Earlier this year, Wachusett students showed up in large numbers for a highly anticipated football game against Leominster. At the center of the excitement was AJ Greene, a popular YouTube content creator known for covering high school football.
“I thought it was Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. I was a little disappointed,” joked Assistant Principal Josue Delgado.
Greene creates football-related content primarily on YouTube and frequently highlights high school athletes across the country.
“I was told I had to watch the video,” Delgado said. “It looked awesome.”
Many students shared positive reactions to Greene’s presence.
“I didn’t know he was going to be there, but I liked that he was,” said sophomore Ben Hurd. “We were painted as the underdogs, and it was probably the best game I’ve been to.”
Other students, however, felt differently.
“I feel like he gets a little overhyped. He gets people overwhelmed,” said freshman Dylan Devault. “But I think the video was good. I liked how we were shown and how we were discovered through our play.”
While some students expressed criticism, others felt Greene handled the event professionally.
“I thought he did well following the game and being supportive of both sides,” Delgado said. “He did the best he could.”
Still, skepticism remained among some viewers.
“He’s getting unknown players out there, which is good, but his video was kind of whack,” said senior Kaden Sierra. “Being there in the moment was more hype than watching it afterward.”
Greene also has a connection to Leominster’s three-star quarterback Osiris Lopez, having produced three videos featuring him and the Blue Devils. Although Greene often highlights Lopez’s talent, Wachusett’s performance showed a different side of the quarterback.
Junior Drew Campobasso shared concerns about Greene’s coverage.
“I think he really liked Osiris, and he made sure Osiris wasn’t in the wrong,” Campobasso said.
Assistant football coach and study hall monitor Jacob Toomey also shared his perspective on Greene.
“I only knew him from students,” Toomey said.
Toomey noted specific aspects of Greene’s video that stood out.
“It was an electric game,” he said. “As someone who watches a lot of film, I thought some of AJ’s camera angles were really cool, especially Dan Greaney’s fumble recovery for a touchdown. Beyond being the loud, exciting YouTube guy, he contributes a lot to youth sports around the country on his own time.”
Toomey ultimately felt Greene’s presence was a positive one.
“I thought overall he did a good job with the game,” Toomey said. “He didn’t intervene on the sideline and wasn’t a big distraction for the team during the game.”
Here’s the link to the game footage: Wachusett vs Leominster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77sasHtYnPE
