It seems like everyone in the Southern Columbia Area and surrounding communities has a claim to Henry Hynoski, but perhaps none more so than his closest friends.
"I'm nervous," Austin Lonoconus, 23, of Catawissa, admitted Tuesday. "Watching the Super Bowl is usually 'whatever happens, happens,' but there's an emotional investment in this game."
Hynoski has become a hometown hero, a 23-year-old Southern graduate, who signed as a free agent with the New York Giants over the summer, will be playing with his team
against the New England Patriots Sunday at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
Lonoconus has been friends with Hynoski since kindergarten when their respective fathers, who are also friends, told them on the first day of school to get to know each other.
"Henry walked up to me and said, 'Wanna be friends?' and that was it," he said.
The two schoolmates grew up together, partcipated in the same sports and hung out with the same people. Lonoconus was also a member of Southern Columbia's famed football team.
"(Henry) was always the best athlete on the team, regardless of the sport. He was a natural," he said.
Lonoconus and Hynoski communicate on a regular basis, whether through phone calls or text messages, but Lonoconus won't be able to make it to Indiana. Instead, he'll be watching the big game at Reichart's Mardi Gras, Danville, where Lonoconus and Hynoski often hang out.
'Breathtaking'
Another friend and fellow Southern Columbia alumn, Jake Stryjewski, 24, of Raleigh, N.C., will be hosting his own Super Bowl party for all his friends in the south.
"It's so special. My friends and I go nuts every time he plays. Every play, we're waiting to see if he blocks or catches. It's breathtaking that it's actually him out there," he said.
Stryjewski, who was on the Southern Columbia football team in 2005 and 2006, often went fishing with Hynoski, and has remained in close contact with him.
"I talked to Henry this morning (Tuesday). We talked about the scenery. He sent me a picture of the view from his hotel. He told me a story about 1,000 people waiting outside a restaurant where he and the guys went to dinner," he said.
He added, "He's blown away and loving the experience."
'He hasn't changed'
Marc Osevala, 31, of Elysburg, considers Hynoski a close friend and surrogate little brother, having been friends with Hynoski's sister Mary Frances Helwig and her husband, Josh.
He and his wife will be attending a Super Bowl party in Elysburg at the Helwigs.
"It's been surreal watching him on TV every week. It's amazing. I can't really fathom it at this point," Osevala said.
Despite his rise in the big leagues, his friends note how grounded Hynoski has remained all season.
"He's a super star now, a celebrity, and he hasn't changed or wavered," Osevala said.
"None of this fame has gone to his head. He hasn't forgot where he came from. There's nothing Hollywood or New York about him. He's just one of the guys," Lonoconus said.
Each of Hynoski's friends commented on his determination and hard work.
"It couldn't have happened to a nicer kid. Everybody knows he deserves it," Lonoconus said.
"No matter the outcome, he deserves it all. It's amazing what he's already accomplished," Osevala said.
It makes things even better when good things happen to good people, he said.
"It's something he's been dreaming for since he was a little boy. He reached for the stars, and he got them in his first year. It's an awesome feeling when the good guy wins every once in a while," Stryjewski said.