Bouncing Back

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Jason Fineberg relives the brunt of Friday nights every Saturday morning. 

With his father, Larry, by his side, The Out-of-Door Academy junior running back sits back, turns on the film and watches the previous night’s game unfold. 

Fineberg has had his fair share of bumps and bruises, a given when it comes to his position, but it’s what lies in between the tackles — the critical first downs, the hard-fought yards and, in some cases, the missed opportunities that are the most telling. 

Fineberg relies on these moments — good and bad — to guide him on the field. 

“It’s a good way to learn,” Fineberg says. “That’s what you did and you can’t say anything (else) about it.” 

After injuries forced him off of the field each of the past two seasons, a now healthy Fineberg is hoping the 2015 season will not only further his own highlight reel but also prove to be a turning point for the Thunder, who are looking to become a championship contender once again. 

Fineberg was in fifth grade the last time ODA won a district championship and advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals after winning their first regional title. 

It would be another two years before he would suit up in a Thunder football uniform, but Fineberg, whose older brother, Drew, was in eighth grade and got pulled up from the middle school team during the Thunder’s playoff run, remembers watching the players take the field and seeing the enthusiasm surrounding the team. 

ODA returned to the playoffs again in 2010, but they haven’t been back since. 

“A lot of people think we’re not good,” Fineberg says. “They underestimate us. As a team we know what we need to get done. We want the community to (rally) around us, pull for us and come to our games, and, really, that starts with winning.” 

A former hockey player, Fineberg began playing football in seventh grade at the urging of his father, who was a safety for the University of Buffalo and Kent State University. 

Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Fineberg gravitated toward running back. The younger Fineberg spent countless hours watching his brother on the field and emulating his movements. 

“We both have a similar type of playing style in the way we move and make defenders miss,” Fineberg says. “He always told me to go 100% and never give up. He’s always pushing me.” 

Fineberg missed the last two games of his seventh grade season because of fluid in his knee. He returned the following year to help lead ODA to its most successful middle school season when the team nearly went undefeated under first-year head coach Ken Sommers, who was the middle school head coach at the time. 

Fineberg moved up to the varsity squad as a freshman. Two games into the season Fineberg was named the Thunder’s starting running back after Drew Fineberg tore his ACL for the second time. It was a position Jason Fineberg would’ve gladly given up to have his brother out on the field for his senior season. 

“A lot of people think we’re not good. They underestimate us. As a team we know what we need to get done. We want the community to (rally) around us, pull for us and come to our games, and, really, that starts with winning.” – Jason Fineberg

“That season was tough on us because we had a lot of players hurt,” Fineberg says. “I would go home at the end of the day and see him (in pain). Being out on the field was something I always wanted, but I didn’t want it that way.” 

A year later, Fineberg broke his ankle midway through the season and had to have four screws put in. He spent the next two months watching ODA from the sidelines on crutches. 

With his ankle fully healed, Fineberg prepared to return to the field last season, but a torn tendon in his thumb ended his sophomore season before he even took the field. 

“When I tore my thumb that was the worst (pain) ever,” Fineberg says. “It was hard because I still felt like I could play, but I wasn’t allowed to. At that point, there’s nothing you can do about it. You just have to get ready for next year.” 

Fineberg has only played one full season of football since he began playing in seventh grade, and that was in eighth grade. Now with his junior season and a new schedule of opponents upon him, Fineberg is hoping to reignite the enthusiasm for football that his brother, who is now a wide receiver at Hobart College, experienced during his time at ODA. 

“A lot of the kids who were on that eighth grade team are on the (varsity) team now,” Fineberg says. “We want to get back to that type of play. We did it once, so we know we can do it again. We know we can get it done because we’ve done it before.” 

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].