One of the bright spots in last year’s high school football season was the play of Hudson Catholic quarterback Tom Bender. A junior last season, Bender made major strides in becoming a top-flight signal caller, displaying a fine passing touch as well as good field leadership qualities, helping the Hawks to a respectable 4-6 record.
Bender wanted to make sure that he was ready for the upcoming grid season, so as soon as the summer officially began, he took to the road to head to some prestigious college football camps to fine-tune his skills.
Bender’s first journey took him to South Bend and the fabled campus of the University of Notre Dame and the camp conducted by the Fighting Irish head coach Tyrone Willingham.
"I went to the camp last year and it was a good camp," Bender said. "At Notre Dame, I felt like I was dropping my elbow too much when I threw, and the ball was sailing a little. So now, I’m coming over the top more. It was a big help."
The Notre Dame camp also helped the 5-10, 165-pound Bender to work on his footwork while dropping back to pass.
"I learned a lot about the three-step and five-step drops," Bender said. "It really helped my confidence."
After visiting the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus, getting his fill of the rich tradition that only comes at Notre Dame, Bender moved on to attend the camp at Villanova University.
Bender was among 300 high school players who participated in the weeklong camp at Villanova. Brimming with confidence that came from his performance at Notre Dame, Bender was ready.
But even he could never predict just how ready.
Bender stepped forward and became the Most Valuable Player at the Villanova camp, distancing himself from the other 300 campers.
"I was really surprised," Bender said. "I couldn’t believe when they called my name."
The award has already paid dividends in putting Bender’s name out there in the mind of college recruiters. A coach from Frostburg State came up to Bender and introduced himself. He received an invite to attend a camp at Colgate University in August.
"I had other coaches come up to me and ask me questions," Bender said. "It definitely put me on the map."
Bender said that he feels bigger and stronger from a year ago, which also has to help his confidence.
"My arm is definitely a lot stronger," Bender said. "I think I can read defenses better now as well. But most importantly, it has really helped my confidence. Going to the camps really helped me with the fundamentals and it also helps with the name recognition. Coaches told me that they will keep their eye on me for the coming season."
Bender has already worked out for new coach Rob Stern in a mini-camp before he headed on his college camp tour.
"Things are looking pretty good so far," Bender said. "I think we all have to work harder [including twin linemen Darren and Joe Salinari]. I think Coach Stern expects us to make everyone work harder."
Bender was asked if there’s a little pressure on him to perform well now, considering his summer success.
"Maybe a little bit of pressure, but it’s definitely made me want to come to work a little harder," Bender said. "I really appreciate the recognition, and winning the MVP at Villanova is still something a little shocking to me."
Bender is also a fine baseball player and was one of the leading hitters for the Hawks last season. While his football prowess has recently come to the forefront, he would like to explore the possibility of playing both football and baseball in college.
"I would love to play both," Bender said. "I really don’t have a favorite sport. It won’t be mandatory in the recruiting process that I would have to play both sports, but I would like to try."
After what Bender has accomplished this summer so far, who’s going to deny him? – Jim Hague