Jaden and Jesse AlfanoStJohn grew up in a football-loving family. And their mother Rose never missed a game, whether it be theirs or their NFL-favorite New York Giants team.
That made looking up in the stands especially hard for the twins during their Westhampton Beach football team’s 55-0 shutout of Harborfields September 13. It was the seniors’ first game their mother, who died September 7, was not there to see them.
“It was tough, but I was motivated to play for her,” said Jaden, a running back who moved the ball 212 yards on 14 carries and scored four touchdowns. “My mom loved watching me and Jesse play football — since we were young — and I knew she would want me to be out there doing what I love instead of sitting at home locking myself away from everybody.”
Their willingness to get back to practice the next day and lead the team to victory less than a month after the tragedy led their coach Bryan Schaumloffel to nominate them for the Heart of a Giant award, which is voted on by fans and recognizes high school football players who demonstrate unparalleled work ethic and a passion for the game.
“Being seniors, we now realize how much we influence the younger players, so we try to help the younger kids on the team feel more connected and engaged,” the brothers said. “It is intimidating being the young ones, so both of us try to help the other guys feel comfortable. We look to our past mishaps and things that we could’ve done better, and try to steer the younger guys in the right direction.”
“It is intimidating being the young ones, so both of us try to help the other guys feel comfortable. We look to our past mishaps and things that we could’ve done better, and try to steer the younger guys in the right direction.”
Jaden & Jesse AlfanoStJohn
What was supposed to be a routine January exam led to the doctor perforating their mother’s esophagus, an injury she just couldn’t recover from.
“We would go to school, come home, and try to help our parents out with the house, our dogs, and other normal life activities. One of the things that helped us stay focused was lifting weights, running, training and getting prepared for the upcoming football season,” Jaden said. “We would train early in the morning and then after school. We would lift almost every day with the goal of getting bigger in our minds so when our mom finally came home from the hospital both of our parents would be there cheering us on and seeing our improvements.”
The brothers were named one of 60 top nominees from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, entering them into an online voting competition. Athletes are announced 10 per week over a six-week span, with the top six finalists earning a $1,000 equipment grant for their high school football programs, and the grand prize finalist receiving an additional $9,000 grant to go along with a Heart of a Giant presented by Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Giants trophy and on-field award ceremony during a Giants home game in December.
Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder is the ambassador of Heart of a Giant. Throughout the 2014 season, he played through and defeated testicular cancer on his way to winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. During Week 5 of the following season, Solder tore his biceps and missed the rest of the year after undergoing surgery. Shortly after the injury, the offensive tackle and his wife, Lexi, discovered that their 3-month-old son Hudson had a rare form of cancer. For the better part of three years, Solder spent his Tuesdays in the hospital with his family, never missing one of Hudson’s treatments.
“I learned a lot about life over the last seven years, and I also learned a lot about winning — mostly, that it’s not everything,” Solder said.
“These surgeries gave me half a heart. … I was told by the doctors and surgeons that I would never be able to play sports in my life, even though it was the thing I loved most.”
Angelo Lombardo
Of the 40 voteable nominees now live, 21 are from New York and 12 of those are from Long Island.
This includes Bay Shore quarterback Rich Arnett, who lost his father to a work accident; Freeport defensive back Jayvian Allen, whose father is a diabetic and mother was in a car accident; and Hauppauge wide receiver Angelo Lombardo, who defied the odds to play football after having five heart surgeries by the time he was 5 years old.
“These surgeries gave me half a heart. I have a two-chamber heart instead of a four,” he said. “I was told by the doctors and surgeons that I would never be able to play sports in my life, even though it was the thing I loved most. Football was my favorite and the least likely for me to play.”
After begging his parents and finally convincing his doctors, he began playing at age 6.
“By me being able to play, I proved to myself that I could do anything I wanted to do in my life,” he said. “That the only real obstacle is your mind. If you think you can do something and have a love and passion for it, your passion will drive you to your goal.”
Other nominees have used the sport as an outlet. Sachem defensive back Ryan Micheli uses it to help overcome his obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, Longwood linebacker Anele Nwanyanwu said it helped him focus and prioritize while struggling to keep up his grades in his honors and advanced placement classes, and Commack wide receiver William Cznadel was motivated by football to break out of his shell after struggling with “being seen as the ‘weird kid’ that no one wanted to hang out with.”
“I knew if I showed up every day and worked as hard as I could, I could be a player equal to the boys on the field.”
Megan Friedman
“When I joined football I was able to fit in,” he said. “I became stronger, and I learned important life lessons.I can still hear my coach’s voice yelling ‘push yourself’ and ‘don’t cheat yourself’ while running the fifth 100-yard sprint. Football has taught me valuable life lessons and continues to shape me into someone that others can look up to.”
Female athletes can also look up to Farmingdale defensive back Megan Friedman, who was out to prove girls can play football, too.
“I knew if I showed up every day and worked as hard as I could, I could be a player equal to the boys on the field,” Friedman said. “I never asked for easier tasks, or breaks, or special treatment. I told myself I was playing a sport like any other athlete on the field and every day I gave it 100 percent.”
Unfortunately, the defensive back tore her ACL and meniscus — season-ending injuries.
“Although I won’t be playing football anymore, the will and tenacity it required is as useful a skill off the field as it was on. Football is a great equalizer. It taught me that your fears will always follow you unless you stop being afraid,” she said. “Few people believed that girls should, or even can, play football. I believe that you can accomplish anything if you are willing to work for it.”
Voting for this round of athletes, which also include Long Island’s Matt Hegi (Bellmore), David Manara (Cedarhurst), Max Marra (Glen Head) and Drew Thorry (Sayville), ends October 14. Visit https://usafootball.com/hoagvote/ to learn more about the players and vote for who you think has the heart of a Giant.
