Fullback Joe D’Ottavio Driving the Car
Senior Fullback Joe D'Ottavio
The ReSporter has been concentrating on the offensive lineman for the past three weeks and now we would like to take a break from that routine for a couple of days and concentrate on a different type of blocker for the running game.
Joe D’Ottavio will be our next front and center profile.
D’Ottavio is a Senior—6’0”—210lbs—Fullback/Linebacker
For this article we will concentrate on the fullback position. There was a lot of reasons on how and why the running game finished the season humming right along.
- Zach Henshaw’s return. The fact that the defense had to deal with a player that had burst on the scene a year earlier with over 1000 yards in itself, gave the opposition more to game plan against.
- Maturation of the Offensive Line. You have been reading on how the line started to see the light and in turn, blowing the defensive line off the ball.
- Joe D’Ottavio added a whole new weapon in the backfield. A running back that likes to hit players more than carrying the rock.
D’Ottavio came onto the scene near the middle of the season and with the top three items above coming together at relatively the same time caused an explosion of yardage in the running game.
“I would do anything for Zach (Henshaw) and Eduardo (Covarrubias),” D’Ottavio exclaimed. “My job is to make sure they can do their job.”
In essence, the offensive line has the first line of attack and then the next line will usually be the linebackers. Go back to the top of the article and you will see a young man who can lay the wood on the unsuspecting player. (6’ and 210lbs)
Think back to the end of the season and you will remember Henshaw had one game where he had four rushes longer than his longest run the year before.
“I’m looking for the middle linebacker,” the heat seeking D’Ottavio said. “I honestly go through my head on how to get up field and pave the way.”
This position with D’Ottavio would be an item that Head Coach Matt Monzingo might secretly say was the biggest want when D’Ottavio came back to the Canyon Lake area from California this Summer.
This player is a load and watching him work out would give you an idea of his strength and agility. The accomplishments D’Ottavio can achieve will benefit the team immensely.
“I want to get better personally and be as much a part of the team,” D’Ottavio continued. “It is not always about self, but about the team.”
D’Ottavio has adopted the same goals as the team this Summer in how they want to play this season. In fact, while this interview was inching along the other two running backs Henshaw and Covarrubias were both giving Joe a hard time about many things but not more than his new hair cut.
The friendships and camaraderie is very evident not just from the running backs, but all the players.
“I think we can go far, because of this being my Senior year, we need to make this the best we can,” D’Ottavio finished. “Seniors have to lead the way.”
The Hawks will have a decent running game this season and the added bonus of the team being under the radar will help in how other teams will come into the games.
D’Ottavio rushed three times for four yards last season and if you are the scout looking at the stat line, the comment might say, ‘not a strength for the Hawks’.
D’Ottavio said he wants to lead the way and that is certainly the plan for the players getting the ball and who they need to run behind. Lots of yards for the Henshaws and Covarrubias letting D’Ottavio leading the way. (I hope he uses a GPS and doesn’t have to ask for directions)
