HUNGRY FOR IT

A young athlete goes above and beyond to show he's

already at the NEXT LEVEL

Everyone has goals in their lives. Big or small - there is something that pushes everyone towards a dream. For some, the pull to start planning on how to achieve their dreams comes naturally. 

For Jack Dolan, an incoming seventh-grader at Eden Prairie Middle School, he felt pulled to football. Seemingly, out of nowhere. 

“Neither my husband nor I pushed him to do it. Probably the opposite in fact,” Sarah Dolan, Jack’s mother said. “We were on the fence about starting him with tackle football a few years ago, and he [Jack] said, ‘Mom, it’s my dream! How could you not let me do my dream?” 

Jack has been dedicated to the field for a long time. He began falling in love with the game after his first-grade year of flag football, and his passion couldn’t be stopped. He even started bringing the rules of football into various other sports. 

“In basketball, Jack was the kid rolling on the floor trying to tackle the football,” Dolan laughed. “And Coach [Japel Hook] knew Jack obviously loved football so he told him he would train him for football when he was a little bit older.” 

Japel Hook, the CEO and Head Trainer for Potenza Sports, has a specialty for training elite football players. As the former offensive coordinator for Eden Prairie High School Football, he helped lead the team to four back-to-back MSHSL State titles. He has been operating Potenza Sports LTD for the past decade, and continues to see his results flourish. 

Jack just so happened to catch up to Hook at the right time. Although they met on a basketball court, Jack knew that Hook could help him reach the next level in his favorite sport.

“In football, you can actually make tackles. And some pretty big ones too like a fumble recovery. But sacks are the best,” Jack said. 

Jack has been training with Potenza for the past two years. Although his one-hour sessions with Hook have been bi-weekly since his training began, it’s still not enough for this young powerhouse. 

“Earlier this summer, Hook had shown him some ab workouts to try everyday. Now, right when he gets up in the morning or before he goes to bed, Jack will make sure he gets them done,” Dolan said. “He’s like a little sponge. He takes everything Hook says to heart.” 

Dolan and her family continue to support Jack on and off the field. She enjoys seeing Jack excel in his turf, while also preparing his younger sister for an entirely different stage. 

“His 9-year-old sister is in dance. And in some ways there are parallels to their training, like they are both dedicated and love what they do, but it’s definitely a different world between the two,” Dolan said about balancing her two children’s passions. 

With such strong passions, also come strong emotional ties to your success, critiques, and failures. It can be difficult to find a healthy balance, but Dolan credits Hook to Jack’s positive outlook on training.

“Jack is naturally hard on himself. And I appreciate that Hook is direct and firm, but also sees that he doesn’t need to go super hard on him because Jack is already self correcting. Hook can really just have fun and mold him during his sessions now,” Dolan said. 

While it can be helpful to have a dedicated coach assist your athlete in becoming their best selves, the athlete has to want to push themselves to be the best. Luckily for Hook, Jack is already there. 

“I feel like this is the best way to get better. Because everyone else is gonna be training for high school and stuff the same way. But if I get in some extra time - I can get ahead,” Jack said. 

Jack’s passion is inspiring, and his dedication is admirable. He is one of our next level athletes at Potenza.