Angelo Daddona wants to be an entrepreneur someday. Now, he is looking forward to conduct his own business on the football field this fall.

Sure, he is like any other senior anxiously awaiting the state’s call on how or if high school football will be played this fall.

Yet, Daddona realizes he has one huge shot to end his Whitehall football career on a high note.

“I am thankful to the school board to vote and allow us to workout,” said Daddona, as he and his teammates recently began workouts. “We know we have to work harder than ever because we are behind schedule.

“We are trying to get ahead of everyone else. Everyone knows we have to step up.”

As a senior, Daddona understands the importance of leadership on a team that has lost a horde of seniors from last year’s squad, and the Zephyrs have only won two games over the last two seasons.

Daddona will step in as the lead running back, replacing Ali Barkley who was one of the area’s top backs the past two years. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder also will return as an outside linebacker on defense.

“I do feel comfortable being a leader, and I like to step it up,” stressed Daddona. “It’s important to do the right thing.

“(Barkley) obviously was a pretty good player. I look up to anyone who was a good player ahead of me. But I got some time as a sophomore and junior, and I’m ready for the next step.”

Head coach Matt Senneca quickly realized Daddona’s attributions.

“Angelo is your typical team player,” said Senneca. “He will do anything we ask him to do with everything he has.

“He leads tremendously by example and is going to have a vital role with our offense and defense this season.”

As a parallel to his current situation, Daddona didn’t begin playing football until the summer after fifth grade.

“I started later than most of the other kids,” noted Daddona. “My friends talked me into playing. It really wasn’t a big transition for me as I am a quick learner. I just knew I had to work to be the best I could be.”

It was the summer between seventh and eighth grade that Daddona saw it all fall into place.

“I was playing more in seventh grade, and I decided to really work hard in the offseason,” said Daddona. “Eighth grade was a good and important season for me. I really felt comfortable and confident about everything going into high school.”

Daddona also is a member of the Zephyrs’ track team, excelling in sprints and hurdles. He also enjoys weightlifting in his spare time.

Until then, he’ll focus his time on elevating the Zephyr’s status after a pair of seasons that were far from fulfilling. The Zephyrs finished 0-10 last season.

“It was really frustrating,” stressed Daddona. “We started off strong in lot of our games. We would play really hard for one quarter. We need to play hard for four quarters. I really want to have a winning season before I graduate.

“It will be really important for us to get off to a good start this season.”

Daddona would like to continue his career in college next year, and his goal is to someday own his own landscaping business.

Like the entrepreneur he hopes to become, Daddona has sights on creating his own business on the football fields this fall.