Great athletes have a passion and purpose for what they do — they are focused and determined to get better every day and set goals that they actively pursue. Varsity Football Co-Captain Jack Callahan ’23, shows that passion and purpose can help overcome life obstacles to achieve success.

Callahan was introduced to football under the influence of his family. Coming from a family of football fans, he had much exposure to the sport before he started playing himself.

“I’ve enjoyed watching football games for a long time, [and] my dad watches football all the time,” Callahan said.

With this devotion for football in mind, Callahan started playing football in eighth grade and joined the football team at PHS. Despite having little experience when he joined, Callahan knew the necessity of hard work. He put a lot of effort into training himself to become better, working on footwork and practicing catches

“Jack’s a hard worker that's just committed and ready to work at practice [...] He’s a quiet kid, but [based on] the amount of work he puts into playing, you could tell he's definitely passionate [about it],” said Varsity Football Co-Captain Tyler Goldberg ’24.

While improving his own individual skills, Callahan learned the importance of teamwork in football games. His most memorable game was played against Bishop Eustace High School in his sophomore year. Defying many people’s expectations, PHS won on a two-point conversion, which is a play a team attempts after a touchdown instead of kicking the ball.

“My teammates made that moment [the] most memorable,” said Callahan. “It was just so fun being around the whole team, [everyone] got excited. We were all 100 percent zoned in on the game.”

However, along with unforgettable victories, football comes with the possibilities of sustaining serious injuries. Callahan encountered his greatest obstacle last year when he broke his femur bone toward the end of the season.

“He came such a long way from that [injury]. That was like a serious injury. And I didn't really [expect] he would come back. [It] is tough because [when] you break your femur, some people will choose to just quit,” Goldberg said.

But Callahan stayed in. And he came back, faster than everyone expected, focused on improving further than where he was before his injury.

“I never thought about quitting. [I overcame it] by rehabilitating my leg, going to physical therapy, and getting back with the team as soon as possible,” Callahan said.

His Coach, Brandon Willaims, commends Jack for his persistence in the face of his injury.

“Jack's biggest strength is his resilience. Coming into his senior year I didn’t know how Jack was going to perform after coming off such a gruesome injury, but he has shown that he wouldn’t let an injury hold him back. Thus far in his senior season he has been an outstanding left tackle and even better defensive end with him catching interceptions and forcing fumbles” Williams said.

Having been named team captain this year, Jack has become a role model for the younger players. He has taken full responsibility into helping them develop their skills and passion for football.

“Just stay passionate, stay focused. The time will come. It’ll be fun,” Callahan said.

The PHS Football Team looked forward to the Homecoming game against their old rival Bishop Eustace on September 23.

“We’re very prepared. All the guys have been working hard. I really just want to win,” Callahan said.

Even though Callahan is still not sure whether he will be playing professional football in the near future for college, he will always be dedicated and passionate about football.

“I never aspired to be like [any professional player] when I’m playing. I just [play] because I love the sport,” Callahan said.