The crowd screams in the stands. The WA players celebrate on the field. The clock ticks down to 0, handing the Ghosts a Friday night home game victory. This is a tradition Joey Bella has become accustomed to in a WA uniform over the past four football seasons.

For Bella, this trend will extend into his college years, as he has committed to the University of New England for football.

Over the past fourteen years, senior Joey Bella has invested a great deal of time and effort into football. This dedication has allowed Bella to become a strong athlete, starring on the field for WA. Along the way, he has formed some lifelong bonds with his teammates.

“I just love the environment and how everyone is a family. Every single person on and off the field is there as a team,” Bella said. “Your teammates will always have your back and it’s a good feeling.”

Bella plays as an outside linebacker, and considers his play to be fast, physical, and downhill. His ability to make big plays on the defensive end of the field have led to him drawing interest from UNE, as well as his eventual commitment. 

“I have met most of the coaches at UNE, and their interest in me definitely played a role in me committing there,” Bella said. “They did everything one-on-one-oriented with me, which I really liked.”

Bella understands that in order to achieve the same level of success he had in high school, he must continue to put in lots of hard work. Playing at the college level is no easy task, as the competition level and drive to win highly increase compared to high school football.

“College football will definitely be more competitive since it [comprises of] all of the top people from their schools all on the field at once,” Bella said. “Every single person who plays wants to be there.”

UNE is in its fifth year as a football program, so they are still in the process of building a winning environment on the gridiron. Bella plans to assist his new team with this goal.

“Since it is only their fifth year having a football program, this team can become very good with all of the new recruits,” Bella said. “We are looking to get a conference championship win.”

Bella is excited to embrace the upcoming challenge of playing for UNE, and is looking forward to his freshman year at the college football stage.

“Just because it’s college doesn’t mean I am going to forget everything,” Bella said. “It is just like high school where you come in as a freshman, where everyone seems really big and scary, but I will have to adapt.”