Name: Jack Newton
Age: 18
School: Darien High School
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Accomplishments: Newton plays a position on the Blue Wave football team often referred to as the quarterback of the offensive line. As a center, he looks at the world upside down and from between his legs. Centers often go unnoticed unless they're called out for a penalty or make a bad snap – hardly a glamor position. The 6'3", 255 pound senior was recognized for his excellence on the gridiron, earning an All-FCIAC Honorable Mention this past season. The Wave was crowned FCIAC champions, DHS's first title since 1998 and its fourth championship overall. "I'm really proud of our team and Coach Trifone and offensive line coaches O'Neil and Catazarro. We wanted this title so much and we got it," said Newton.
Newton is a throwback to a time when grade school kids didn't play in leagues and parents didn't worry about them making the travel team. In fact, he didn't play any organized sports until he was a freshman in high school. He took a year off from football as a sophomore, devoting his spare time to taking EMT courses and joining Post 53. The post is staffed by high school students and was once described by the New York Times as "almost certainly the most remarkable outfit of its kind in the country."
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His Key to Excellence: As a member of Post 53, Newton works two 24-hour shifts and also serves as a backup at other times. In addition, he spent two weeks in a surgical externship program where he was allowed to shadow doctors at Stamford Hospital and able to observe them performing surgery. He would like to continue in some form of medicine — he's leaning towards psychiatry — when he attends college in the fall and possibly beyond.
"Juggling high school with Post 53 and playing football was definitely a challenge," said Newton, "I believe that if you're truly passionate about what you're interested in, then success will always come."
Jack , son to Claudia and Bob Newton, has two brothers: 15- year old Charlie and 10-year old Alex.
