Foote Ball: Southern Boosted by the Return of Senior Levi Foote

Levi Foote was standing on Ron Emmert Field and watching the Southern Regional Class of 2026 graduate in June when he came to a realization. 

He had decided not to play football his junior year in order to focus on wrestling, but the tug of the gridiron was hard to resist. 

“I realized that I missed the sport that I purely enjoyed,” Foote said. “I was at graduation, sitting on the field, and I stood up for the national anthem. It was at the same time that a football game would be, and looking at that flag, hearing that anthem, that feeling I missed so much of getting ready to play a football game, that’s when I realized I wanted to come back.” 

Former defensive coordinator Matt Abbato had just taken over(opens in new tab) for legendary coach Chuck Donohue Sr. after Donohue’s retirement. At the top of his to-do list was talking to Foote. 

“One of my first things was to go have a conversation with Levi and tell him, ‘We really want you back, we can find a way to work it out with your wrestling schedule,’” Abbato said. “After the Fourth of July, he calls me and says, ‘I want to play football, is No. 3 available?’ I said, ‘It is now.’”

Foote, who played at 190 pounds as a sophomore, returned as a 215-pound senior defensive end, as well as a punishing running back who complements junior Niko Iliescu. 

“For one, I was grateful,” Foote said. “(Abbato) never seemed offended by my decision of quitting (as a junior), which made it a lot easier to come back. I almost felt honored, and that fire was reignited. I missed hitting people.” 

He returned to play in big games like the one that Southern (4-0), ranked No. 7 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, has coming up on Friday. The Rams will go on the road for a matchup of unbeatens against No. 2 Donovan Catholic (4-0) for sole possession of first place in Class A South. 

“I enjoy facing the best competition,” he said. “I respect them, they’re a really good team, but I also think we’re really good. It will be fun.” 

A Wrestling Star Returns

Foote’s focus on wrestling paid off with him winning District 30 and Region 5 titles at 190 pounds last winter and reaching the fourth round of wrestlebacks at the state championships in Atlantic City. 

He also was a key cog on a powerhouse Southern squad that won its fourth straight Group 5 team title. 

Foote announced on Sept. 16 that he has verbally committed to Davidson for wrestling. You don’t usually see a Division 1-caliber athlete who left to focus on one sport make a return to being a multi-sport athlete. 

“I did achieve my goal of improving a lot in wrestling,” Foote said. “What made my decision a little bit easier was I saw all the work the boys were putting in. I was still friends with a lot of kids on the football team, and I just saw how much they were all improving.” 

Foote joined a Rams squad coming off a nine-win season, a division title and a trip to the sectional semifinals. They returned a host of All-Shore standouts, including senior quarterback Carson Abbato, wideout Chris Raub and junior twins Lukas and Niko Iliescu, the last two of whom are multi-sport stars themselves as lacrosse standouts. 

The Rams also were moving up from Class B South to their traditional home in the stacked Class A South, where five of the six teams are currently ranked in the SSI Top 12. They needed Foote to bring that hard-nosed edge on both sides of the ball. 

“Having him with the A South schedule being brutal is such a tremendous asset with his physicality,” Matt Abbato said. 

Foote said he was “a little rusty” in Southern’s first two games as he tried to get back into football mode. 

His breakout game came last week in a 21-14 win over No. 10 Point Boro in which he had seven tackles, two for a loss, and ran for 84 yards on just six carries. His day included an unbelievable 52-yard touchdown run(opens in new tab) in which he shed three tacklers, carrying one on his back at one point. 

“Point Boro is a really good team, so I thought I have to make my own opportunities because I might not get an open gap that’s perfect,” Foote said. “I remember shedding a tackle, then a kid hopped on top of me, but he was light enough that I could keep running, and then Jayden Krug blocked about four guys on that play, so he helped me shed the last two tacklers. It was a cool moment because this is my first year starting at running back.” 

Foote credits his ability to stay on his feet as a runner to the balance he has gained from his training as a wrestler. 

“I couldn’t believe he was still up,” Abbato said about the run. “The crazy thing about him, and he showed it on that run, he has really good speed. He pulled away from the defensive backs. Nobody thinks he has that type of speed and it sneaks up on people.”

Foote has averaged 12.1 yards every time he has touched the ball this season between rushing and receiving. Defensively, he has 18 tackles, three for a loss, and a sack in three games.  

“I really thought this week he shook off the rust,” Abbato said. “He played with good leverage, he got to the ball well, and he was physical up front.”

Despite not playing last year, Foote has also become a respected presence in the locker room. 

“I’ve always been a leader,” Foote said. “I’m vice president of my class and was captain of the wrestling team last year and this year. That role comes naturally, but what helped me was my teammates being very accepting. They were willing to work with me. It’s not like an obligation, it’s an opportunity. I want to exert my strengths, and I know that’s where I can rally a team.” 

One thing Foote wanted to bring from wrestling to the football field was the mentality of dreaming big. Southern’s football team has never won an NJSIAA sectional title in its history. Foote has been a three-time Group 5 champion as a wrestler, and he thinks there’s no reason the Rams shouldn’t push for an overall Group 5 title in football despite that seeming outlandish to those outside the program. 

“If I were to join our team, I wanted our goal to be state champs, to be the highest goal you could set,” he said. “I don’t want to settle for anything less. That’s what we’re preached in wrestling. After every practice, every lift, it’s always ‘Group 5 state champs!’ I’ve brought that over to our team, but our team itself has brought that part out, and we have our eyes in the right place.” 

Foote still fits in some wrestling workouts during football season to keep his skills sharp, but he’s glad he decided to put on the helmet and pads one last time. 

“I love being part of a group of people who are driven to be their very best,” he said.

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com