After working past the hurt of loss, Haverford’s Nate Shoemaker exhibits heart of a winner
HAVERFORD — Nate Shoemaker was involved in many sports when he was little. Football, baseball and basketball were his top three.
After his seventh-grade season for St. Dorothy in Drexel Hill, the now-Haverford High senior stopped playing the sport he loved most. As he began his freshman year in 2020, football was in the rearview mirror.
Three years earlier, Shoemaker’s biggest fan, his dad Kevin, died unexpectedly. Nate didn’t know how to proceed in his young life, and playing sports seemed like a waste of time. There were days he couldn’t get out of bed, struggling with depression and the ache in the pit of his stomach: missing his father.
Shoemaker, along with his older brothers Tyler and Colin, also knew he had to be more present at home for his mom, Kim. Eventually, he got the courage to try out for the baseball team his freshman year. By August 2021, going into his sophomore year, Shoemaker realized he had to give football another shot.
“My dad always did love watching me play sports. That was kind of why I stopped, because I felt it would be too upsetting,” Shoemaker said after football practice Monday evening. “But I also know what he would have wanted from me. He never could get to see me play a lot because he worked so much, so now I know he can watch me play every single day during practice and in all of the games. So, I thought, I might as well let him watch me.”
At 5-8, 170 pounds, Shoemaker is far from the biggest player on the field. But nobody has ever questioned his heart and toughness. During summer football practice in 2021, he immediately caught the attention of Fords head coach Luke Dougherty and assistant coach Joe Powel.
“I remember it like it was yesterday. Nate beat (offensive lineman) Mike Powel, right on this field over here,” Dougherty said. “Mike, who was our best O-lineman, is 6-2, 290 and Nate beat him on eight straight plays. Joe Powel said, ‘If we can’t stop this kid, we’ll start him on defense.’ Nate never gave up his spot after that afternoon practice in August.”
Shoemaker is a three-year starting middle linebacker for the Fords.
“We tested him his junior year. We had Justin Marciano and some other guys we wanted to get in there, and we were thinking maybe we would move Nate to the outside,” Dougherty said. ‘But Nate came to us and said, ‘No way, I’m an inside backer, this is where I play.’ He knew, as a little dude, he had to keep up on every play. And that is what we did. He’s had a chip on his shoulder, always looking to prove other people how good he is.”
Shoemaker remembers feeling intimidated his first few days as the new kid on the team.
“But once I got the pads back on, it felt great … and it instantly clicked,” he said. “I just wanted to get out there on scout team, play my game and show what I can do. It was a huge surprise (earning a starting spot). I thought I would be fighting for a job on the JV squad.”
In addition to being a co-captain and leader of the defense, Shoemaker has emerged as the team’s top running back this season. On Sept. 8, Shoemaker exploded for 102 yards and a touchdown to help the Fords claim what would be their lone win of the season, a 27-8 decision over Chichester.
“I always loved running the ball, but I knew I had to put a lot of work into it,” he said. “I love touching the ball and getting the chance to hit people.”
He has excelled on both sides of the ball. Although the Fords have experienced a difficult season, sitting with a 1-8 record going into Thursday’s Thanksgiving showdown with Upper Darby (1-8), Shoemaker has enjoyed every moment of being with his teammates, who he says are “my best friends.”
“This is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “I’m super excited for Thursday because this is the biggest game of the year, obviously, and it’s the last one with this team. We want to give it our all.”
In October, the Fords hosted their “Fords Fight for Life” night where they honor a family member or friend who is fighting or fought an illness or disability. Shoemaker bravely stood up before his teammates and shared his experiences with depression and why he plays football to honor his dad.
“They’re my brothers and I always want them to know what is going on with me,” Shoemaker said. “Also, there’s a million other families dealing with what I deal with, especially in this community. Mine is just a little small part of what this community deals with.”
Long before he became head coach of the Fords, Dougherty was a camp counselor in the Haverford community. Shoemaker was one of his pupils back in the day. Dougherty has a picture hanging in his classroom of Shoemaker and other current and former players at camp as youngsters. In the picture Shoemaker is sporting a mohawk.
“He’s someone I’ve known since he was six-years-old, this fun little kid with a lot of energy,” Dougherty said. “I’ll always take away, first and foremost, that he is one of the toughest kids we’ve ever had around here in so many ways. He is a model student, he’s a model citizen, and he does everything we have ever asked him to do. In terms of guys who trust the process, and who know that it’s about more than wins and losses and know that it’s about working hard every day and showing up for your teammates, he checks every box. He’s gritty … It’s what I tell college coaches who come in: don’t let his size discourage you, he will be on the field sooner rather than later. In terms of his overall toughness, that’s what we’ll miss most about Nate. He’s been through a lot and he’s never stopped working.”
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