WESTWOOD – The football field isn’t the only place where Xaverian star lineman Micah Amedee makes his presence felt.

On a blistering hot summer day in late July, Amedee was meeting up with former teammate Greg Celestin one last time before Celestin headed off to Sacred Heart. As they were walking down a Brockton street, they met a homeless man in need of food and money.

Before long, Amedee and Celestin joined up with current Xaverian football players Vincent Busa and Kyle Celestin and proceeded to spend the rest of the day handing out water to those on the street in need.

“It was Greg’s last day before he was heading to football camp,” Amedee said. “There was a homeless guy and he was begging for stuff. We got him some food and gave him some money. After that, Greg decided to go buy some water and we were giving out to people who needed it – it was really a hot day.”

Xaverian head coach Al Fornaro didn’t bat an eye when apprised of the story. Even though the 6-foot-3, 275-pounder had only been at the school for a year, Fornaro has seen more than enough of Amedee to realize this is more than just a talented football player headed to Boston College on a full scholarship.

“Micah is a very intelligent human being, he sees the big picture,” Fornaro said. “You walk around the school and you never hear one teacher complain about him. Even though he has been here for just a short while, he can walk up to a teammate and tell them they have to work harder to earn (a spot) and they listen to him because of the respect they have for him.”

Amedee started slowly in his first season at Xaverian, but by the midway part of the season, Amedee was rapidly making his presence felt as a two-way force in the trenches. After back-to-back losses, the Hawks went on an eight-game run that culminated in a Division 1 state championship.

“Micah is one of those kids I would call a game-day player,” Fornaro said. “I wouldn’t say that he is a kid who doesn’t practice hard because he really does. But when the lights come on and it’s game time, Micah just has that extra gear.”

It was the heart-wrenching 41-38 loss to rival Catholic Memorial last Oct. 6, a game where the Knights won the game on the final play, that Amedee pointed to as a turning point. He remembered the feeling after the game and the Hawks vowed not to let them happen again.

“I would say after the Catholic Memorial loss, that brought us closer together as a team,” Amedee said. “From that point on, we just wanted it more. We really knew we were in a position where we had to win every game so it was straight business for us.”

By the end of the season, Amedee was starting to see his name pop up regularly on recruiting lists. As it turned out, his future destination would be a mere 14 miles away. Four months after Xaverian defeated archrival St. John’s Prep 31-25 to win the state title, Amedee gave his verbal commitment to play football at Boston College.

“I really felt a connection to the coaches when I went there, it just felt like a family,” Amedee said. “I really enjoyed talking with (defensive line) coach (Jeff) Comissiong, he told me a lot of his own personal stories. They play a similar style to what we do at Xaverian so I felt it would be easier for me to get going right away.”

Fornaro spent decades as the school’s defensive coordinator before taking over the head job from Xaverian coaching legend Charlie Stevenson in 2017. He’s been blessed to have some really talented lineman walk through the door of Clapboardtree Street, the most recent being Maurice Hurst Jr. (now with the Cleveland Browns) and Joe Gaziano (Jacksonville Jaguars). He feels Amedee possesses a lot of the necessary attributes to compete at the next level.

“First of all, Micah has what I call a twitch, a good get off. He’s just relentless to the ball,” Fornaro said. “He’s just a real physically strong kid who works very hard in the offseason to become a better player.”

Last year, Xaverian was able to rely on a talented group of veterans to reach the top. Amedee knows that the mantle of leadership now falls to players such as himself and he’s more than ready to accept the additional responsibilities of leadership.

“I know my teammates and coaches are expecting me to be one of the leaders this year,” Amedee said. “I really didn’t have to be last year, but I know this year is different. I just have to make sure everyone is in line like we were last year – just have to step up and be one of the leaders.”