Click here to get to know Sedona Red Rock High School junior lineman Thomas Zielinski a little better.

Thomas Zielinski
Defensive End, Football

Where are you from?
Sedona.

What sports do you play?
Just football for right now.

What’s the best part about it?
Hitting other people.

What’s the worst part?
Getting hit hard.

Do you have any favorite professional sports teams or athletes?
Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not playing football?
Probably just hang out with my friends and just roam around Sedona and drive around.

Favorite television show?
Probably “Game of Thrones.”

Favorite food?
Pizza.

What do you aspire to be when you’re older?
I want to get my criminal justice degree and then see what that opens up the doors for me for.

What kind of valuable lessons have you learned playing football?
Patience.

Do you have any pregame routines or superstitions?
Don’t eat bananas. Everyone who eats a banana before the game ends up throwing up by halftime.

Who’s been the most influential person in your life?
My brother Stefan. He’s just helped me get through a lot and he pushes me to be a better person and not make the stupid decisions that I usually make.

Is there a memorable game you’ve had in your career?
Probably Friday night [Sept. 8]. That was a good game. Everyone was pumped, there was a huge crowd, people stayed around longer than last year. It was back and forth; I don’t think Red Rock has ever had that high of a scoring game before.