Each year, the Super Football Conference (SFC) awards the Steve DiGregorio Young Man of the Year award. This award is given to a football player from each school competing in the Super Football Conference that excels in community service, putting others before himself, leadership, academics, and others. In 2023, Coach Evan Lampert chose senior Tyler Duffy to represent Pascack Hills as the Young Man of the Year.
Along with his contributions off of the field, Duffy played a huge role in the Broncos’ second consecutive winning season. Duffy joined teammates Jordan Morrell and Connor Ohnikian on the SFC Ivy Red First Team Offense as an offensive lineman.
To grasp the significance of the award, Trailblazer Co-Editor-in-Chief Olivia Ge conducted an interview with Duffy.
Olivia Ge: How do you feel about winning the Steven DiGregorio Young Man of the Year Award?
Tyler Duffy: I feel really honored to win this award, knowing how only one player gets picked for it on every team, it was a really special moment for me.
OG: Why do you think you were chosen to receive this award?
TD: I think many other seniors were just as qualified as me, I think I was picked because of the leadership role on and off the field. Other seniors and I would host team bonding, and off-season practices on the field, and would keep everyone on top of their workouts which played a big role in our season. Again, getting this award was not possible without the help of my coaches and team but those are the reasons that I think I got picked. .
Ge also interviewed head coach Evan Lampert on the reasons he decided to give Duffy the award.
Olivia Ge: Why was Tyler chosen for this award?
Evan Lampert: Tyler is an excellent recipient of the Steven DiGregorio award because he is extremely selfless, and a leader in the classroom and on the field. He also sets great examples for his teammates and peers, and consistently makes the right decisions. I am very proud of him and am very appreciative of all he has done.
OG: What attitude does he maintain as an athlete?
EL: Tyler exhibits that rare attitude where he doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him. He is one of the toughest athletes I’ve ever coached both mentally and physically. A lot of times high school athletes let circumstances dictate their attitude and performance, Tyler is able to harness his emotions and stay focused through any adversity or success he has. He also has a team first mentality and would do anything for his teammates. A true leader and role model.
OG: What is it like coaching Tyler?
EL: I was very fortunate because I got to coach Tyler since he was in 7th grade during the Jr. Cowboys football program. He was a kid that I would always look forward to being around just because of his general demeanor and attitude. I had 100% trust in him and really counted on him in so many ways while he was an athlete and he always came through and never had any excuses. I’m not only proud of his performance during football season, but how he developed as a young man and I am looking forward to seeing how bright his future is.
