Pine Crest football has made a striking return this season as coronavirus restrictions have settled down and the culture is reviving once again at school.

In order to fully understand how the season and players adapted, I recently sat down with current senior and football captain, Nick Amunatagui ’22. The Paw Print was able to discuss Nick’s journey as the running back for the Varsity football team, specifically during this season, and how he continues to carry on his football career past high school.

Amunatagui has competitively played football for seven years and represented Pine Crest since sixth grade on the football team. Amunatagui has already received a few offers from universities and said that he plans to play at the collegiate level. In order to truly understand the culture surrounding Pine Crest football, the Paw Print asked Nick Amunatagui few questions:

When asked about Nick’s favorite parts of the game, he responded confidently with what he feels helps him to fuel his drive to do better.
“The culture, the experience, the adrenaline, and the ability to play a heavy contact sport all play a huge part in keeping the spirit alive every time I step foot onto the field.”

Nick continued to explain the importance of tradition among the team, as the little things they do daily as a team have contributed to an overall increase in connection.
“Every single game we warm up, which is a time for everyone to prepare for the game ahead of us. Something that we do only on game days is run out with the flag, and I think it really gets the fans going and excited for the game.”

A big part of Nick’s personal inspiration throughout his time playing football has been because of players who have gone above and beyond to dedicate themselves to the game.
“I highly look up to the receiver on the Chiefs, Tyreek Hill. I admire his speed and especially look up to him in that aspect of his playing.”

Finally, I spoke with Nick about the impact that Covid has had on their season in comparison to last year. It has been a challenge to bring back the same feel that sports teams have had in prior years, and Nick explains that things are finally beginning to turn up for the players.

“Last year, Covid season was a much easier season because we didn’t play any extremely great teams, but this year we are playing a lot of top teams so that part of it is harder and is a lot more competitive and fun. It really feels like we are playing under the Friday night lights again, and it feels great to be back. In terms of the connection of our team, we have also bonded more because we have had more time to be around each other.”