Athlete of the Week; Demetrios Strange

WILBRAHAM, Mass. (WWLP) - The Minnechaug Falcons have had a great season and Junior Demetrios Strange has been a big part of helping the Falcons fly. He is the 22News Athlete of the Week.

Minnechuag’s record this year is 9-1. That one loss was to Longmeadow. The night the Falcons fell to Longmeadow is the night Demetrios broke his hand.

“Demetrios had surgery less than 24 hours ago, he is out here practicing today.” said Head Coach Steve Allosso. “He plays football with intensity and a lot of fury.” Demetrios was not going to let this injury or the loss to Longmeadow cut his season short. “I feel like it is definitely putting a fire under us, we haven’t lost before Longmeadow. We know what it feels like now so we have a little more motivation.”

The game of football isn’t new to Demetrios. He was born to a father that was no stranger to the game, football was in his genes. “My dad paved the way for football. He went to UMass and he was a big inspiration for me to play football.” But, Demetrios has another unexpected inspiration, it isn’t anyone famous or a professional athlete. When asked who his motivator is he smiled and proudly said, “My Grandma, she fought courageously through ovarian cancer and never said a word or complained the whole time, I think about her a lot when I’m on the field or struggling.”

Not only is he a great offensive and defensive player but he is respected by his peers on and off the field. “He’s well liked because he is a great football player, but he is really actually popular because he is just so nice to everyone.” said Coach Allosso.

Although the post season is near and his hand would seem to be a major problem to most, Demetrios’ has a smile on his face and an upbeat attitude.  This could not come at a better time as he and his team have their eye on the prize.

“Minnechaug hasn’t won a superbowl in forever so it would be awesome to be the first team to come back and do that”

If someone you know is deserving of Athlete of the Week you can visit the Athlete of the Week section of sports and fill out a nomination form.