Hunter Svoboda-Fleetwood

It wasn’t difficult for Hunter Svoboda to get information about William & Mary before he decided to commit there. His brother, Joey, is an offensive lineman for the Tribe. He told Hunter that Division I football is a different ball game. “Everything is faster. He said that it’s not gonna be a cake walk like it is in high school. Practices are gonna be a lot harder. You have to be 100% committed,” said Hunter. The 6’7, 265-pound senior knows that William & Mary will challenge him in the classroom as well. “My parents preach academics first. I do take student-athlete seriously. I want to be able to come out of college with a really good degree,” emphasized Svoboda. He’s a 4.0 student at Fleetwood. The Tigers are hoping to turn things around after going (2-8, 0-6) in 2022. They dropped their last seven games in a row. Jack Riffle returns at quarterback and he has some tall targets at wide receiver. Riffle threw for 1,352 yards and a dozen touchdowns last year. 6’2 senior Mason Musitano had 27 catches and six scores despite missing a few games with an injury. 6’3 junior Tristin McFarland added 21 receptions. Svoboda likes what he has seen from fellow linemen Hunter Leister, Cody Harders, and Landon Hare. Svoboda started on Fleetwood’s basketball team which was the District 3-4A runner-up. The Tigers won 22 games and qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 1990. Playing hoops has benefited Svoboda on the gridiron. “The footwork and all the post moves I do, it helps me a lot. My footwork has gotten a lot better since last year,” he stressed. Svoboda will line up at offensive tackle and defensive end. Fleetwood hosts Kutztown in its season opener on Friday. The Tigers beat the Cougars 58-12 last fall. Svoboda believes the race in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League is wide open. Solanco, Elizabethtown, Garden Spot, Twin Valley and Ephrata all finished with winning records last year.