Despite Being Injured, Kingston Krotec Still A Big Part of the 2024 Hopewell Vikings Football Team

Hopewell junior quarterback/defensive back Kingston Krotec is going through something that he’s never experienced before in his life- being inactive and having to be an observer instead of competing.

A week before the season, Krotec suffered a broken ankle during a practice, which has sidelined him for the 2024 season. This loss was a huge blow to Coach Mottes and his team as Krotec was projected to be a key contributor on both sides of the ball.

Krotec is a kid that is active playing some sort of sport all year round so being immobile and on crutches has been both a mental and physical challenge.

“This has been the most difficult thing that I’ve ever physically had to deal with,” Krotec tells HSN. “I’m used to being active all the time, so being in a cast and not being able to walk has been hard. So, has having to watch my team from the sidelines. But I’m trying to make the best of it. I just can’t wait for tomorrow (Wednesday) because I’m going back to get checked out and hopefully, I get the cast off and am able to get in a boot to start physical therapy.”

While this has no doubt been challenging something positive has come out of this unfortunate setback.

Instead of leading on the field, Krotec has developed into one of Hopewell’s top leaders off the field.

“Once I realized that I wouldn’t be able to play, I made the decision that I wanted to still try and help this team any way I could off the field. Whether that was being vocal on the sidelines, in the film room or just talking with players and the coaches on things I see.”

An example of how much Krotec still means to this team happened right before the season, when the team was voting for team captains, ‘King’ was an overwhelming choice from his teammates.

“That was nice and a little unexpected,” said Krotec. “I’ve never been a real vocal person and most time just led by my play on the field. But that’s not possible this year so trying to help off the field is something I’m trying to get used to. So, I definitely appreciated my teammates recognizing me and naming me a captain.”

Without a doubt, the player on this 2024 Hopewell roster that Krotec has helped and mentored the most has been freshman quarterback James Armstrong.

Those two talented players were battling it out for the quarterback spot, and both would have played this season. However, the ankle injury changed things, and this is where Krotec showed why he’s a leader and a team player. Instead of sulking over his own situation, Krotec made the choice of doing what’s best for the team and that was doing everything possible to help the 14-year-old Armstrong.

“I want this team to win,” said Krotec. “Being a starting quarterback is difficult, especially as a freshman. I’m trying to do everything possible to help him out. I thought to myself, I sure wish I had someone that would’ve been able to help and mentor me when I became the starting quarterback my freshman season. It definitely would have helped me out.”

“Knowing what I went through, I just want to help him any way we can. I’ll talk to him on the sidelines and tell him things I’m seeing or if I notice something in practice. We talk a lot, actually every day, sometimes just about everyday things and sometimes he’ll have specific questions for me about football. He’s doing a great job.”

Keep in mind all kids in this situation wouldn’t have handled this like Krotec has and that no doubt says more about him as a person and a leader.

“What started off as a competition has turned into a mentorship,” said Mottes. “That just tells you what kind of leader Kingston is.”

“Some of the biggest ways Kingston has helped me are with some of the defensive coverages after broken plays or plays I missed receivers,” said Armstrong. “He really helps me with defensive coverages. Another thing he does is helps me find open receivers when I miss them. He’ll help me by telling me when and where he was open so next time, I can hit the receiver.”

If you want to see a perfect illustration of the ‘We Not Me Mentality” being displayed by Krotec, take a look at this video. It’s of this past Friday’s game when Armstrong scored the game-winning 2-point conversion to beat Ambridge. Take a look at who’s one of, if not the first person running (or hopping) on the field to congratulate his teammates and in particular Armstrong. It’s Kingston Krotec.

That’s how real leaders lead and trust me, Krotec’s selfless attitude is not the norm in today’s competitive world of athletics. Wish more athletes had this mentality.

“I just can’t wait to get the Ok from the doctors to start to be able to do something. Getting this cast off and into a boot will be the start.”

After that, Krotec tells me that he plans on hitting his physical therapy hard over the upcoming months.

Good luck Kingston, and we’ll see you on the mound next spring for Coach Singletary and the Hopewell High School baseball team!