Standing at 6’1″ and 185 pounds, Caden Olinger is a TE/OLB for Garnet Valley High School out in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania. Olinger is a selfless and servant leader, always inspiring his teammates to keep going in spots that could otherwise be too much pressure. His season may have been cut short, but he still was there to lead his team every week. Outside of football, there is not much to Olinger outside of academics, fishing, and basketball. This past week, I had the chance to speak with Caden.
When asked about why he plays football and what the game means to him, Caden gave major credit to the feeling of family within the team and the program. He plays specifically for his brothers on the team and in the game. His young career is coming to an end after he tore his meniscus late in the season, but playing in Garnet Valley gave him so many friendships and “shaped me into who I am as a man.” He doesn’t see football going much farther in his life, but he is content with that. “I think the way it ended this year was the way it went,” Caden said. “Football ended for me in high school and it was fun.”
Caden continually said how much of an influence football has been on his life so far. The game taught him a lot of valuable life lessons, but the biggest one was how to deal with tough times and pressure. One of those tough times was recovering from his torn meniscus, which was “probably the biggest mental and emotional challenge to me.” It took a lot from him to recover and overcome, but he motivated himself by wanting to get back as soon as he can to help his team and his brothers. ” I got shut down, but the coaches helped put me up a lot. I just wanted to get back up and see if I could play, so that was the biggest motivator.”
For any athlete, it is important to balance sports with your life outside of it. Lucky for Caden, Garnet Valley Football believes in accountability. The team prides themselves in creating young men, and not football players. “Coach [Eric Van Wyk] makes us all hold ourselves accountable, and he really helped me with that.” I asked if he had a favorite football memory, and he told me in depth about the final play from a game in his junior year. Teammate Luke Vaughn scored a last-minute, game-winning touchdown on a run, but the part that stood out to Caden was the environment afterwards. “Luke was so happy… but the environment afterwards was electrifying. The fans were going crazy, the players were ecstatic, and the coaches were so proud.”
Football may not be in his future anymore, but he will continue some aspects of the game. It’s always important to stay trained and in shape around the year, and that won’t change for Caden. Something he likes to do is officiate basketball games, and he even noted that it is a profession he wants to chase. “I always have to get and stay in shape with [officiating basketball].” As a football player, he vocalized that his biggest strength was being able to keep his teammates in the game. “The ability to keep them going, after a missed kick or a failed 4th down, [I made sure] we’re all good.” He noted that while football is about 60% physical, it is also 40% mental, which is a reason why he always tried to help his brothers stay in the right mentality. But even then, it is beyond that. “I see plenty of people that could do great things,” Caden said, “but they don’t have the mentality… There’s a lot more to the game of football mentally than what people credit it to.”
To learn and see more of Caden, use his Hudl link below and watch his highlights!
https://www.hudl.com/profile/16660754/Caden-Olinger/highlights
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