Written by Kaileigh Grieb '25
- Endicott Athletics Student Beat Writer
BEVERLY, Mass. – Nearly 4,000 followers gained, over a million views, and over 200,000 likes accumulated in just its preseason alone has allowed Endicott football to become some sort of a TikTok sensation.
Between posting the behind-the-scenes of media day or participating in trendy challenges, EC football has broken records in its viewership.
But, who's the mastermind behind all of this traction?
Sophomore football team manager, Brooke Hovasse '26 (Burlington, Mass.).
Hovasse is in her second year at Endicott and second year as team manager for the football team.
Described as hardworking, driven, tenacious, joyful to be around, and a natural-born leader, Hovasse has become a vital member of the team.
Her face has become more known around campus, and on social media, for being the director behind many viral TikTok videos filmed in preseason.
Between asking players what their favorite Taylor Swift song is to even small funny challenges in between practice sessions, this account has shown the less serious side of these players.
The numbers have piled up and the fan base has seemingly reached all corners of the country, all thanks to her.
"I was alone here for like two weeks during preseason. So, I was like, I need something to do. So, then I would sit with Quinten Fox (Old Greenwich, Conn.) and Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.) after practice and we would come up with TikTok questions and ideas," recalled Hovasse when asked where her inspiration behind her viral TikToks came from.
Little did she know how viral her ideas would take her and the team, with the most recent video of the team dominating their media day photos being picked up by ESPN College GameDay. The ESPN College GameDay account currently is followed by 1.4 million users on TikTok giving Endicott football plenty of exposure well beyond The Nest.
BEYOND THE SCREEN
But Hovasse has done so much more than create a social media presence for the team. She has put in countless hours of hard work for the Gulls, both on and off the field, all while keeping her head on straight.
Junior team manager Tom Rocco has been a part of the team for three years now. The former player now turned team manager sang high praises in regard to Hovasse stating how the heart and soul of the team falls onto her.
"Brooke has been extremely vital in what we accomplish here at Endicott. As a player, I appreciate her work filming practices for the players to watch every day and get better. As a manager, I am appreciative of the way she works as a leader, informing all the managers of their jobs and making sure they are done right in a compassionate but professional manner," reflected Rocco.
A favorite in all of the coaches' eyes too, it was a given that Hovasse would take EC football by storm with her wittiness and willingness to help out in whatever aspect deemed necessary for the betterment of the team.
"The coaching staff, especially Coach Squalli, would do anything for her. She is not just a manager to them, she is a part of this football family. She is following in the footsteps of another great manager, Eva Forte, and she is doing a great job and the coaches love it. The team absolutely loves her as well. Being the only female on a male-dominated staff/team can be tough, but that honestly does not change the way people treat her or respect her," said Rocco.
The coaching staff has felt this "Brooke Effect" since day one, but emphasized how proud they were of her this year for growing into her new role as head manager for the team.
Head Coach Paul McGonagle has seen team managers come and go over the years, but is especially proud of seeing Brooke step up while being so young.
"Last year she reached out wanting to get involved in athletics. We've probably, since we started here a few years ago, we've kind of had this managerial role where we have some young men that may be a late edition or, 'I wanna be part of it', of a team, but maybe not play football or anything else like that, but want to help," said McGonagle, "To be a manager, you show up on time, you can still lift for the team, you help film, help do whatever is needed. So Brooke, when she came here last year, she lifted with the guys. She's in a lifting group, she's in blues and grays, and helps with all that other stuff. She's been great since day one."
Having been a freshman last year at Endicott, Hovasse followed in the footsteps of previous team manager, Eva Forte. It was through Forte that Hovasse planted her feet on the ground and grew into her role as a head manager for EC football.
From a player's perspective, the impact Hovasse has had both on and off the field has not gone unnoticed.
Juniors Jake Trahan (Merrimack, N.H.) and Tyler Youmans (Oakdale, N.Y.) agreed that Hovasse has done more for the team than give them a social media presence.
"She does a lot for us on the backend. She uploads film for us, and we have these things called Catapults, which she uploads the data for. She helps with practices by running the clock, music, scoreboard, and film. She teaches the other managers, too. She helps them too, keeps kind of everybody on track, and helps the efficiency of our practices. She's got a lot of responsibilities," reflected Trahan when asked about Hovasse's impact.
Youmans agreed with his teammate.
"She's like a little sister, like we would always protect her. We'll always be there for her type of thing and we take on the older brother role. When we see her around, we take care of her. She's like family, she's like one of us. She puts in the same work that we do."
The "Brooke Effect" has reached seemingly all corners of Hempstead Stadium and her hard work and growth in her role as head manager has inspired all around her to work to the best of their own abilities for the team as well as themselves.
Studying sport management, Hovasse's dream is to grow into a football operations role or a sports agent role in the future, but she agreed there's no better way to get there than through EC football.
"I want to get a good internship from this and hopefully that internship turns into a good job. I want to work for either a D1 team or the NFL because I like it so much now that I could see myself doing this forever... I'm almost there. That is the dream," said Hovasse.
And that dream is easily achievable with all the hard work she has put in and how her heart remains in the right place with the EC football program.
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(Photo Credit - Emma Purple '24)
