Newsday Athlete of the Week is Hills East's Jordan Heyman
Half Hollow Hills East's Jordan Heyman looks to throw during a Suffolk Division II football game against Bellport on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at Half Hollow Hills East. Credit: Bob Sorensen
For Jordan Heyman, basketball and tennis had always been his two passions. He was never supposed to be a football player. Now, the senior quarterback has led Half Hollow Hills East to its most successful season in school history and last week tied a Long Island record with eight touchdown passes.
It all started his freshman year when Alex Marcelin, the assistant coach of the Half Hollow Hills East football team, watched Heyman play point guard in the 2021 Suffolk Conference II county championship basketball game.
“He had something about him; his demeanor and athleticism just stood out to me,” Marcelin said. “The way he was able to play at that high of a level as a freshman and command a team of older kids during a championship game was incredible.”
After the game, Marcelin followed Heyman and his father out of the gym, asking him if he’s ever considered playing football.
“He basically didn’t let us leave until my dad agreed to let me give football a try,” Heyman said with a laugh.
In Heyman's sophomore year, Marcelin took on the head coach role, and Heyman joined the team as a wide receiver. Marcelin knew he was meant to be a quarterback, but the position was filled by a senior.
“Even though I recruited him to become a quarterback, we had a senior who had that spot,” Marcelin said. “Since he was such an amazing athlete, we needed him on the field, so we put him in as a wide receiver,” Marcelin said.
When his junior season came around, Heyman finally had the chance to show what he was made of as a quarterback, and he earned the starting spot.
“Last season, it was my first time working as quarterback, and it’s a completely different game,” he said. “As a wide receiver, you only really worry about your own route, but as a quarterback, you have to understand everything going on on the field.”
Hills East finished the season 6-4, and Heyman threw for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. He knew he could do better.
“It came down to staying consistent everyday and putting in a lot of work over the summer,” Heyman said.
All of his hard work paid off. This season, Heyman has thrown for 2,006 yards and 33 TDs and has one rushing touchdown, leading Hills East to a 7-1 record — the best in school history.
Last week in their game against Northport, Heyman threw for 475 yards and eight scores to tie a Long Island single-game record.
“He could have broken that record long before,” Marcelin said. “We took him out at halftime in four games this season when we were up on teams. Imagine what his stats would be if I kept him in.”
Although Heyman’s proud of his accomplishment, as a captain he’s more focused on setting a good example for his teammates than his own statistics.
“The biggest thing we preach on our team is accountability and leadership,” Heyman said. “As a senior and captain, and someone the younger players look up to, I feel like if I’m not giving my 110% at all times, who am I to tell them that they need to be working harder?”
Heyman once thought he would continue his athletic career in college for either basketball or tennis. Marcelin says that that around 20 schools have shown interest in recruiting him for football.
"It's a surreal feeling honestly," said Heyman, who is still deciding where to go. "I always felt like I wanted to play a sport in college, but I never thought it would be football."
