Jesse Luketa has been with the Panther’s since Bantam level, and has played football since the sixth grade for the South Ottawa Mustangs of the National Capital Amateur Football Association (NCAFA).
Luketa broke his ankle in May and will be back on the field in a few weeks. He feels the injury is something that is hindering his success thus far.
He was a rookie the previous season, but feels he had a big impact starting on the defensive side. Moreover, he wants to make an impact this season to achieve his future gridiron goals.
“My personal football goals are to continue to develop as a student athlete and hopefully receive a scholarship to go on and play college football,” said Luketa, who recently participated in the Ontario Prospect Challenge (OPC) on Team East’s junior varsity squad. “Whether it be NCAA or CIS, preferably NCAA in the SEC.”
The Panthers standout hopes to study either kinesiology or communications when he enters university. However, he is looking at the possibility of attending a school south of the border, His options include two Tennesse high schools – McCallie or Baylor.
Luketa credits the game for opportunities he wouldn’t have been able to receive otherwise. Furthermore, he has learned a lot from the sport which allows him to thrive and succeed in all aspects of his life.
“I fell in love with the game once I played Madden for the first time,” said Luketa.“Football has helped me gain many skills, such as the ability to work with others.”
“I learned how to be accountable for my own actions, and most importantly it taught me discipline.”
While there are many positive aspects of the sport, there have been some challenges too for Luketa.
“The only negative impacts football gave me were the injuries but it didn’t hold me back,” added Luketa. “It only shaped me to become an even better athlete.”
“I learned to overcome adversity.”
Luketa has advice to give to younger players who are just getting into the sport.
“People may criticize you for not being fast enough, or being too small,” says Luketa. “I hope you take everything people say as a way to motivate you, to fuel your own fire and to chase your dreams.”
As for himself, there are some areas of his game he would like to work on refining.
“I feel what I need to improve in my game is my speed; I’ve been blessed with size standing 6’1 187 pounds,” said Luketa. “Now, I need to take that and make myself that much better by improving my speed.”
Luketa said his hopes for this year’s team is the same as every year – to get back to where they left off last year in the OVFL Conference Semi-Final contest against the Ottawa Myers Ryders.
“The coaches have done a good job on taking this young team and preparing them for what’s to come,” adds Luketa. “With that said, we have plenty of work to do if we want to get back to where we were last season.”
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