What Made Hyno a Pro????

This coming Sunday will be the "Big Game" fomerly known as the Super Bowl.  This year there is more local interest due to one of our own starting for the New York Giants.  Henry Hynoski will take the field as the starting fullback for the G-Men.  For the first time since Glenn Ressler played for the Colts in Super Bowl V, Northumberland County will have a native son on the field.

Covering high school sports for the past 23-plus years and running into to an occasional professional athelete now and then.  I found out that they share some common trait.  When it comes to professional sports there really is no free pass.  It is the ultimate capitalist program going.  Winner take all.

It hard to think of someone that started out as a Ralpho Raiders earning a place in the sports biggest championship game.  Hey, you have to start somewhere?  The first thing most athletes have that play on the biggest stage is natural ability.  At birth, they went through the ability line 10 times compared to our one.  No one ever starts out in life and says their career will be a fullback in the NFL.  Henry's friends and teammates will say he was the best athlete of their peers and was also an outstanding baseball player.   Usually, they can play multiple sports as well.  You can see when the Eagles or Steelers play charity basketball in the area.  They could play with the rock!  They also could have competed at the college level in another sport.  Local baseball player, Frank Bolick, could have been a D-1 punter or more in football.

You can combine the second elements together.  From my view, professionals have intense work ethic and desire to compete.  This usually weeds out the best of them at the highest level.  It seems the more fierce the competition the better they perform.  Steve Kline from Winfield was one the  fiercest competitors in baseball from the bullpen in his playing days. They have the NFL combine, but it doesn't measure heart.  There are still first round flops in every sport.  Hyno has a work ethic that is well documented and vetted all the way back to junior high through high school and on to college. 

The last thing you need especially playing on professional team sport is some luck.  Whether it is being in the right place at the right time, a great spring training or the need to get out left handed batters in relief, this intangible goes a long way.  In the case of Hyno, I think it was the guidance of his mother and father that gave him that extra push to the top. In the case of his father, having some NFL pedigree didn't hurt.  Although intially damaging not being drafted and blowing a tire in the combine looked bad at the beginning. The luck of the lock out gave Hyno a chance to take a long hard look and see who would be the right fit when the opportunity called when the phones started ringing.

Henry could have been drafted by anyone to try to make the team as the 3rd down tight end and could be now be sitting home with the rest of us eating wings and pizza.  He is now a year removed from doing just that with a chance to win one of sports' most coveted trophies and earn a place in history.

Good luck to Hyno and the rest of his family. The trip is well earned and for those who had the chance to see you along the way, we appreciate it!!!