Athlete of the Week: Austin Jacob Interial

Cardinal Mooney junior, Austin Jacob Interial, is already gearing up for a great senior year. Finishing out his junior year with the spring football season, Interial has been a key player for the Cougars this season as one of the starting linebackers for the team. Interial comes from a long line of Cardinal Mooney football greats including his cousins and his older brother, Andrew. Interial has his own website (austininterial.com) and hopes that his hard work pays off and leads to him playing football in college.

When did you start playing football?
I started playing football when I was 9 years old for the Arapaho Team, which was the Braves division of the Sarasota Ringling Redskins. I learned everything about the basics of football from my Arapaho coach, Marko Sumney. 

What has it been like being surrounded by a family of football players?
Well, all my cousins, the Ierulli family, played football at Cardinal Mooney High School. My cousin, Tony Ierulli was on the team that won the state championship for Cardinal Mooney. His brothers, David, Nick and Steve, all were standout football players there, too. Both of my cousins, Tony and Steve, have their pictures hanging on the wall in the gym at CMHS. Then my older brother, Andrew, played awesome, so I had a lot to live up, too, when I started high school.

What position do you play for Cardinal Mooney?
I am one of the starting linebackers.

How did this year’s season go for both yourself and the team?
It was never about myself, it is always about the team. We did pretty good. We got a new defense coordinator, Coach Choate, and he created the Delta Force Defense. We were awesome! 

How is spring season different from the normal fall season?
Spring football is so short that there is not enough time for a lot of conditioning. It seems like it goes by so fast. It is challenging and exciting all at the same time. It’s challenging because we are all have to mesh together to play football in a short period of time. It’s exciting, because any time you play football, it is exciting. There is nothing like the excitement of running out on to the field to cheering fans in the stands.

What do you believe are your strengths?
My strengths are that I can read a play pretty well. That is important as a linebacker. Plus, I hit pretty hard, too.

What are you looking forward to most about your senior year?
With football ...winning! This is it for me and the other seniors. We have to make it count! This is the last chance for us to be champs. We need to give 100% every time we hit the field. With hard work over the summer, we can do that. Otherwise, I am looking forward to just being a senior and experiencing all the fun and memories that go along with it. I want it to be memorable!

Who is someone that you admire when it comes to football?
Tim Tebow. He is awesome.

What are your plans after graduating high school?
I want to play college football for a Division II or higher team. I have looked at a few colleges already, but I am still deciding. 

Do you know what you would like to major in?
I want to major in criminology and eventually go into some type of law enforcement. Maybe even some military after college.