When Brunswick High’s new head coach was asked which of his players had shown the most improvement in his first few months at the Pirates’ helm, Larry Harold didn’t hesitate to name junior Seth Neugebauer.
“He’s one of the most physical kids we have, and one of the hardest working,” Coach Harold says. “I tell our coaches that if we had three more players like him, we would be that much better.”
Neugebauer is a 6’0″, 185-pound receiver for the Pirates, moving between tight end, wide receiver and slot receiver. He is also Brunswick’s punter on special teams.
Since Coach Harold took over the Brunswick High program in the spring, he has seen Neugebauer add 15 pounds of muscle to his frame through offseason training. Neugebauer has not just improved one part of his game, but all parts. He has worked to become stronger and faster, and he has become a student of the game with a desire to become a starter. This drives him to become better with every practice.
“I push myself in the weight room to workout with people who are stronger than me, and it gets me stronger,” Neugebauer says. He goes all out in his workouts, such as running a mile and trying to better his time each go round. “His conditioning is off the charts,” Coach Harold says. “And he has also become more of a vocal leader.” Neugebauer works closely with Brunswick offensive line coach Ryan Mackenzie and receivers coach Brandon Evans to improve both parts of his offensive game.
Whenever he is on the field, Neugebauer is looking to create mayhem on the opposing team. Last year in the final regular season game against Ware County, Neugebauer played through a shoulder injury. On a kickoff return, he set to block an oncoming Gator player. “I hesitated and the player ran straight through me,” Neugebauer recalls. But, being known as a tough player who won’t stay down, he was back in on the next kickoff ready to redeem himself. “I came back, ran full-speed, and met him. I got lower than he was, and he was sent flying over me as I stood there perfectly fine.” Neugebauer’s toughness started on his seventh birthday when he struck his head on a dresser corner while playing a game. He had to go to the emergency room and wound up with eight stitches in his eyebrow. To this day, his favorite number is eight. It is even part of his e-mail address.
His favorite part of the game is being in the trenches hitting people. “I also love catching the ball and having the chance to make plays,” he adds.
He started playing football and baseball at 3 years old and played in the recreation leagues when he was old enough. He played travel ball in both sports and then in middle school and finally at Brunswick High. “When I get on the field, I try not to think so much. All I think about is: what my assignment is, how I’m going to keep the defender off the ball carrier, and when the ball is going to come my way,” Neugebauer says.
He enters his junior year with a 3.9 grade point average and hopes to play football in college and earn a degree in criminal justice. He would like to join the FBI or CIA. “I want to be involved in this type of career because of all the injustices going on in the world today and I want to protect those who can’t protect themselves.” When he is not working on his skills for the gridiron, he is also a member of the Pirates’ baseball team, playing first base and outfield for head coach Al Otte.
Coach Harold says Neugebauer is an outstanding young man on and off the field. Whatever he is asked to do, Neugebauer gets the job done. “He is an excellent team player,” Coach Harold says. “He’s the type of player any coach would love to have.”
SE-MI-0915-Seth Neugebauer
Most Improved
By Rob Asbell
Tough As Nails
