By: Rudy Brandl
Kurt Upshaw certainly plays much bigger than his 5-foot-11, 187-pound frame. Upshaw displayed his intensity and hard-nosed attitude again in the fourth annual Sunshine Bowl Football Classic held earlier this month at The College of New Jersey.
The recent Hillsborough High graduate, by far the Raiders’ leading tackler last fall, helped the Skyland Conference All-Stars post a 26-19 victory over Mercer County. The tough, gritty linebacker made eight tackles and swarmed to the football in his usual aggressive fashion.
All-star games usually yield a more relaxed atmosphere, but Upshaw didn’t subscribe to this theory. He played this game like any other, taking no prisoners when the Mercer offense was trying to move the ball.
"There’s no such thing as a friendly game of football," Upshaw said during the post-game interviews. "Every time you go out, you’re trying to kill people. Otherwise, they’ll kill you. That’s just the way the game is played."
That’s the way Upshaw plays and it’s that brand of desire and determination that made him a unanimous selection to the team. The Skyland coaches agreed that this kid had to be on the field leading the defense.
"Kurt’s an animal," Hillsborough High head coach Rick Mantz said. "He’s one of the best in our league. He plays like he’s 230 pounds and he hits you like a truck."
"In football, you have to be a madman," Upshaw explained. "I can’t see going out on that field without going all-out."
Nobody would ever accuse Upshaw of giving less than 100 percent effort. If anything, he sometimes overpursues the opposing skill players. If he’s chasing you, however, be prepared to get hit hard.
"As a linebacker, you’re the leader of the defense," he said. "It’s that linebacker mentality. I remember hearing stories about (former Raider standouts) Tom Pouliot and P.J. Jankowicz and I wanted to continue that tradition."
Pouliot and Jankowicz, standout linebackers and fullbacks during their playing days at HHS, have gone on to productive college careers at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Moravian College, respectively. Upshaw also carried the ball for some tough yardage up the middle, but he was more of a defensive spark for the Raiders.
Upshaw will take his talents to the next level at Albright University in Reading, Pa. He considered Moravian but received a better offer from Albright, where he also feels he’ll have a chance to play right away.
"They have me playing inside linebacker," Upshaw said. "They already have a starting inside linebacker, but they rotate guys in and I can be in contention for that second spot. That spot is open right now and I can fight for it."
The Albright coaching staff would like Upshaw to add a few pounds to his frame. Now that the spring and summer baseball campaigns are over, that won’t be a problem. Upshaw plans to hit the weights even harder to get ready for his first season of college ball.
Upshaw recently completed a very successful Legion baseball campaign as Hillsborough’s top pitcher. He accounted for half the team’s wins with a 4-1 record. His only loss came two days after the Sunshine Bowl. Much like former HHS football-baseball standout Brett Molloy, Upshaw had some difficulty returning to the diamond after the physical pounding of another football game.
"I usually throw around 80 (mph), but they clocked me at 70," Upshaw said. "I had nothing on my fastball. I was just sore in the shoulders because you’re not used to banging."
Upshaw enjoyed the Sunshine experience with five of his Hillsborough teammates and even made a few new friends. Those guys he hammered the past four years became buddies during the Skyland practice sessions.
"I’m actually sad it’s over," Upshaw said. "The whole week was unbelievable. You get to meet all the people you’ve played against for four years. It was neat to hang out with all those guys."
In typical Upshaw fashion, he made one final statement as a high school athlete.
"It was our last chance to leave something out there on the field," he said. "It was a great way to finish."
