by Rusty Ellis and Michael Lindsay
It’s not just every day you see two siblings playing an integral part of four different sports at a school.
That’s exactly the situation when you look at York Institute juniors Andrew Hall and Aidan Sweathomas. Hall’s a lanky, quick athlete that plays basketball and baseball for the Dragons, while Sweathomas has played important roles for both the football team and the track and field team, even making earning All-State honors.
Hall has seen playing time in big games at the substate level in baseball, and is currently getting starting minutes on the court for head coach Rodney Pile.
“Andrew’s in that big junior class that has seven players in it, so it’s a big and talented class,” Pile said. “Andrew’s a good athlete who’s got some good length to him and he’s come along quite nicely. He’s been able to start a few games for us here early, and he’s done a really good job against some good teams so far.”
His length is one of his biggest attributes on the floor, as it gives him a better release on his jump shot and allows him to defend and rebound at a much-needed level for the Dragons.
“He’s got some length to him and that’s always helpful,” Pile said. “He can knock down some shots like the threes he hit against Friendship Christian…that’s what his biggest advantage is, basketball-wise.”
As previously mentioned, Sweathomas is a key part of the Dragon football team and played a key role for head coach Derwin Wright, a role that helped get this year’s team to the program’s second state semifinal ever.
“He’s got good hands and he’s really got some great speed,” Wright said. “He’s on our 3×400 team that came in third place at state, so he’s real quick. We’ve seen him really come on this year as a receiver and whenever we’ve needed him to carry the ball.”
In a Wing-T offense, there aren’t always a ton of throws to go around, but whenever he was needed this season, it seemed like he always came through.
“He’s been a deep threat for us and he’s caught several long touchdowns for us,” Wright said. “He and Myles Leffew connected quite bit this season and had a great year…he’s got to also be able to block. He goes in there and uses his speed in that aspect as well.”
One thing they both have in common is an upbeat attitude that every locker room needs, and Wright can attest that there were several moments this year where that was needed.
“He’s great, he did a great job every day coming to work,” Wright said. “He’s one of those guys that he walks in the locker room and loosens everyone up…he leads our pep club in the school and he’s very school-oriented in supporting all of our sports.”
In Hall’s case, Pile believes there’s a lot that can be learned as far as staying patient and waiting for the right opportunity.
“You have to stick with it and not give up,” Pile said. “There’s something to say for guys that keep positive attitudes and keep grinding and keep putting that work in.”