Hearing Travis Petrone ’25 snap the football, tight end Zachary Nelson ’27 explodes
down the field, bulldozing his way to the endzone. As the ball spirals toward him, he
watches its path before snatching it out of the air as it dips in front of him.

“Smiles, smiles everywhere. Everybody was happy,” said Nelson.

In a 41-6 victory against Robbinsville in his sophomore year, Nelson’s first-quarter
touchdown helped extend the team’s lead to 19-0, but that’s not why it’s Nelson’s favorite
memory on the team.

“My body’s really fragile, and I get
injured a lot,” said Nelson. “Sophomore
year, I got a concussion—I was out for
three weeks. Last year, I broke a part of
my hand—I was out for last year.”

Indeed, Nelson’s touchdown came
during his first game back after the
aforementioned concussion. Similarly,
despite being unable to play, Nelson was
still able to impress Head Coach Charles
Gallagher with another aspect of his
game: his dedication and commitment
to the team.

“[After] he broke his hand last year, he
came to every single one of our practices,”
said Gallagher. “He ended up taping [his
hand] up, getting a cast, [and] saying,
‘Coach, I can still play.’ You get banged
up pretty seriously [in football]—your
football season could be over—[yet], he
made it back in the last couple weeks to
play and was great.”

Although Nelson isn’t one of the senior captains on the team, it hasn’t prevented him
from setting a strong example with younger players. For instance, Sam Carter ’29, the
tight end behind Nelson on the depth chart, regards Nelson highly.

“[Nelson] is a real leader,” said Carter. “He gives good advice; he’s very willing to
interact with players and doesn’t act
like he’s better than the freshman
and sophomores. He is grounded
on a real level with everyone else.”

However, Nelson doesn’t just lead
with his words, he also is willing to
put in the work needed to earn his
place on the team.

“I was supposed to be a receiver,
but freshman year I wasn’t that
athletic,” said Nelson. “I took that
personally, and in the off-season
after freshman year, I did what
I could. I got my speed up, I got
stronger, and [the coaches] saw it.”

On the contrary, Gallagher
remembers Nelson standing out
from the rest of the freshman in
his year.

“He had played the game, he knew
how to tackle and how to hit guys,” said Gallagher. “Sometimes that takes a little bit of
getting used to...but he came in much more acclimated than other freshmen.”

In any case, this only highlights Nelson’s strong mentality and work ethic. Specifically,
this mentality has earned the respect of not just his peers but his coaches as well.

“Zach is just a good, humble young man that has been brought up the right
way,” said Gallagher. “He does the little things... when no one’s watching. It just shows
great character.”

Earlier this month, Nelson
finished with 3 total tackles
and 2 receptions for 24 yards,
demonstrating his versatility on
the pitch.

“On the football field, we really
depend on him,” said Gallagher,
“He’s one of our premier players.
He can catch, he can throw the
football, even though we’ve never
asked him to throw the football.
He’s great at tackling. He’s kind of
a utility knife.”

Although Nelson doesn’t intend
on pursuing football in college,
his example has made a lasting
impact on the teammates he has
played with, who will remember
his dedication and leadership.

Photo: Chase Williams

Despite sustaining various injuries throughout his career at PHS, Nelson has always made the most of each opportunity he’s been given, establishing himself as a key player.

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