Toby Mullen takes a deep breath before he steps onto the football field, one last moment of peace before the game begins. He enters the stadium, rushing onto the field, as the crowd cheers. Mullen settles into position as the whistle blows, starting the competition. He takes his first steps and dives to make way for the first touchdown of the game. 

Mullen is a Sophmore football player; he starts as the teams right guard on Varsity. Mullen specializes in making space so that other offensive players can get through to the endzone. Mullen also takes many advanced classes that challenge him from a mental aspect. Outside of the football season, Mullen continues to stay active in the athletic community by lifting in the school’s weight room and being a part of the “R”  Leadership Club. 

Mullen confirmed that he is in the gym as much as possible. Mullen says that he likes to be in the gym during football season, but also enjoys off-season lifts as well. 

“We have three football lifts each week and then on top of that I lift twice, on Tuesday and Saturday,” Mullen said. 

Zach Olechnowicz, a captain on the football team and the teams “Just overall he has developed physically [and] mentally; even talking to the kid, I can tell he is grown up a little bit. So I think [the coaches] throwing him into the position of playing at an early age on a varsity football team definitely helped to mature him. . . . He’s grown taller, stronger and stronger mentally as well,” Olechnowicz said.

This statement was confirmed by Billy D’Amico, one of the football coaches. D’Amico joked about Mullins physical activity outside of the football season.

“Toby is a gym rat and I’m saying that in a nice way. It’s not downplaying him. He is always in the weight room working out,” D’Amico said. 

Mullen also goes to practices and all football meetings. This shows the dedication that Mullen has to the sport and his work ethic. D’Amico spoke about this subject.

“He’s at study tables for us. He’s at anything football oriented,” D’Amico said. 

Mullen accentuates his love for football by being a part of the “R” Leadership Club. This group brings together every sport at Revere, creating a bond between teams and alumni that have continued their sports journey beyond high school. Mullen explained how he got involves with the club. 

“So they kind of go hand in hand. . . . I play football and the Athletic Leadership Club made sense to go to. I love the brotherhood you get from football and I enjoy playing the sport,” Mullen said. 

Outside of the sports world, Mullen takes pride in the fact that he takes higher level classes. Mullen takes Honors Chemistry, Honors English, Algebra II and AP Euro. He continued to joke about his AP Euro class, stating that it is challenging but he gets by. 

Olechnowicz spoke on his experience with Mullen from an academic stand point.  

“I’m not so sure what classes he takes, but I can tell that he’s a good student. . . . We’ve taken the same course, obviously with Rahas’ [Personal Finance Course], because we all have to take it, but I’ve talked to Mr. Rahas and he’s a very good student,” Olechnowicz said. 

D’Amico spoke about Mullen’s work ethic. D’Amico explained that he and Mullen have known each other for a long time, since he was in middle school, and can tell that Mullen gets necessary jobs done.

“I’ll peek into some of his other classes, see how he’s doing. He’s in honors classes. He has very good grades. . .We know that when we ask Toby to do something that it’s going to get done. We know that he will not question anything. He will do his job and to the best of his ability, which is usually very good,” D’Amico said. 

Aside from athletics and academics, D’Amico spoke about Mullen’s character. He described him as funny, kind hearted, a hard worker and many other positive qualities. 

“My first impression was [that] he is quiet, especially compared to some of the other football players in his class, but he is well respected for sure. . . . Toby is hilarious and a lot of people don’t get his jokes, sometimes they don’t hear him because he’s so quiet. And then you look around, you hear something funny going on and it was Toby,” D’Amico said. 

Olechnowicz also spoke about Mullen’s character from the perspective of a team captain. He looks forward to seeing Mullen’s performance going forward in his football career. 

“I think he’s got a bright future. . . . He started as a sophomore, played a little bit as a freshman [for the] varsity football [team]. . . . He’s going to be experienced when he is a senior. He’s going to be a lot stronger than everyone and a lot more versed in the game. . . . I can’t wait to come back and watch him,” Olechnowitcz said. 

Mullen has all the characteristics that a student athlete needs. He excels in the academic aspect, has a strong work ethic and a willingness to continue learning every day. 

This story was originally published on Lantern on January 24, 2024.