HENRY HASSELBECK ’24
enry Hasselbeck is the “golden boy” of Xaverian football, or so his teammates call
him when they’re giving him a hard time. Put him on a football field, and he seems to
instinctively know what to do. He even knows what to say, defly navigating post-game press
interviews like a seasoned professional. It’s in his genes, but saying that takes something away
from him that he deserves to own for himself. Yes, Henry’s grandfather, father, and uncle all
played in the NFL, but he’s earned his own accolades through hard work, a good attitude, and
a strong competitive streak. What he didn’t get from his family, he found here at Xaverian:
brothers worth fighting for.
“Before every game, Greg Celestin is the last kid to run out of the tunnel. I say to him,
‘I got your back, you got my back.’ Ten he says it back to me, and throughout the game we’ll
say that to each other. It became a cultural thing in the team this year. It’s ‘I am going to do
everything I can for you, and I expect the same. You lif me up, I’m going to lif you up.’”
Henry fielded multiple offers for college play, including Michigan State and Boston
College, before ultimately committing to UCLA. He was looking for the best place to establish
his own name as, at both Xaverian and BC, he’s the son of Matt Hasselbeck ’93, and
nephew of Tim ’96 and Nathanael Hasselbeck ’00. But he doesn’t think of that as
“pressure” to succeed. He says instead, it’s support. “You have so many more people cheering
for you and wearing your colors. My grandfather and my father (who both coached at
Xaverian this year) don’t ask me to be an NFL quarterback. Tey don’t ask me to be a Pro
Bowler. Tey just ask me to be myself, treat kids with respect, and be a good leader.” Tat said,
Henry wants to be an NFL quarterback and a Pro Bowler, and he’s working toward that goal.
“I really want to play in the NFL; that’s been my dream goal forever. I see it as a possibility,
where others see it as ‘only 1% of people do that.’ But if I do everything right, I believe I can
get there. If that is the case, bless the Lord. And if it’s not, I’m going to be the best person I can
be, the best husband I can be, the best friend I can be, and possibly the best investment banker
in New York City…you know, ‘GET BREAD’.” he says in an unnaturally tough voice, hoping
for a laugh. And with that you get a peek at the trademark Henry goofiness you see off the
field. Not a golden boy, just a teenager looking to be himself and spend time with his brothers.
CALEB BROWN ’24
“I
t’s never too late I guess,” Caleb Brown says of his first touchdown as a
Hawk. It happened in his senior season against Catholic Memorial. Prior to
that moment, he was feeling down on football. “Freshman year, I came in with a
pretty big head,” he says. “I came in thinking I was going to start on varsity. Tat
didn’t happen. Sophomore year I didn’t get any playing time. It humbled me. You
take a beating every day in practice and then you don’t play in the game. It weighs
on you, physically and mentally. I started questioning myself, because football
was a pretty big part of my dreams. You’re kind of forgotten, because you’re not in
the spotlight. It was hard to keep grinding and doing all of those workouts with
nobody watching.”
Caleb kept working, and he kept showing up. And when two of the team’s
spotlight players went down with injuries, Caleb was ready to make plays. It
turns out, people had been watching: his coaches and his teammate, quarterback
Henry Hasselbeck. When it came time for the Super Bowl, Caleb Brown
became the unlikely hero. He added three more touchdowns to his record when
it mattered most, helping power the Hawks to a 31-25 victory over St. John’s Prep.
Te crowd was chanting his name, his teammates were shouting, “We love C.L.B.”,
and reporters were standing by to shine a spotlight on him. “I’m definitely going
to remember this,” he told them. “It feels like a dream.”
Caleb, consistently an honor roll student with a knack and fondness for math
and physics, hopes to study engineering in college. He’s exploring his options
with multiple offers, looking for the right combination of academics and football
for the next four years. Te goal, he says, is to go to college for free. “Te better
I do in football, the more scholarship I can get, and the more I can help out my
parents.” His parents are his rock, his reason, and his role models. “When I am
down, or when I don’t want to go further, I think about my parents and how
much they’ve sacrificed for me. Tey gave me life and they continue to give.
Excelling in football and as a man is my tribute to them. I can never fully pay
them back.”
Winter 2024 Xaverian Magazine
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