Senior Football Players are Nostalgic as Season comes to a Close
Senior teammates No. 12 Kyle Larson and No. 11 John Kontowicz. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.

Senior Football Players are Nostalgic as Season comes to a Close

Quarterback Kyle Larson and middle linebacker John Kontowicz reflect on their experiences playing football for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

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Senior quarterback Kyle Larson. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.

Kyle Larson, senior pre-physical therapy major, is a scholar-athlete and had maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the football season. Larson is not planning on continuing his football career after graduation, but he is thankful for the friendships he has formed through the sport.

“In the end, we are students and we are human beings and we have to find that balance between life, football and school. You have to make sure you have a reality check every now and then and take a break for yourself,” Larson said.

Larson admitted that as the season comes to an end, he is going to miss his coaches and teammates.

As graduation approaches, Larson will be preparing to continue his education. He has submitted applications to five different physical therapy schools.

Larson is ready to move onto the next chapter in his life but will continue to appreciate the experiences he had as a collegiate athlete.

“To really look back on playing four years of college football, that’s a huge accomplishment,” Larson said.

Senior linebacker John Kontowicz. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.

Senior linebacker John Kontowicz. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.

John Kontowicz, senior business administration major, described his teammates to be his second family.

For Kontowicz, one of his career highlights was beating North Central College when he was a sophomore.

“We had played them the year before that and they were a really good team. It was just a big game that gave us a lot of momentum, it was a really tight game and it was the pink game too,” Kontowicz said.

After graduation, Kontowicz wants to continue playing at the professional level but is aware that it might be difficult.

“Personally I just love the game of football in general, it’s been part of my life since 5th grade. I am going to try and play after we’ll see what happens,” Kontowicz said.

Off the field, Kontowicz hopes to start a business and is excited at the idea of being his own boss.

Tom Journell, head football coach, admitted that he will miss coaching Larson and Kontowicz.

“They are the guys that will get on people when they need to, but it’s all by example. They have a professional approach,” Journell said.

This past Saturday, Larson, Kontowicz and fellow teammates saw their season come to a close in a 34-16 loss to UW-River Falls.

Caroline Chalk

Reporter

cchal845@uwsp.edu

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