School: North Penn
Football
Favorite athlete: Brian Dawkins and J.J. Reddick
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles and Notre Dame
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning the District One title in football this year.
Most embarrassing/funniest moment competing in sports: “Before a basketball game…quickly removing my pull-away sweatpants and then realizing I was not wearing shorts.”
Music on iPod: “Little bit of everything…Lil’ Wayne to Slipknot”
Future plans: Attend college and become a teacher
Words to live by: “The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength, not lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
One goal before turning 30: Coach football or basketball at North Penn
One thing people don’t know about me: “I’m my hardest critic.”
North Penn football coach Dick Beck calls Tom Conaway a “program kid.”
“He’s the kind of kid we build our program around,” the Knights’ coach said. “He’s what our program represents. He’s an A-plus kid.”
The North Penn senior isn’t a star, and Conaway has never found his way into the headlines. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even start for a Knight squad whose roster is loaded with stars.
But talk to Beck, and there’s no mistaking the value he places on players like Conaway, who thought his season might be over when he broke his hand in the Knights’ 49-13 win over Quakertown on Oct. 10.
“He had an outstanding camp, and I knew if he wasn’t a starter, he would be a solid backup and a guy who could play a lot,” Beck said. “When he got hurt, it was a little disappointing because he was so important to our team.”
Two weeks after his injury, Conaway returned to action in North Penn’s game against Hatboro-Horsham. He played with a cast, but a return visit to the doctor revealed that he needed surgery to put pins in his hand.
For three-plus weeks, Conaway observed from the sidelines.
“For being out that long, I just tried to watch Tyler,” he said of star linebacker Tyler Smith. “You can’t fool around during practice. It’s all about listening to coach and paying attention.”
Last Monday, six days after his pins were removed, the senior linebacker received clearance to play. Just in time to prepare for the Knights’ district title showdown against Neshaminy.
“He showed up for practice with a pad on his hand on Monday, and I said, ‘You’re playing?’” Beck said. “We started working him in.”
Conaway admits that nothing could compare to the atmosphere at Friday night’s district title game in front of a packed house at William Tennent High School.
“It was amazing,” he said. “I was glad to be back – just to put my helmet and shoulder pads on, warming up and being on the sidelines cheering them on, but then I did get to play. I couldn’t expect that. It was just unbelievable.”
Conaway received the call when Tyler Smith was banged up in the first half and took a temporary seat on the sidelines. In the second half, Conaway re-entered the game when Smith took a nasty hit in the helmet.
He made the most of his time on the field and came up with a big stop on third-and-long, bringing down Neshaminy’s 6-2, 225 pound running back Jay Colbert after a modest four-yard gain on a screen pass.
“For him to come back this week and not lose a step – the play he made on that screen pass to Colbert is so big,” Beck said. “He shot through the blockers - it was a great play. It was an outstanding play.”
The play was the direct result of the fact that Conaway – who is 5-9, 175 pounds - was paying attention even when he wasn’t in the game.
“At the beginning of the game, he (Colbert) had a couple of tough runs,” Conaway said. “I heard coach Beck say, ‘Hit low. Hit low.’ When I saw him get the ball, I knew I had to go real low, so I went right for his legs. There was no other way of getting him down.”
Beck describes Conaway as a player who ‘shuts up and listens’ and then goes out and does exactly what he’s told.
“I wasn’t sure if he could play varsity,” Beck said. “I thought maybe he wasn’t big enough or fast enough to play.
“He goes to practice every day, and he’s always paying attention to the coaches. I always preach to the kids - ‘When someone else is being coached at your position, you should listen because you can learn something, so we don’t have to say it twice.’
“You never have to tell Tommy that because he’s always listening when you’re talking to Tyler Smith, when you’re talking to Mike Culbreath. He always understands all the adjustments that we’re making even though he wasn’t getting the reps.”
It’s the reason why Conaway – the backup snapper for extra points last season – has earned meaningful varsity minutes.
And a player whose speed and size was questioned is making an impact on a team that will be playing in the Eastern Final on Saturday.
“I couldn’t think of anything better,” Conaway said and then reflected on the Knights’ district crown. “Winning districts was crazy. It was an unbelievable feeling. When I woke up (the next morning), I thought, ‘We’re District One champs.’ It’s like when the Phillies won the World Series.
“Friday night was more than a game. We had to do it for our seniors last year. That’s what I said to Shaun Moore, ‘This is for you guys last year. This is payback.’
“I didn’t care if I didn’t play. Just to have the helmet and shoulder pads on, cheering them on. Everybody is a part of this team.”
When the football season is over, Conaway will try out for the basketball squad.
“Last year I played everything from big man to point guard,” he said. “I’m not really the talented kid. I just hustle. Everyone on our team is a hustler. We all fight for everything.
“When we see other team – Wow, they’re pretty big, but we’re quicker, and we want it more.”
And it’s players like Conaway that helped turn this year’s Knight squad into a state title contender.
“He’s just a great kid,” Beck said.
