Vote for Chris Kiley - Heart of a Giant!

Football senior, Chris Kiley, has been nominated for week five of the Heart of a Giant award! Voting has started and will go until 11:59pm on October 27th. You can vote once every 24 hours per device. If he is voted as a finalist in week 5, he will have the chance to win $10,000 in equipment for the SJ football program.

Click here to cast your vote now! 

ABOUT THE NOMINEE

What criteria defines you having the “Heart of a Giant” and explain how it applies to you?

I like to set goals for myself and I understand that reaching those goals most often involves a lot of work, dedication, and time. Success does not come easy and should never be taken for granted. One of the quotes I am considering using for the school yearbook sums up my thinking on personal objectives and challenges, education, and athletic goals. It reads: “Success in not permanent and failure is not final. Never stop working after success and never stop trying after failure.” (Priyanka Ghediya)

I think I am a well-rounded individual. During my time at Saint Joe’s, I have been a part of a very successful football program, but I also always placed an emphasis on my studies. I approach my academic success the same way I approach a big football game. Instead of competing against another team, I challenge myself to improve previous scores and I work hard to advance my skills and knowledge.

I would like to thank the Saint Joe’s coaching staff for providing me with a nomination for this amazing opportunity to represent my school community.

Tell us about a time you faced adversity in your life and how playing football helped you overcome such adversity?

Late in 2018, my dad was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. He had not felt well for months, but he continued to dress as the Saint Joe’s school mascot for all of my home football games. What followed over the winter and spring were several rounds of chemotherapy and frequent hospital stays and doctor’s appointments. My mom had to take time away from her job to take care of my dad. I knew I had to step up and take on more responsibility at home. The experience forced me to mature quickly. I would try to get a jump on picking up groceries and making dinners. I would let my mom know that my sister’s cheerleading practices three nights a week were covered. The goal was to keep things as normal as possible in order to put my dad’s mind at ease to let him focus on just getting better.

My dad and I spent lots of time talking about Saint Joe’s football during his treatments and the following recovery periods. We recalled a Saint Joe’s stunning comeback victory over rival Ridgefield when my team was down by 25 points early in the fourth quarter. We discussed an equally surprising victory over a strong Ansonia team to win the Class S State title in 2017. We counted down the weeks and then the days until conditioning and practices began for the new 2019 season. There were times when I felt really down. My dad lost his hair and the first chemo treatment didn’t work. However, if a small school like Saint Joe’s could overcome impossible odds time after time, surely my dad could battle against his personal health challenge by using a bunch of kids as inspiration that nothing is ever impossible. Human willpower, faith and community support count for so much. After two additional treatments that included a stronger chemo plan and a brand-new cell transplant procedure, I am happy to say my dad’s last exam showed that he is now in remission and he is present at my games.

What do you enjoy most about playing football?

As a new student to Saint Joe’s in my freshmen year of high school, I knew only a handful of friends. My goal was to make the freshmen football team. This meant attending conditioning sessions over the summer before school even began. Almost immediately, others in the same position as me opened up and bonds formed. We spent hours going over plays and getting ourselves in the best shape of our lives. We started to compete and we were successful. We never let up though. Success should never be taken for granted, which is a significant life lesson. Friends became like brothers. A challenging schedule quickly taught us that we’re individually strong, but almost invincible as a unit. No one player can succeed without the dedication, skill and selflessness of those around him.

At the start of the 2019 season, I tore my meniscus in two spots. It’s meant surgery and physical therapy. While devastating initially on a personal level, especially as a high school senior, I took this as a challenge to work hard and regain my strength as quickly as possible. I also took this as an opportunity to mentor a less experienced player, and I’ve found that to be pretty rewarding. Since we’re both considered somewhat “undersized” for the position we hold on the offensive line, it’s been extremely fulfilling to share how I’ve overcome this obstacle through mental toughness, lots of heart, a strong work ethic and game time intelligence. Playing this game has shown me what personal qualities I’d like to continue to uphold long after my playing days are done.

Tell us about how you spend your time off the field or what you enjoy doing when not playing football?

I know I have been blessed with the support of a faith-based community and I make sure to take the Saint Joe’s message of privilege and responsibility seriously. Because of this, I have focused on going above and beyond the mandatory service hours and have increased my activity year after year. I am very proud that I achieved over 100 volunteer service hours last year by working at a local homeless shelter. By doing something I enjoy, namely cooking, I was able to put my skills to use and improve the living conditions of those less fortunate than I am.

Being invited to join the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society were big academic moments for me in my junior year. As a freshman, I had hoped I would have a shot at receiving this honor. Actually seeing that goal through to the end makes me very proud of my hard work and my approach to the academic portion of my high school experience.