FH: It went really well, first winning record in 10 years for Monta Vista, so I feel like it was a success.
EE: Can you talk about how you all got to that point?
FH: We just worked out hard every single day at practice and everyone showed up and we all had a lot of chemistry together and fit the pieces to the puzzle.
EE: What changed this year compared to previous years?
FH: We just had a lot of strong players this year like Graham [Ishco], Rocco [Ling], me. We had a good QB and offensive line too, which stands out from previous years.
EE: Have you considered pursuing football in the future?
FH: I’ve been considering going to Junior College or De Anza to play. I don’t know yet, it’s a 50-50. I don’t really know yet.
AT: That’s it for episode 29 of Time Out. Thank you again for joining us for a short but sweet episode. I’m Alan Tai.
AS: And I’m Ananda Singh. We will see you next time for another episode of Time Out!
