Anthony Girolamo – January 2022 Athlete of the Month

Anthony Girolamo, 18, hails from Stoughton and is currently a senior at Stoughton HS, where he plays running back and linebacker for the Black Knights. During the early spring of 2021, Anthony tore his ACL and meniscus while playing football and underwent ACL and meniscus repair surgery last April. After undergoing surgery, Anthony was determined to work as hard as he possibly could during rehab with the goal of returning to play during his senior season in the fall.

Anthony chose to rehab at Elite because of Elite’s strong reputation for working with injured athletes as well as “the great facilities, great equipment, and great atmosphere…all of the staff are very nice and everyone is in good spirits.” He worked closely with Elite co-owner and Physical Therapist, Keith Callanan, PT, MSPT, CSCS. Keith, also a former linebacker for the Black Knights and no stranger to football injuries himself, implemented an aggressive rehab program for Anthony in the hopes of preparing him to return during his senior season.

Over the course of 5 months, Anthony worked tirelessly with Keith and the PT team several days a week at Elite, while also doing extra work at home and in the gym. He made amazing progress during this time and says, “I feel like I came back a better and stronger athlete in the 5 months after my ACL tear.” Because of his rapid progress, Anthony passed all of his return-to-sport testing with flying colors ahead of schedule and was cleared to return to practice during the fall season. He saw his first game action against Mansfield in late September and picked up right where he left off before his injury. At 5’11” and 225 pounds, Anthony’s physical running style provided a spark to the Black Knights and earned him an All-Star selection for the Davenport division of the Hockomock League.

When asked about his proudest accomplishment, Anthony tell us, “I am most proud of facing adversity and being able to play during my senior year…thanks to Elite I was back on the field.” As to the advice he would give to younger athletes, he keeps it simple: “Work hard and chase your dreams…don’t listen to the haters and follow your dreams.” As for his future plans, Anthony hopes to play football at the college level next year and continues to put in the work that has helped him get to this point: “I love football and have sacrificed a lot of time to the sport. I continue to train because I love it.”

Based on what we’ve seen from Anthony during his rehab process here at Elite and his consistent hard work in the gym, we know the sky’s the limit for one of Stoughton’s hardest working, most talented, most dedicated athlete. Congratulations, Anthony! The entire Elite team looks forward to following your career and wishes you all the best in 2022 and beyond!

Football photo courtesy of Marc Vasconcellos, The Enterprise.

Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy offers Sports Performance and Athlete Training programs at both our Foxboro and Stoughton locations. To learn more about our programs for athletes of all ages and sports and how YOU or an athlete in your family can become our NEXT Athlete of the Month, click HERE or email us at EliteSPC@EliteFitCenter.com! See below to learn more about Elite’s 11-week Winter Athlete Training Program, which runs from January 3rd – March 19th!