In his seventh year of playing football, Andover Football Co-Captain Calvin Yang ’21 leads the team by exemplifying composure, grit, and discipline. Yang’s presence on the team centers on humility and accountability, according to quarterback Julio Dahl ’22.
Dahl said, “He’s really composed and humble and he has a big presence on the field for sure, and those kinds of aspects help contribute to him being a leader. He’s not a vocal leader, but he leads by example and he’s composed. He’s someone you can look up to.”
According to Yang, football is a channel where he can give his full attention towards the field, despite other parts of his life.
“Football, yes it is a sport I play, but it is also an outlet. It is an outlet in terms of if I am having a bad day or if I am feeling aggressive or anything like that, on the football field you kind of forget about all your other problems. It’s just you against the person in front of you and then everything else kind of goes away,” said Yang.
For Yang, the most important piece of his relationship with football and his role as a Co-Captain is his commitment to the sport.
“I think for me, the main thing is dedication. That means showing up early to morning workouts, to practices, and giving it 100 percent every time… I have never been the biggest guy but I have always worked hard, harder than my opponent… With the team not having a season, [dedication will continue to be] a positive attitude, trying to keep the team connected,” said Yang.
According to Head Coach Trey Brown ’12, Yang’s composure makes him a great player, as well as a role model for the team.
“In sportsmanship, Calvin is one of the most kind and he seems unbothered by anything and I think in that game [against Phillips Exeter Academy] last year Calvin could have reacted to something that actually a player did to him, and he didn’t. It’s Calvin’s nature to not react to almost anything. I don’t know if he internalizes it or if he is just unbothered, but it is a great attribute to have as a player, but also as a person as well,” said Coach Brown.
According to Danny Ferris ’22, Yang’s role model behavior goes beyond his composure. His exemplary work ethic inspires his teammates to invest in their physical shape and level of play.
Ferris said, “He’s one of the hardest working people I know and he’s kind of taught me by his actions that [if you] keep working hard, good things will happen. I mean, [I] definitely [learned from Calvin] the discipline of the game, just the constant staying late at the practice, helping clean up. I was showing up early too, working out all the time, being with the team.”
According to Yang, the weekly schedule for Andover Football will remain fairly similar to a typical season for those who are able to be on campus.
“Right now, the plan is that there will be weekly practices. There will be five days of practice a week: three days in the gym, two on the field. We’re also holding zoom sessions for film. Our hope is as the season goes on, [and] we can get some opportunities for team bonding outside of practice,” said Yang.
Yang added that his captaincy will take a different role this year, as studying remotely makes it difficult to engage physically with the team, he still aims to make an impact by helping the newer players transition to Andover Football to prepare the team for next season.
Yang said, “[There are not many] hands-on things I can do because I’m remote this season. But I’ve been on calls with Coach Brown and the other captains, [Ben Carbeau ’21] and [Troy Pollock ’21]. We’ve been talking about how we can improve practices, and give players chances for team bonding, under these new conditions and rules. My goal is to have all the players improve athletically. I also want to get the younger players familiarized with the playbook. I hope that by training hard now, the players can all hit the ground running next season.”
