Austin Applegate transferred from Windward to Palisades High following his sophomore season and has not looked back. The 6’0, 200-pound senior fullback began the year playing both offense and defense before switching exclusively to offense for the Dolphins. Following the game against powerhouse Crespi on September 14, PaliHi head coach Perry Jones switched Applegate from safety to fullback full-time to help him conserve energy during games. The move has paid off as Applegate has routinely barreled over defenders and given the Dolphins an attitude and edge on offense as they push towards the playoffs. Applegate, who runs an official 4.4-second 40-yard dash time, ran for 115 yards on 15 carries in a 36-24 win over Westchester on October 19. That aggressive style of running is something the Brentwood resident takes a lot of pride in. ‘If I get a chance to hit somebody I’m definitely going to do it,’ Applegate said. ‘I love hitting people. In my eyes, I know touchdowns are important, but getting a big hit [on a defender] is what I like.’ Remarkably, Applegate did not begin playing tackle football until he reached high school. When he was younger, he played flag football, baseball, soccer, and he also skied and pole vaulted. Applegate said his decision to leave Windward was a mixture between the school not being the right fit and wanting a bigger high school experience. Jones lauded Applegate’s work ethic and the fact that he is a fast learner. ‘He is a great guy to coach, he works very hard and he understands very quickly what we’re trying to do,’ Jones said. ‘He’s a great teammate and the kind of guy that leads through example. He’s not a rah-rah guy, and he’s a guy of a few words so when he does say something it’s usually really meaningful. But he’s just been great to coach. And he’s a punishing runner.’ Touching on his own leadership skills, Applegate added, ‘If something needs to be done and people aren’t doing it, I’ll definitely get on their case about it. We all need to be out there pushing and getting better.’ Applegate’s relationship with Jones is somewhat typical of player and coach. Applegate believes his coach dishes out tough love, but that’s something that is to be expected at this level. ‘On the field he can definitely be a hard-nosed guy,’ Applegate said of Jones. ‘But off the field we have a pretty good relationship. He can be a funny guy and I think we’re pretty similar. He really pushes us on the field and I think people aren’t really accustomed to that, but he’s always open to talking about any problems you have.’ Applegate comes from an athletic background. His father, Greg, played football growing up and was also a gymnast at Ithaca College, while his mother, Laura, ran track and field growing up. Greg and Laura Applegate are physicians. Applegate’s 12-year-old brother Taylor is a football player for Campbell Hall Middle School. Thus far, Applegate has been relatively fortunate to avoid major injuries. As a Windward sophomore, he suffered a dislocated thumb. In Friday’s game against Venice, Applegate sustained a concussion and will not play in the season finale against University. With a decision on college looming, Applegate said he is hoping for offers from Division I colleges, but is looking to get a quality education first and foremost and is leaning towards a Division III school on the East Coast.
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