THS Football Success Comes From “Collective Purpose”

Senior Luis Hernandez has not been one to back away from a challenge. Not when he gave up soccer to join the Torrington High School football program two years ago. Certainly, not when he started his own commercial cleaning business to go with his status as a student-athlete.

In fact, Hernandez would not change a thing at this point. Like his teammates, he embraces challenges. The coaching staff’s high expectations of the Raiders are met on and off the field, and success has been a byproduct. 

“It’s really just the drive that keeps me going. I never really feel stressed out,” Hernandez said. “We practice hard every single day because we have that drive and the goal to beat the team that week or to make playoffs or to beat our rivals.’’

Hernandez felt that he was too aggressive to play soccer. He was looking to try something new when he joined the football team at the urging of history teacher and former assistant coach Jon Horton.  He is currently a member of the team’s Leadership Council, a co-captain, and a two-way starter at left defensive end and offensive guard.

Four of Hernandez’s six grades are at least 92. None are below 85. This academic success comes with members of the coaching staff checking the players’ grades on a weekly basis. 

He said he also works two to three days a week for a combined 10-12 hours for Litchfield Polishing LLC.

“Being part of a team and playing a sport like football there’s going to be expectations, there’s going to be standards that are going to have to be met,’’ Hernandez said. “We embrace them. It’s what gets us through hard times and we learn the hard way that when we don’t embrace the standards and we don’t meet expectations the hard times just get harder. That’s not what we want.’’

Aside from monitoring grades, period-to-period attendance is also monitored, with consequences levied should they accumulate multiple tardies.

Players are asked repeatedly to conduct themselves respectufully in class and in the hallways. A write-up of any kind is dealt with accordingly. They are also expected to arrive early to practice, team meetings and team workouts during and after the season. 

“On top of academics, I’d say it’s pretty hard,’’ junior starting linebacker Evan Roman said. “Sometimes you have to stay after class. You’ve got to put the extra hours in the classroom and make sure you’re not fooling around and doing other stuff off-topic. But, for sure, putting the work in practice, keeping your energy up, it’s definitely a lot to deal with.’’

Roman is another player who has struck an ideal balance of handling the expectations placed on him. He has seven grades of at least 91, including a 98 in Honors Anatomy and Physiology and 97 in UConn Early College Experience Biotechnology.

Roman admitted that he does not believe the expectations are too lofty.

“I think (the coaches) hold us to a standard,’’ Roman said, “Whether that’s a little bit higher,  we’ve got to keep working to get better. So I think it’s just right.’’

The Raiders, heading into Friday’s game against Waterbury Career Academy at Municipal Stadium (3:30 p.m.), are 5-0. It represents their best start since opening 6-0 in 2015.

Torrington lost to Ansonia at home in Week 7 that year en route to finishing the regular season 9-1 and earning the No. 4 seed in CIAC Class L state playoffs.

“We all have a collective purpose,’’ Hernandez said. “We all have collective goals. And remembering those goals when times get tough, and even with the little details like getting to class on time, keeping your grades up goes to a collective purpose that we all share as a team. I trust my coaches. I trust the team. And I never question the amount of expectations that are put on us.’’

Coach Rodriguez Reflects

According to Power School, there are currently 1,036 students enrolled at Torrington High School. This includes 550 boys.

There are currently 48 players on the Raiders’ roster, which represents just 8.7 percent of the school’s male student body.

“All I know is playing football at a high school level requires a lot of commitment and it requires a lot of commitment outside of your season,’’  Rodriguez said. “I think we also do a lot of try to help them balance. Trying to teach them coping skills and how to balance being a student-athlete. How to deal with your emotions. How to be aware of your emotions and what to do with that during the course of a season or even outside of football.”

“We realize how mentally taxing it can be, and I think we do a good job of also offering them how to self-care and be aware of those things too.’’

Placing high expectations on players has been a staple of Rodriguez’s 12-year tenure. Playing football is much more than winning on the field. It is winning at life. There is tough love at times during his crusade. Yet, the player’s best interest is first and foremost throughout their involvement with the program.

“I like to think we give everybody an opportunity to meet those expectations,’’ Rodriguez said. “Really, I’ve been asked do we have cuts and why don’t we have cuts? I just believe that everybody deserves an opportunity. But the hardest thing is staying on the team and meeting these expectations. And I think in the process of trying to meet these expectations everyone individually becomes better in their own way.

“That’s a measure of our success – are they better when they leave our program than when they entered? Are they a better student-athlete? Are they a better person when they leave? Are they making improvements? And we try to hang in there with them if they’re not meeting expectations and give them more opportunity.’’

Inevitably, there are players who opt to quit in-season or fail to return the following year.

However, there are a number of players who return to attend games or practices after they graduate. Others have also returned to join Rodrigiuez’s coaching staff or expressed interest in coaching under him.  Current assistant coaches Ora Curry, Josh Maldonado, and Rangel Pascual head the list.

“For me, it’s satisfying to see them at the end of their high school journey and just to see how much they’ve grown as people and the maturity level that they have,’’ Rodriguez said. “It requires a lot of commitment and it requires a lot of self-discipline that I don’t know if they really realize it as they’re going through it and in the moment. But I believe that they’re better for it at the end.’’

Article by THS Security Guard Rusty Elliott. Elliott graduated from the University of Hartford with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. He covered local, college, and professional sports for 26 years with such publications as the Naugatuck Daily News and the Connecticut Post. Elliott was the UCONN women’s basketball starting in the 2001-02 season and covered the Huskies through nine national championships and 12 Final Fours.