Athlete Spotlight: Jack Gerulskis ‘17 - Algonquin (MA) Football
by Ryan Kilian (@masspreps)
Algonquin Regional High School is off to a roaring 3-0 start to the 2016 football season. The Tomahawks boast wins over reigning MIAA Division 2 state champion Nashoba, along with Marlboro and North Middlesex. A huge part of Algonquin’s early success is a credit to their staunch defense, led by senior Jack Gerulskis ’17, who has helped anchor a defense that is allowing just seven points per game.
Legacy: The talented 6-foot-4, 253-pound defensive end / offensive lineman is one of our rising stars in the Class of 2017, and he is poised to lead the Tomahawks to a storybook 2017 season.
Algonquin’s football program has been one of the “program’s on the rise” over the course of the past five years, and much of the resurgence can be attributed to the 2017 senior class, led by Gerulskis, and a veteran group of returning starters.
“When I was a freshman the varsity team went 2-9,” Gerulskis noted. “The culture was awful and a lot of things needed to change. When I was a sophomore we went 6-5, which was our first winning record in 18 years. My class played a large role in that, because we had seven sophomore starters, including myself. Last year we went 8-3, which was the first time since 1987 that we achieved that record. We are continuing to build on our progress today. It has been a long process, but with our strong senior class we are ready to leave our legacy on a high note.”
Personal: Gerulskis, who hit the camp and showcase scene hard this offseason, has seen his recruitment pick up, as of late, highlighted by interest from numerous Division 1 programs.
Gerulskis also prides himself, as being a renaissance man of sorts, who not only loves computer coding, but also dabbles in poetry.
“Poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge are my favorite and I write often in the same style they did, Romantic,” Gerulskis said. “Not love poems, but the style mainly focuses on invoking the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”.
2016 Season: Gerulskis made a concerted effort to take his game to another level this past offseason. The senior Co-Captain was instrumental in his own progression off the field, as well as his team’s focus in the weight room and in workouts.
“This past offseason there were two things I did a little different than previous off seasons,” Gerulskis said. “I continued to work on my strength through lifting, but I took my speed and leadership a little more seriously. My goal was always was to run a 4.9 forty, so I worked hard on my flexibility and ran a ton of sprints. I took my 40-yard dash time from a 5.21 to a 4.90. I am close to a 4.8 right now. Leadership was the second big component to my offseason. I took a leadership program, ran by our coaching staff, and tried to help other people achieve their own goals faster. This extra training helped me receive a Captaincy roll and helped me lead my team more effectively.”
Despite facing constant double teams from his strong side defensive end position this season, Gerulskis has managed to register two sacks and more importantly, numerous quarterback hurries, that have led to an impressive five Tomahawk interceptions.
The versatile Gerulskis is also a two-way standout, who lines up at both guard positions, tackle and tight end, depending on the opponent and situation. He has totaled 15 pancake blocks to date this year, while pulling and pass blocking in Algonquin’s balanced offensive attack.
“After winning our last 11-of-12 games, our team would agree that the season would be a loss without winning the Central Massachusetts finals,” Gerulskis said. “Of course, the ultimate goal is to play for a championship at Gillette, but we are trying to take the season one game at a time.”
Gerulskis and the Tomahawks will be tested tonight, against a hungry Shepherd Hill team, who enters the game hungry for a win. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Dudley, Mass.
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