Q&A with Offensive Specialist/Safety Ryan Conway

Are you ready for some football? It's that time of year and the boys are gearing up to take last year's momentum and propel into the postseason in 2011-2012. During August practices, second-year head coach Chad Brubaker senior Ryan Conway would be an integral part of this team.

Brubaker and his staff try hard to keep players on one side of the football, but with less depth this year, some will have to play both sides. Conway will be one of those at the running back, wide receiver and safety positions, with no complaint.

Conway took some time to sit down with Limerick-Royersford-Spring City Patch to discuss his football career and life in general in this week’s Q&A.

LRSC Patch: How long have you been playing football?

Ryan Conway: Since I was 11.

Patch: Take us through that. What made you fall in love with the sport and when did you realize you were good enough to play at the varsity level in high school?

Conway: Well, I definitely think that playing youth football really helped me with varsity football. It really made me love the sport in general, because it's so much fun. Up here, it's more serious and we get down to business and know what we've got to do. It's still a ton of fun and I love the sport. But back then, it wasn't all about winning, it was just learning the game and having fun with it.

Patch: What position(s) do you play?

Conway: Safety and basically athlete on offense: running back, receiver, wild cat quarterback.

Patch: Do you like offense or defense better?

Conway: It's hard to say. It's fun to score touchdowns, but then again, it's fun to hit people on defense and fly around the field.

Patch: What would you say was your best overall year that you played in high school?

Conway: Last year was my first varsity year, so I would have to say that.

Patch: Otherwise, do you feel that you shined more at the varsity level already or do you feel that the best is yet to come?

Conway: I think the best is yet to come this year, because I'm playing more positions and will be on the field more than last year. Last year, I just played safety.

Patch: What can you say about the differences between last year's team and this year's team?

Conway: Last year, we had a new scheme coming in and everything was kind of new. This year, everyone's pretty much on the ball. All we have to do now is get back into the speed of things and tighten things up.

Patch: What games are you looking forward to the most this year?

Conway: Obviously, Boyertown, because they're going to be a powerhouse in the league like they are pretty much every year. So, that should be a fun one. Methacton, I've played with some of those guys, so that should be fun, too.

Patch: What's your favorite thing about the sport of football?

Conway: Definitely the contact and the overall team camaraderie. There's no sport like it. Just hanging out in the locker room between practices and two-a-days. You really can't find anything like it in other sports.

Patch: Do you feel that you're making a significant contribution toward leadership when you play both sides of the ball?

Conway: I hope to. That's what I strive to do. I try and lead more with my actions than words. I'm not a huge talker. But, I think we need leadership on this team and we're still looking to find it. But, I try to.

Patch: Do you have plans for college at this point?

Conway: Well, right now, I'm committed to La Salle for baseball.

Patch: So, you play baseball. Do you play another sport in the winter?

Conway: I used to wrestle, but I stopped after ninth grade.

Patch: What are your overall expectations for this team?

Conway: We're definitely striving for the PAC-10 Championship and going to districts. We have great coaching and a lot of athletes this year. We're inexperienced on defense, but that's where I'm going to have to step up as a leader. We'll see how it goes.

Patch: Do you have any current aspirations or goals as far as your college career and beyond go?

Conway: Academics is number one for me. My parents have always pushed me hard for that. It's very important to me. I'm planning on majoring in business, but I'm not sure what field yet.

Patch: Who would you say are your best friends on this team?

Conway: I've played with Dan Lawrence since youth football. But, here's so many guys I've been playing with since eighth grade. I really can't pick a couple of best friends.

Patch: Last one... If you could go back in time one year and give yourself some tips about your game, what would you tell yourself?

Conway: Expectations are a lot higher than we ever would have known in the past. Obviously the program wasn't so hot for a while and we came in last year, changed everything around and I'm ready to see how far we can go.