Senior Anthony Thornley has been chosen as this week’s Athlete of the Week because of his strong exemplification of E.A.S.T.’s core values of excellence, academics, spirit, and tradition.
Entering his senior season as an offensive line player on East’s football team, Thornley has been recognized by his coach for his sportsmanship and leadership on and off the field.
Head coach Tyson Leblanc sees Thornley as a good teammate and a strong example of someone who leads by example.
“Anthony is a very hard worker both on the field and off the field,” Leblanc said, “He is very committed to making himself the best player he can be.”
Thornley’s commitment to football has helped him to overcome many setbacks, with injuries affecting some of his time on the field he has never let them hold him back from being the best player he can.
“Freshman year, I broke my back towards the end of the season so I sat out the last game,” Thornley said, “Last year I dislocated my finger so I was out for a couple games, but I mean theres a difference in being injured and hurt, so I play through a lot of it.”
Thornley’s teammates also see him as an important piece of the team and someone who is just a great person off the field.
Kam Williams, senior safety on the football team praises Thornley’s leadership skills and protector role on the team.
“Anthony is one of our more vocal leaders on the team, and he’s a big part of the offensive line,” Williams said, “He always pushes us to do better and get our efforts up.”
Off the field, Thornley is widely seen as humble and reliable by his teammates and his coach. This paired with his strong performance on the field is sure to help lead East to more victories this season.
“We definitely want to make playoffs and being conference champs. It’s a big goal for us, we’ve never done it before in school history” Thornley said.
With their 5-1 season, its shaping up to be a memorable season for East football.
Written by senior Allie Heren. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.