Although sophomore Logan Colletta has been playing football since third grade, he said he has had a difficult journey to get to where he is today as a member of La Salle’s team.

Colletta plays as the outside linebacker and on the offensive line for the junior varsity football team at La Salle. According to Colleta, his favorite parts of football are getting to play with his friends, being involved in the athletic community at school, and the competitiveness of the sport.

While football is something Colletta takes part in seriously, it also acts like a hobby to him and an enjoyable way to spend his time. He said that, while he doesn’t think he will make it to the professional level, “at the end of the day, winning is fun, and I like to win.”

Before a game, Colletta prepares in various ways. He likes to visualize what he will do on the field to focus his mind for the upcoming game along with watching previous games to study his opponents’ behavior.

“I watch film before every game, try to memorize what the other team’s offensive defense [is] going to do,” he said.

Colletta described that he almost quit football between fourth and fifth grade, as his physical disadvantage at the time made it harder to compete. He went to a nutritionist in addition to an ex-NFL player’s workouts every Saturday in order to work through this and become stronger.

“From third grade to fifth grade, I was never really good at football because I was always super tiny. I was five inches smaller than everyone, weighed 20 pounds less than everyone,” he said.

When Colletta was in sixth grade, he started growing much faster and caught up to his opponents in height, size, and weight. He said that he then hit a “skill spike,” in which he had trouble keeping up with his peers again during eighth to ninth grade.

The most important thing Colletta would tell himself when he was struggling with his size and skill is to “keep playing,” he said. Colletta added that he’s relieved he did not quit because of how happy he is with where he is now.

“Not everything’s going to be easy in life,” he said. “I’m glad I continued playing because obviously I’m playing in high school and having a great time.” 

Apart from participating in the sport, Colletta enjoys watching football too. His favorite team is the Oregon State Beavers, and his biggest inspiration is former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis. He said he’s inspired by his backstory along with the way he took out his stress on the field, and said he wishes to do the same.

Off the field, Colletta said that football has helped his grades, as he’s able to relieve his stress and anxiety from school on the field during practices and games. Thanks to football, he said, his current grades are the best he’s ever had at La Salle.

Colletta’s grandfather, who passed away when he was seven, also played football in the same position as him — offensive line — for the Oregon State Beavers.

“This was, I think, 1980s-ish, and he was projected to go pretty high … in the NFL, but then he injured himself and he was never able to play again,” he said.

Colletta was motivated to attend La Salle in order to improve his preparation for and chance of getting into colleges. His favorite part about the school so far is how much he’s been able to learn. 

Before he graduates, Colletta hopes to join La Salle’s snowboarding team as well as try out for the basketball team.

In the future, Colletta sees himself attending a West Coast university, as he loves the Pacific Northwestern area. 

Beyond college, he said he would love to visit Italy, his favorite place he’s traveled to so far, and live somewhere in Washington, Oregon, or California, since he grew up in Oregon.