Ask Conwell-Egan head football coach Brian O'Hara to sum up what senior Dane Austerberry means to his team and O'Hara doesn't hesitate.
"He's the best team leader I've ever been around," said O'Hara, the second-year head coach of the Eagles and also a longtime assistant at several area high schools.
"Dane is the kind of kid you can build your program around because he is all about the team. Whatever we ask him to do, he does and never complains. He goes out and plays and gives it his all on every play and that's the way he's always been. He knows every single thing to do on defense and is smart and tough."
And dedicated.
"He had shin splints (before the season) and never missed a preseason practice or workout," O'Hara said.
"If you've ever had shin
splints, you know how much they hurt, but he was always out there. We'd finish a practice and I'd go to get my car washed and there's Dane working at the car wash between practices. He understands what he needs to do.
"He just does what has to be done and gets everyone going. He's always all over the field making plays and the other guys see that effort and how hard he works."
Listed, perhaps generously, at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds on the Eagles' roster, Austerberry doesn't concern himself with numbers – just results.
"I just try to make plays and help the team," said Austerberry, a standout linebacker, fullback and two-year team captain.
"I love playing football and being part of this team. It's gone by too fast, but we have goals that we want to reach this season. I love playing football with this group of guys and we really want to have as good of a season as we can in our senior year."
A second-team Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division selection at linebacker and punter last season, Austerberry and the Eagles are off to a 2-1 start this season with a big PCL Blue Division matchup against rival Archbishop Wood on Friday at Wissahickon (8 p.m.).
"One of our goals is to win the PCL Blue," said Austerberry, a three-year starter on defense and two-year starter on offense.
"We have big games coming up (the next two weeks) against Wood and (Monsignor) Bonner that we know we have to be ready for. They're both good teams and we're going to have to play as well as we can."
How this season plays out remains to be seen, but Austerberry doesn't want to see his football career end in a couple of months.
"I've been playing football all my life," Austerberry said. "I started when I was 5 playing for the Penndel Wildcats and I want to keep playing in college."
Shippensburg and Alvernia are on his list of possibilities thus far.
"Wherever I go, I will give it my all," Austerberry said. "I just love playing football."
Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Conwell-Egan's Austerberry continues to deliver all over football field
