Every year the Wreckers football team gets new players; however these athletes usually start on the freshman team and play varsity in their junior or senior year.
Jason Mawicke ’11 is an exception to this rule; he just moved to Westport this year, and is the new wide receiver for the varsity team.
Though Mawicke may be new to Staples, he is by no means an inexperienced football player. Before moving to Westport, he lived in Trumbull and played for the St. Joseph’s team. According to Coach Marce Petroccio, Mawicke had a standout junior year on the St. Joe’s team, making 30 catches and scoring 6 touchdowns.
Petroccio is enthusiastic about Mawicke and feels he will make a great addition to the Wreckers.
“I think he’s a kid who’s a hard worker and has great hands. His pass catching ability definitely helps us,” he said. “He can kick and punt as well, so he upgrades our special teams quite a bit.”
Mawicke, who hopes these skills will be an asset to the Wreckers said, “I hope to make Staples a better team and help them out. Hopefully we can win the states and FCIAC.”
While many of the football team’s key players graduated last year, Mawicke’s teammates are confident that he will help them make up for these losses. They see his diverse capabilities, specifically his ability to kick, as a great benefit to the team that will make up for players who have graduated, such as last year’s kicker Santiago Cuartas.
“He’s a great kid and he’s going to be a great asset to our team after losing [wide receiver Brendan] Rankowitz last year. I think he could definitely fill those shoes,” senior Rob Gau ’11 said.
Petrroccio feels that the players have really accepted Mawicke and have no problem with someone new to Staples playing such an important position as wide receiver.
“They’ve done a great job of embracing Jason as part of our Staples football family,” Petroccio said, “He’s worked hard to fit in, and we definitely accept him as one of our own.”
Mawicke appreciated the good feelings from his teammates and really enjoys being at Staples.
“The coaches and players have been great to me. It’s really serious and that’s what I love about it the most,” he said.
Aside from appreciating his skills, Mawicke’s teammates like him as a person as well.
“He’s a great team guy, really funny around the locker room. We spent most of the summer together on and off the field, so it was definitely fun,” Gau said.
On Friday, Sept. 17, Mawicke played his first game for Staples. In that contest the Wreckers beat trinity Catholic High School by a landslide, 31–16. With Mawicke on their team, the Wreckers have even more reasons for high hopes for another successful year.
