Anyone who has seen Paolo Grossi in action on a football field in Sudbury can attest to his ability to hit with impact, jarring opponents with a force that defies his 5’10” stature.

But as he took the next step in his gridiron journey this past fall, leaving the friendly home confines of the St Benedict Bears to join the Tabor Academy Seawolves in southeast Massachusetts, there were genuine questions about his ability to bring an impact to the game when every single player on the field has aspirations to play NCAA football.

“Coming into training camp, I wasn’t sure that I was going to start,” noted the 17 year-old who returned home for the holidays before returning to complete his grade 11 academic session in the new year. “Coming out of training camp, I was pretty confident I was going to start - and I ended up starting every game.”

Not just starting every game, but starting every game for a high end team that posted a 7-1 record in their ISL (Independent School League) schedule, second only to the BBNSH (Buckingham Browne & Nicholls Knights, then taking down Dexter Southfield 48-20 in their year-end bowl game.

With a handful of can’t miss NCAA recruits in their midst, this wasn’t just any ordinary prep school program that would provide a litmus test for Grossi. Mind you, the young man from northern Ontario is also no ordinary football talent.

While a period of acclimatization is expected, the former soccer sensation turned defensive secondary and special teams playmaker quickly found his footing in Marion (MA), a quaint town that sits 45 minutes west of Cape Cod.

“There are differences (between Canadian and U.S. football), but just from having watched so much football, it made it easy for me to adapt,” said Grossi. “There are some subtle things in the rules but the biggest thing is the field size. You can get sideline to sideline way faster than you can on a Canadian field.”

It is that combination of speed and strength and the explosiveness with which they combine at the point of impact that has truly separated Paolo Grossi from the pack in these parts, leading to a starting role with Team Ontario last summer that would see the local product add an interception at nationals to his statistical resume that always includes at very least a small handful of solo takedowns.

“My strength is still my tackling and I think I brought my physicality to the States,” he said. “I need to keep working on my speed to keep up with these guys and I need to have the strength to be physical with these guys - but I felt that I kept up pretty well, which really boosted my confidence.”

That self-belief is critical, especially when one plays safety opposite physical specimens who could easily leave the average defender in awe. “I am confident in my abilities and confidence is what I need to have,” he said.

And truth be told, confidence only grows stronger within the circular framework that finds perpetual improvement and progress feeding that positive mindset - and vice-versa. “I feel that I have improved my all-around ability to play safety,” said Grossi. “My coverage is a lot better just because the other teams that we were playing had athletes all over the field.”

“I am shorter than about 95% of the people that I cover,” he acknowledged, albeit never one to shy away from a challenge. “It may be a disadvantage, but I try to use it as an advantage. People might see me as a defender they can take advantage of, but I don’t see myself that way at all.”

All of the above only seems to add fuel to the fire of a talented teen who has rarely if ever required any prompting to put in extra work when others are calling it quits. “You can never be too fast,” Grossi said. “Speed is a huge skill for anybody, so I am going to keep working on that.”

“And I want to focus on the little things, making sure I keep everything progressing and do not flatten.”

Benefitting from an environment that is likely to produce future pro talent at some point, Grossi is quick to return to his roots and the life skills that are so important as contacts are developed and lifelong friendships are made.

“I am super grateful to even have the opportunity to go down to the States and play and improve my game,” he said. “I have to thank my parents for everything.”

“To be able to surround myself with people who have goals to do the same things that I want to do, it’s just amazing.”

Amazing indeed: as is the fact that a talented teen from Sudbury can latch on to a top-end U.S. prep program and continue to have an impact - just as Paolo Grossi always has done.