2024 Interview with Tate Catanese from Panama Central School (CSP) New York

 Expect big things from this QB out of New York. He has just scratched the surface of the talent he has.

Name: Tate Catanese

School: Panama Central School (CSP)

Class: 2025

Position(s): QB

What all are you doing during the off-season to help you become a better player on the field this coming season?

I am improving mentally and physically. I watch the film as much as I can to see what I can improve on for this upcoming season. Getting in the weight room and throwing the football as much as I possibly can.

What are the best and worst parts of playing quarterback?

The best part of being a quarterback is that you are in full control of the offense and are able to be a vocal leader for your team. The worst part of being a quarterback, for me, is all the self-criticism that I give myself since I hold myself to a high standard and try to knit-pick everything.

What do you feel you need to improve on the most to be even more dominant on the field?

Being more mentally locked in. Watching more films and knowing what the defense is doing at all times. I trust my eyes and use my instincts to make the right plays. I also need to limit the turnovers I had this year.

CSP has a unique situation when it comes to playing your home games. Will you share the good and bad when it comes to having three?
home stadiums?

Having three stadiums sounds worse than it is. We have three homes instead of one. The positives are that if we play a muddy game, we can simply practice at one of our other home fields. All of our fields have something unique and special about them, and that makes it very fun. A negative of having three home stadiums is that we alternate where we practice, and we don’t get to know a specific field very well; we have to know three fields very well.

How do you pick yourself up after a bad game?

After a bad game, I watch a film and figure out what I did wrong and how I can make myself better. I pick myself up by working even harder at practice the following week to make sure that I don’t have a game like that again. Mentally, I just make sure I don’t get too down on myself because there’s always next week.

This is a favorite question that I ask. Who was the best player you faced last season, along with what made this player so good?

Caden Bellis from Tioga was the best player that I played last year. He is a special athlete and possesses a very unique and dynamic skill set. He played quarterback at a very high level for them and is able to run and pass the ball effectively. He also plays defense and runs like his hair is one fire and is very hard to block.

What is your favorite part of practice, along with your least favorite part?

My favorite part of practice is when we are doing the offense. I enjoy going up against the scout defense and running our offense with them. Another thing I really enjoy is being on the scout offense, because going up against the 1st team defense is very helpful in making me better each and every week. My least favorite part is the running at the end of every practice, but I understand that if we didn’t do that, we would all be gassed at the end of games.

Where should the state finals be held?

The state finals should be played where they are played. I’ve never gotten to experience the finals, but my brother won states back-to-back years, and it was an awesome experience to see them play in the Syracuse Dome.

New York and Pennsylvania have the Big 30 All-Star Game. Do you think that people from your area should be able to play in that game?

Yes, I think that it would be very cool if people around my area were able to participate in the Big 30 All-Star Game. That would be awesome if I, along with some of my teammates, could participate in that.

Tioga was the only team to defeat CSP last season. What shocked you the most about them?

How fast they were. Right when we stepped on the field, it was very evident how strong and quick they were. I was very shocked at how well they knew a lot of our plays.

Who was the last book you read along with the author?

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck.

What is your favorite or least favorite type of music?

My favorite type of music is relaxing music. I like to listen to music before games or just in general that relaxes me. My least favorite kind of music is country music. Although I don’t hate country music, I like a lot of different genres of music.

What is the one food that you like that most others do not?

Hawaiian pizza is something that I thoroughly enjoy, although not many people like it.