The Passion Behind Football Player Jerry Hardwick

Jerry Hardwick is a Defensive Tackle for the Penn Kingsmen Football Team.  He is a sophomore at Penn and likes to play football and spend time with his friends.

Hardwick started playing football in the 7th grade when he signed up for the Schmucker Middle School football team.

“My aunt kind of made me, it was fun though, it was worth it, I played defensive tackle, then offensive lineman, and now I’m defensive tackle again,” Hardwick said.

Hardwick enjoys his time in practice which could lead to him performing better on the day of a game.  Having a good time will also keep him committed to playing.

“School takes up a lot of the day, but after that practice starts.  We start with pre-stretch, which is like a class.  After that we stretch and the rest depends on the day, but it doesn’t matter what the day or drill is, it is all an enjoyable experience,” Hardwick said. “I have to sacrifice a lot of free time because after I get back from practice and have dinner and help clean up, I usually have less than an hour before I need to get to sleep, because if I don’t get good sleep my performance would drop and I wouldn’t be useful to the team.”

Hardwick says his teammates and family motivate him to play better on the field.  The support from the people in Hardwick’s life pushes him to give everything he has and to find more when he has nothing less to offer.

“I always try to make it personal. What that means is, making sure to give your very best. Success breeds success. I use this in my class. I want my students to perform at a higher level. The other thing is practice should be hard, games should be fun,” Coach Donati said.

Hardwick has a lot to look forward to in his high school future in football.

“I look forward to improving and getting better.  I also look forward to being able to start for Penn and doing great things for Penn.”  ‘

If Hardwick keeps devoting his time and energy to football, there is a chance he could be starting by next year.