With at least one touchdown in all four wins, Hampton's Nick Grabowski has the undefeated Talbots off to their best start in nearly a decade. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior once blocked for touchdowns, but now he scores them. A two-year starter at quarterback and linebacker, Grabowski has seven rushing touchdowns (including a 62-yarder) and two touchdown passes.
Q: What has been your team's reaction to this season's 4-0 start?
A: Right now, we're wondering when was the last Hampton team to go 4-0? It's a really exciting time. The last really successful Hampton team was the team that went to the semifinals (in 2009). But I don't think even that team started 4-0. That makes us excited to keep this rolling. (Hampton was 5-0 in 2005.)
Q: What's the season's best highlight so far?
A: It was definitely the Indiana game (Hampton won 31-6 in Week 2 and Grabowski scored three TDs and threw another). That kind of showed we weren't just hype or a joke. We're for real this year. We had to earn our respect and then keep our respect, basically. We weren't just getting lucky. I think we've proved we're a solid team.
Q: Has there been a buzz around the school?
A: It's awesome. I feel like our student section has been full every week. We brought around 100 kids to Gateway, which has been unheard of around Hampton. It's awesome having the support of the students.
Q: What has sparked the success this year?
A: It's definitely been our experience. All the starting varsity players played last year. We're comfortable on the field and we trust each other to do their job.
Q: How has your offense changed this season?
A: Last year we liked to pass a little bit more. But this year, with our experienced line and a new line coach who's really good, we're able to run the ball. We're going to keep running the ball until we can't. Then we'll pass. We still have weapons at receiver that are underappreciated right now, but they'll get their spotlight eventually.
Q: Were you always a quarterback?
A: Freshman year I was a quarterback. Then sophomore year, I was actually moved to left tackle. Junior year, I was moved back to quarterback.
Q: How did you become an offensive lineman?
A: We had three quarterbacks, so I decided to switch positions. I tried to go for receiver, but since we didn't have a tight end in our offense, I really didn't fit there. I was too big. Going into my junior year, Ryan Luther quit because of basketball, James Edwards moved to Plum and Jon Nigro graduated. So coach asked me to try out for quarterback again. It really worked out nice for me.
Q: As a multisport athlete, do you prefer football or lacrosse?
A: I've been playing lacrosse since fifth grade and football since fourth. When I first started playing lacrosse, I liked it more and wanted to play college lacrosse. But since my junior year, I really like football more. Being the starting quarterback for the varsity team made me look at football in a whole different light. I still love lacrosse, but not as much.
