Playing within a run-oriented offensive scheme, Norwich tight end Andrew Austin does not get his number called that much on offense. As a safety on the defensive side of the ball, Austin’s number is called more than any other player on his team as he leads the team in tackles for the second straight year.

Whether he’s seeing the ball intermittently on offense or aggressively attacking opposing offenses, some how, some way, Austin will find a way to make a big play.

Be it an big catch, an interception, a pass breakup or simply a crushing hit, Austin is one of the Tornado’s key components in a playoff run that commences next week in the first round of the Section IV, Class B playoffs.

“He’s a leader on the field and he is always around the football,” said Norwich first-year head coach John Martinson. Martinson was NHS’s defensive coordinator Austin’s previous two seasons on varsity as well. “He brings it as a hitter on defense. I talked to the rest of the coaches, and the words they used to describe him were intensity, leadership, tough, physical, committed, and focused. Coach (Tom) Stoddard summed it up best when he said, ‘Andrew plays the game like it should be played.’”

Austin presently leads Norwich in receiving, interceptions, and the aforementioned tackles, and he is this week’s Smith-Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.