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a community engagement initiative of Momence CUSD #1
Le’Anthony Reasnover considers his senior year at Momence as a period of self-discovery. Without the support he received from his coaches and teachers during his final year of high school, he likely wouldn’t have graduated college or played football for Eureka College. And without his college experience and the impact he made on the Momence coaching staff, he wouldn’t have later gotten the opportunity to play American Football in Europe as a running back for the Kuopio Steelers.
The Momence Community shaped me into who I am. I’m super grateful for the whole experience.
Principal Anderson, Mr. Cherry, and Coach Fox molded me and helped me build into who I am today. The Momence community shaped me into who I am. I’m super grateful for the whole experience, especially my senior year,” shares Le’Anthony.
By Barry Engelhardt
A 2015 graduate of Momence, he shares that he entered his senior year without direction. A three-sport athlete, he says he ‘found himself,’ ultimately deciding to attend Eureka College because one of his role models, Coach Fox, was an alumnus. At Eureka, he played football and studied criminology and sociology, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Le’Anthony played football, basketball, and track. He admits that he wasn’t always the best of students, academically. “I always had a sense of my own thoughts and knew what I wanted out of life. Those male figures at school, they really molded me. Them never giving up on me; that was huge. That’s what pushed me to the finish line.”
After college, Le’Anthony moved to Arizona to join his best friend, also a Momence graduate. He worked at a behavioral health facility and took two years off football. But he missed athletics and decided to try out for the Arizona Rattler’s indoor football team. While he didn’t make the team, the experience stuck with him. Reflecting upon the experience, he concluded that he hadn’t been physically or mentally prepared and promised himself that he would return six months later, ready to play.
While preparing for his second Rattlers tryout, one of his Momence football coaches asked if he’d be interested in playing American football in Europe. And this time, he was ready, which is evident by Le’Anthony talking to us from Rotterdam, Netherlands, where he’s in offseason training. He’s preparing for his third season with Kuopio.
Le’Anthony shares that his mother, Katina Hankins, is a constant source of inspiration, and his older brother, Maurice, supplies the tough love. Even today, they work through the difference in time zones to stream his games live. He shares that his brother is the first to inquire about his workout routines but also the first to point out when he might not have been pushing hard enough.
He has a message for Momence’s youth from half a world away. He shares that after the 2018 NFL draft, he temporarily lost belief in himself. It was one of his biggest mistakes, which he wanted to keep others from making.
Le’Anthony shares that “Whatever you believe is what you believe in. No one can know what’s in your mind. Your purpose is your purpose. What you believe in, we need that. Whatever you bring to the table is what we need in the world. No one will ever define you. You define you.”
A proud Momence alumnus, he smiles and adds that we should “love where we’re from. It’s home.”
