WPIAL Alum Q&A – Nate Stone

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, September 14, 2015 | 10:20 PM

WPIAL Alum Q&A is a new weekly question and answer segment with a former high school standout who is now excelling at the college level. It will span the fall, winter and spring seasons, and will focus on both male and female athletes in a variety of sports.

For the inaugural installment, we take a closer look at Nate Stone. A Scottdale native, Stone enjoyed a stellar career with the Greensburg Central Catholic football team. A 2014 graduate, he continued his academic and athletic career at Duquesne University.

In his freshman year, Stone started at linebacker for the Dukes, and he compiled 100 tackles. As a result of his strong play, the 6-foot, 240 pound linebacker earned the Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Stone and the Dukes are off to a strong start in 2015, as the team scored convincing victories against Kentucky Christian and Bucknell.

Nate took time from his busy schedule to answer some questions that hopefully will provide better insight to his life both on and off the field.

Q: How happy were you with your performance last season?

A. I was very pleased that as a freshman I could step up and play well at the next level. I knew all the work I put in leading up to the season would pay off and I ended up with various different post-season awards. You could say that I was happy with my performance but there is always room to get better.

Q: Where do you need to still improve?

A: As with most people, working on my quickness is something I can still improve on. With the move from MLB to OLB, my quickness and speed is going to be essential to how well I perform. Working on those two things will definitely make me a better player. 

Q: What are your expectations (either personal or team) for this season?

 A: As a team obviously our first goal is to win a conference championship but for now we are just taking it game by game, and as an individual I just expect myself to do whatever is necessary in the scheme of our defense so that we can be successful. If I do my job all of the big plays and stats will follow. 

Q: What was the biggest adjustment from high school to college on the football field?

A: Without a doubt, the size and speed of the game. Everyone at this level is bigger and more athletic than anything I ever saw in high school. 

Q: Biggest adjustment to college life off the field?

A: Definitely time management. Trying to balance lifts, meetings, class, practice, and games among other things can be pretty challenging until you get the hang of it. 

Q: What is your college major?

A: Finance

Q: How much do you still follow Greensburg Central Catholic?

A: Pretty often actually, I still talk and train with a few of the guys on the current team just trying to make them better so they can have the best season possible.  

Q: What is your best high school sports memory?

A: My senior year beating our rival Jeannette in the season finale to clinch a playoff spot. 

Q: What’s your favorite sport other than football?

A: Soccer

Q: Who is your favorite NFL player of all time?

A: Ray Lewis

Q: What is the best song or artist to get you pumped up for a game?

A: Dreams and nightmares – Meek Mill

Q: What is your preferred social media outlet and how much time do you typically spend using it?

A: Twitter, and with everything going on during the season I don’t have much time to spend checking it, but I do look at it when I have a little free time.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.