WW-P South grid star earns DelVal scholarship
By: Bob Nuse
Ryan Lupo will graduate from West Windsor-Plainsboro High South this spring with his name plastered all over the school’s football record book.
He’ll also leave with a number of awards for his outstanding play on the field.
But chances are none of the accomplishments for his play will outshine the honor he received Sunday night, when Lupo was named the recipient of the Jack Stephan/Yardville National Bank award by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The award carries with it a $5,000 scholarship, which Lupo will be able to use at Williams College, where he begins classes in the fall.
"It was really exciting," Lupo said. "I didn’t know I was going to win it. It was nice to be with such a great bunch of people. It felt great to be selected from among all of those scholar-athletes who have all done some pretty incredible stuff.
"It’s awesome just to be selected from our school and to be sitting there and hear all the accomplishments of the other players. I couldn’t believe all of the things that everyone had accomplished. It was awesome to be recognized as so much more than just a football player. It shows another side of all of the players and not just football. I was just proud to be there seated with that group."
Lupo was one of 28 student-athletes to be honored Sunday night at the Princeton Hyatt. Nick Lezynski of Notre Dame and Joshua Scassero of Florence were the two runners-up and received $2,500 scholarships.
Lupo is the sixth player from WW-P, joining Jeff Guzy, Mark Tagliaferi, Galen Beske, John Kleinman and Joe Andolina.
"It was a real surprise when they called my name that I had won the top scholarship," Lupo said. "I did have to get up and make a speech, which I think went OK."
In addition to his outstanding performance on the football field, Lupo is a member of the National Honor Society, a Peer Leader at the school for the last three years, a member of the Student Council and a Boys State delegate.
Lupo also is in the school choir and was the leader in the school musical, "Pajama Game," where he portrayed Sid Sorokin.
"It was a lot of work and practice," he said of the musical. "It starts up right after football so I went from one right into the other. I really enjoyed doing it and I am going to try to do that at college. I’ll be playing football, but I also hope to be in an a capella group they have."
He’ll also be trying to continue his success on the football field, leaving behind his 16 school records as he heads to Williams
"I leave Aug. 27, so we actually start pretty late," Lupo said. "The football season will be shorter for me now than it was in high school. We play eight games in the NESCAC and that’s it. I’m already looking forward to the Amherst-Williams game. It’s a great rivalry and I’m excited to get to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get there."
Until then, he’ll continue to work out and get ready for his next challenge, at the college level.
"I’ve been working out," Lupo said. "This is actually the first season that I have had off in my high school career. I’ve been working out and relaxing a little bit. I went right from the football season into the musical. That worked out well and was a lot of fun."

