Brooke Pickett of Stillwater, Joe Tortello of Holy Trinity are athletes of month.
Holy Trinity quarterback wins award in season’s first month for 2nd time
Joe Tortello went on a vigorous weight-lifting regime and strict diet in hopes of producing a monster senior season at quarterback for Holy Trinity. The four-year starter was provided added incentive last fall when informed the Pride would be shifting from Class C to Class B in 2019.
“We were told it is going to be a different game with larger schools and more numbers (of players) for the other teams,” Tortello said. “We knew it would be a challenge. We’re happy with the success we’ve had so far.”
In four games during September, Tortello connected on 37 of 51 passes for 996 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The senior’s most proficient outing came Sept. 14 against Cobleskill when Tortello went 8-for-8 for 284 yards and four touchdowns in a 5524 victory over Cobleskill.
“We were happy to play them early and sort of get a feel for how Class B was going to be,” Tortello said of Cobleskill, a 2018 Class B finalist. “We were down in that game and back came to get the win.”
For his efforts, Tortello has been selected as the Times Union’s Male Athlete of the Month for September — an award he also garnered last September.
Holy Trinity (5-0 overall) is ranked No. 7 in the Class B state poll and leads the Reinfurt Division standings at 4-0.
In the best shape of his life, Tortello is ahead of his 2017 pace when he set a Section II record with 39 touchdown passes, leading the Pride to the Class C state final. He has 22 touchdown passes through five games.
“A lot of it was changing my body, but it was also working on my reads and knowing what every single person was doing on the offensive side,” Tortello said.
Tortello is pleased the team is doing well and he is enjoying a superlative campaign. What he wants most is another crack at a state title.
“It was one thing to win as a sophomore. That was great, but there is something more about doing it in your senior year,” Tortello said. “I feel like we have a great team and a chance to do everything we want to get done.”