Students and parents filled the bleachers to cheer for the Revere Minutemen. AJ Hall grabbed his hat and took the field, taking a deep breath he prepared to pitch a great game.
AJ Hall, a senior at Revere High School (RHS), plays baseball and football. He has played baseball since kindergarten and football since he was in 5th grade. He played tight end and linebacker for the football team, and he is a pitcher in baseball.
Sports have been important to Hall throughout his life. Out of the two, football stands out.
“I would say football is my favorite sport because baseball doesn’t really get a large crowd. I like Friday night lights with the whole town watching. The atmosphere is just different,” Hall said.
Football has always held a special place in Hall’s heart. He has tried to take advantage of his senior year of sports, getting the most out of them before graduation.
“Going through my senior year it’s kind of surreal. When you’re little watching sports, you want to be like the seniors. Now that I’m there I just have to take it all in day by day,” Hall said.
Hall does not have a lot of time left in his high school career, but despite that, he continues to do his best. He draws inspiration from the people around him that rely on him.
“I would say in sports I am inspired by the people around me because you don’t want to let them down. Especially my teammates, because they’re counting on me,” Hall said.
Many people believe in him, so Hall does his best to make sure they are not disappointed. Billy D’Amico coaches football and track at RHS. He has known Hall for ten years and has seen him grow as an athlete.
“I would say AJ has been one of the better teammates I’ve coached in a while. From his 8th grade year when I saw them to now his senior year he’s matured into a leader,” D’Amico said.
Hall’s brother Nick Hall is a junior at RHS. Nick plays football and baseball with AJ and has seen him develop as a brother and a teammate.
“Over the course of high school he’s definitely become more mature and definitely changed for the better,” he said.
Hall has shown growth in all aspects of his sports. He has learned vital skills like the ability to persevere through whatever struggles he faces.
“He might not have the stats he wished he had, but that was because he was sacrificing stats for team wins this year…Last year he played through his elbow shoulder injury, where most kids would probably mail it in for junior year,” D’Amico said.
Selflessness is just one of the qualities that make him a dedicated player on both of his teams. He strives to help put his teams in the best possible position. He is a reliable person in both his teammates and coaches’ eyes.
“We could count on him for everything, whether it was playing tight end, going both ways and never coming off the field, or playing every rep of defense that he could,” D’Amico said.
In addition to being a dependable teammate, Hall is committed to his teams and tries to do his best. He surrounds himself with positive influences to help himself attain success.
“I would credit AJ’s success to definitely his parents’ upbringing and his teammates and their influence,” D’Amico said.
A good environment is just a small part of what makes Hall a good teammate. Hall’s trustworthy qualities make him a great captain.
“He’s a captain. People can trust him. His coaching staff can trust him to do pretty much anything he is asked… I would say AJ is a great teammate. AJ is at the foundation for what it is to be almost a perfect teammate,” D’Amico said.
Furthermore, Hall works hard to support his team any way he can. In sports he aims to be the best teammate possible.
“AJ’s pretty determined. He never let a rep go undone in his practice, and he would go whistle to whistle during the games. If he wasn’t in the game he was still on the sideline cheering on the team. He was very locked in every game for the past four years of high school football,” D’Amico said.
Similarly, Hall is invested in supporting his team no matter what happens. As a captain, he focused on leading his teammates, serving as a role model for the people around him. Hall’s brother Nick has seen him lead on the field first hand.
“AJ’s best quality as a teammate is probably his leadership skills. He’s a good leader. He’s always able to teach everyone how to do things well. For example, in baseball he teaches all the young kids and some of the other pitchers pitching mechanics,” Hall said.
Hall knows how to lead others and set a great example for his peers. In addition to that, Hall works hard to stay physically and mentally prepared for the season in both of his sports.
“I definitely like to hit the weight room a lot in the offseason. For baseball, I like to pitch in the offseason, and get myself ready with a personal trainer,” he said.
Hall and his teams put in a lot of work to be ready for the season. They are set on accomplishing their goals and have the drive to get it done.
“The baseball team’s goals for this year are to win the league, win 20 games, and we want to win our district for baseball in the tournament,” Hall said.
Hall is determined to achieve the goals the team has set. He gets support from people in his family like his brother Nick. Hall’s family plays a crucial role in helping him to thrive on the field.
“Obviously, our parents come to a lot of our games. I play multiple sports with AJ. I always push him and he pushes me. We just have a lot of fun playing sports together,” he said.
During the season, Hall puts a lot of time and energy into sports. Despite that he still makes sure to keep up with his school work and make the most out of his education.
“The hardest part about being a student athlete is managing your school work with your sport. The after school practices and lifts can take up a lot of time … I balance school with sports in a few ways. Once I get home I eat and then I hit the books. Also I use my study hall and my free time to do my homework [and] get caught up on stuff,” Hall said.
Hall is dedicated whether he is on the field or in the classroom. He likes to unwind from his busy schedule in a few ways.
“I like to relax by hanging out with my friends, watching sports every now and then. I also like playing poker with my friends,” Hall said.
Even when he’s relaxing, Hall makes good use out of his down time. Even when he’s out with his brother or friends he still has a great impact on the people around him.
“Outside of school AJ’s nice. I like to hang out with him a lot at home. We like to play video games together. He’s just a fun person to be around,” he said.
Hall has balance in his life to get the best of both worlds. He will continue to grow and flourish as he attends The Ohio State University next year.
