Newsday's Athlete of the Week is Julia Hromada of Center Moriches flag football

Julia Hromada is Center Moriches’ human variety pack. There’s almost nothing she can’t do on a flag football field and, last Monday, she pulled out all the stops. Hromada accounted for four touchdowns in four ways in a 24-15 win over Lindenhurst.

She threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Sofia Scuria, caught a 22-yard scoring pass from Savannah Caracappa, ran for a score and returned an interception 75-yards for a TD. All this while learning to play quarterback, a relatively new position for her after spending last season and the beginning of this one as a running back and wide receiver.

For her versatility, and the results that came with it, Hromada is Newsday’s Athlete of the Week

With two of Center Moriches’ regular quarterbacks unavailable, Hromada was a logical choice to step into the sport’s most important position, said Jeremy Thode, the school’s athletic director who also assists on coach Mike Koscinski’s staff.

“She’s played any position we’ve needed her to,” Thode said. “She’s very competitive. She’s focused, she’s determined. Ideally, we want to put the ball in her hands as much as we can, and as often as we can, so she can just use her natural athletic ability to make things happen.”

Hromada was uniquely primed for the task. With three football-playing brothers, her background in the sport is extensive and, as a setter on the school’s volleyball team, her leadership ability is well-polished. When it came to leading the offense, she was excited.

“I like being in control of the whole game,” said Hromada, a junior. “… I found myself slipping into the quarterback position easier than I thought. I was kind of nervous at first, but got used to it very quickly.”

Hromada’s leadership capabilities don’t just show up when she’s officially the signal-caller. Center Moriches trailed by two points early in their win against Lindenhurst. Knowing that a quick response was crucial,  Hromada told Caracappa to get her the ball and let her take care of the rest. The rest was the 22-yard scoring reception.

“I knew I had to step in and lead the team,” Hromada said. “When (Caracappa) was quarterback, I said ‘throw it to me and I’ll get some yards.’ She threw it to me and I ended up getting a touchdown.”

Defensively, Hromada’s two interceptions — one of which she took 75 yards for a score — were examples of her calculating knowledge of offensive movement.

“I saw (the quarterback's) eyes and it looked like she was going right,” Hromada said. “I knew it was going to be a high throw, so I got in front of (the receiver), intercepted it, found an open spot, went to the sideline and heard everyone saying ‘keep going!’”

She always does.