Student-Athletes of the Week: Frankie Dimas and Hor Hay

There won’t be as many familiar faces on next year’s Niwot football team, and that’s a good thing, according to second-year head coach Jeremy Lanter.

This spring, he welcomed 20 first-time players to training camp, in addition to a “decent sized freshman class.” For Lanter, all the “new blood” in the program has helped to create an atmosphere of excitement and optimism for the upcoming season.

“Our newcomers have done such a phenomenal job for us,” Lanter said. “The players that are coming right now have been focused, energetic, and are working hard. These kids are excited about what we are doing here and the opportunity that they have to build a tradition of success on the field.”

Among the 20 first-timers are seniors Frankie Dimas and Hor Hay, who both decided to take a final shot at playing football for their school.

“Like me, they want to have an impact on Niwot,” Dimas said of his fellow 12th-grade newcomers, who turned up in surprising numbers this year. “And also get a taste of what football’s like. They also want to prove that seniors can be good role models.”

According to Lanter, both of the rookies are making up for lost time. Dimas has found a home on the offensive line, where he usually plays tackle, but recently had an unexpected stint a little closer to the quarterback.

“Coach has me at nose guard, which I wasn’t quite ready for,” Dimas said. “But one of our nose guards got hurt, and he put me in there, and I did pretty good.”

For now, he plans to stay up front and block, even if a more high-profile position opens up down the line. He wasn’t sure whether he would be a starter when the season opens on August 24, but he definitely has that goal in mind.

“I’m going to try and practice way more, and give it my all,” he said.

The speedier Hay’s aspirations lie in the defensive backfield at cornerback, a position he chose in homage to his older brother, who graduated in 2016. Hay has been spending time in spring camp working on his “footwork and awareness,” and has “improved a lot.” Once the season officially gets underway he hopes to “make a lot of plays and help out my team.”

Earlier this month, both Dimas and Hay traveled with Lanter and 36 other Niwot football players to Pueblo to participate in a full-contact camp at CSU-Pueblo, an experience the coach deemed “amazing” on a number of levels. He even gave Hay and his “game-changing plays” credit for one of the most memorable experiences of the three-day trip.

“After having some huge moments of success, our kids were able to notice the importance of their energy and excitement and how that can positively influence the game when they are excited about the outcome,” Lanter said. “The energy never left the field after that.”

Even though neither player was a member of last year’s squad, Dimas and Hay both agreed that there is a new optimism surrounding this year’s program, especially after the high successful CSU-Pueblo camp.

“The coaches have been working on improving our attitude, and getting our heads in the game,” Hay said. “We’ve really improved a lot.”

Outside of football, both Dimas and Hay said that upping their grades was definitely on the docket for their senior year, thanks in part to football. Dimas is looking forward to taking classes in Animal Science at the Career Development Center, and hopes to become a veterinarian some day. Hay plans to go out for track again this spring, and then hopes to move on to community college after graduation.