Matthew Hennesey growing as a quarterback and leader on and off the field

PALMETTO, Fla. (WWSB) - This week’s ABC7 Athlete of the Week is Palmetto High School’s (PHS) Matthew Hennesey.

He’s a junior and the starting quarterback for the Tigers football team. They are 6-1 so far during the 2025 season. That’s one of the best teams record wise this season on the Suncoast. They’re lead by Hennesey and this high octane offense that you see week after week if you watch this team.

“The season’s been going great,” Hennesey said. “We’ve had one tough loss to Riverview {Rams}. Overall, we’re just playing as a team, and doing good doing that. I love my teammates on and off the field. We’re just really tight with each other.”

Hennesey says he’s growing literally and figuratively. “I’m 6′3," Hennesey said. “I’ve grown like 5 inches, gained a good amount of weight, andI’ve gotten faster feet.”

One of the biggest areas he’s improved upon is his leadership, and teammates see the difference that he provides each day too. “Matthew’s one of those teammates where he’s typically by himself, but he just likes to be locked in,” Stephan Aristil, Hennesey’s friend and teammate said. “He does like his teammates. He’ll talk to all of us.”

Someone else thankful for Matthew is Tigers assistant head coach Matt Braselton. He says his leadership on and off the field makes the job of coaches easier.

“He’s a very nice, charismatic, cool kid,” Braselton said. On campus, when you see him he’s always interacting with people. He’s a great student. I work in discipline on campus. I never see that kid. Unless, I see him in the hallway between classes.”

Although they’re out to a strong start, Hennesey wants to take this thing all the way. “We just stay tight,” Hennesey said. “We have fun. We have passion for the game, and just go out there and do everything that we can.”

We’ll keep you updated on how the Hennesey and the Tigers continue to play throughout the remainder of this season.