Aldrec Viera Dones,  parents feared the consequences of playing a

contact sport, especially with concussion

NSHS Senior,  injuries on the rise. When asked about the
recent breakthrough Viera Dones said, “It’s
Finally Tackles  been a long time that I have been waiting to

Football   play football. I have always been on the

fence due to my parents' fears of injuries.”
Jack Puccetti, Class of 2020 But with his highschool career coming to an
end, he wanted to finish it without regrets.
He is enthusiastic about the opportunity.

After Viera Dones’ first week in pads, he

Aldrec Viera Dones, a six-foot four 240
pound behemoth, has never set foot on the
field or court of a contact sport. With a
desire to change that, he looked for the
opportunity to persuade his parents. With his
senior year approaching, he was on a quest
to find a senior project. Senior Project, a
graduation requirement for North Smithfield
High School, challenges students to stretch
themselves in some way. He arrived at the
idea of learning how to play the sport of
football. In his words, “It killed two birds
with one stone.” After almost a decade of
persuading his parents, he finally got the
okay to play.
Throughout his teen years, Viera Dones has
battled for the opportunity to strap on the
pads and play football. Understandably, his
is in the front running to potentially start
at offensive left tackle and defensive
tackle. His ability to learn quickly and
unleash aggression will surprise opposing
teams. After getting into the swing of
things, the new player stated, “It’s a lot to
pick up and get used to but I’m loving
every second of it. I can’t wait for the
opportunity to hit the field.” And his
teammates are just as excited. Frank
DeLuca, a senior offensive and defensive
tackle said, “I can’t wait for Big Al to
play. He's huge!” But with a new player
that size, can you blame his excitement?
With Viera Dones coming in raw and
with little knowledge about the sport
there is a lot to learn. Viera Dones is
making big strides and picking everything
up fast. His mentor, Coach Wes
Pennington said, “Aldrec is an imposing
force, and we are excited to see what he
can do.” With Viera Dones’ ceiling so
high, his future is filled with potential.
But with the work ethic he has displayed,
it’s very promising.