Yukica Profile: Cole Ames

By rbrown
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: May 13, 2020

NOTE: The 2020 Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholar/Athlete banquet was cancelled this year because of COVID-19. Each Scholar/Athlete will be recognized with a commemorative program, a plaque and a personal profile that will appear in the program, on the New Hampshire Football Report, the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter web site (joeyukicafootballfoundation.org) and the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter Facebook page. This is one in a series of 39 profiles. Once published, each profile can be accessed by clicking on the athlete’s name at the bottom of the page.

COLE AMES
Lebanon High School

Each of this year’s 39 Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholar/Athletes is unique in their own way. Among the things that make Lebanon High School tight end/defensive end Cole Ames stand out is his age.

Ames, a Grantham resident, is 16, which makes him the youngest member of this year’s Scholar/Athlete class.

“He skipped a grade in elementary school, I believe,” Lebanon coach Chris Childs said. “Development-wise, he’s a year behind a typical senior, but he’s done really well for himself. Works really hard and he’s an extremely intelligent kid.

“He was a no-brainer when it came time to nominate players for this award. Football-wise he came on late because he’s young — physically young. He’s one of those kids who shows up every day for the offseason stuff.”

Ames really stood out on the defensive side of the ball last season. He finished second on the team in tackles (86), recorded 10 tackles for loss, forced five fumbles and had one fumble recovery. His production from the tight end position included 10 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He was selected to the West team for this year’s CHaD New Hampshire East/West All-Star Game, which is scheduled to be played Aug. 1 at Saint Anselm College.

“He had a great year defensively for us,” Childs said. “Up until the (Division III) championship game he led our team in tackles. As a defensive end, when you think about it, that’s pretty impressive considering half the plays are run away from you.”

Ames, who scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of his SATs, is one of four Scholar/Athletes from Lebanon, which advanced to last season’s Division III championship game. His extracurricular activities include being a member of the Literature Club and the Science Olympiad team. He also volunteered in the Leb 2 Leb program, where high school students provide positive role models for those who attend elementary school.

“In terms of playing in college he’s kind of a diamond in the rough, because he’s so young and he’s a big kid (6-foot-3, 210 pounds),” Childs said. “I truly believe if he had that other year of eligibility he’d have a lot more options.

“He’s highly respected by his teammates, his coaching staff and the community.”

Q and A with Cole Ames

Q: Please describe the most memorable moment of your high school football career.

A: Winning the semi-final game at home senior year. Junior year we lost in the quarterfinals to the same team, (Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton) so it felt good to win a trip to the championship against them.

Q: Tell us about someone who has had a significant influence on your life.

A: Coach Rogers stands out as the biggest influence in my football life. He was one of my first coaches from fourth to sixth grade. He frequently helped out during middle school, and was also one of my high school coaches. He was there calling the play that got me my first touchdown in a Saturday night rec game, and he was there when us captains went to his house on Sunday night to break down film.

Q: What is your favorite subject in school and why?

A: My favorite subjects in school are math and science because I like learning how things work and then solving new problems.

Q: What life lessons have you learned from football?

A: Football has taught me the importance of hard work and pushing through pain to achieve the goals I set.

Q: What is your dream job?

A: Sports Medicine Physician.

*******

2020 Scholar/Athletes: Keith Albergo (Winnacunnet), Thatcher Allen (Exeter), Cole Ames (Lebanon), Mason Belsky (Windham), Patrick Brust (Bishop Brady), Jaedon Cliche (Exeter), Riley Desmarais (Windham), Bobby DiCicco (Windham), Jared Dyer (Merrimack), Casey Gladu (Portsmouth), Owen Gormley (Salem), Jack Grogan (Bedford), Steven Guerette (Bow), Evan Haskins (Pelham), Samson Hodges (Milford), Ethan Holt (Bishop Guertin), Jack Jones (Bedford), Charlie Kneissl-Williams (Bedford), Hunter Lassard (St. Thomas), Joseph Lupo (Bishop Guertin), Jake MacInnis (Pinkerton), Braden McDonnell (Nashua South), Will MacLean (St. Thomas), Hayden Moses (Bishop Guertin), Riley Mulvey (Salem), Kyle O’Connor (Nashua South), Nolan Pafford (Portsmouth), Wade Rainey (Lebanon), Ismael Rivera (Bishop Brady), Oceanne Skoog (Newfound), Caleb Smith (Lebanon), Rolando Sylvain-Stott (Newfound), John Thibault (Trinity), Zach Twardosky (Merrimack), Gavin Urda (Milford), Carter Vedrani (Campbell), Jacob Wenger (Trinity), Jon Willeman (Lebanon) and Devin Wood (Merrimack).