Perennial Connecticut state championship contender Greenwich is 4-0 and looks like its usual dominant self.
While the program regularly rolls out outstanding athletes and has throughout its history – its most notable alum is Steve Young – Peter and George Vomvolakis are creating their own brotherly legacy.
Peter is the bigger but younger brother (a junior) playing on both sides of the line, while George – who’s also a team captain – is the older one and plays both running back and cornerback. They made the rare decision nowadays to stay in the public system despite plenty of opportunities to flock to one of the elite private schools in the area.
It’s an almost unheard of decision in the 2023 landscape that head coach Anthony Morello acknowledges isn’t an easy one, but speaks volumes about what the two think of the program and what type of kids they are.
In a time where tradition means as little as ever, these guys are throwbacks.
“There were other schools, private schools around the area recruiting these two when they were going into high school and they made the decision to be Greenwich High School Cardinals,” Morello said in a recent phone interview. “You never have to worry about their commitment to their school and their team. They’ve stuck to that throughout everything. Through Covid, a missed season and everything, they are as trustworthy and dependable as anybody I’ve ever come across.”
“Our coaches, football program and community are awesome,” echoed George. “I feel so fortunate to be coached by Coach Morello. He cares about teaching us safety and bringing the game to the next level. There are many coaches in our program who played football in college and high school and they try to teach us everything they know and support us. Not only to have a great season, but to try and prepare us for the next level. They care about us personally, know our families and support us in school. Peter and I were approached by many prep schools but we always chose to stay at Greenwich High School. Our program has such great athletes and an amazing history of tradition. Former players HOF Steve Young and John Sullivan still support our program. We also have the most amazing support from our community. The Thanksgiving day football game is the biggest tradition in town. It’s amazing to see all our families and former Greenwich High School football Alumni come out to that game. So many former football players are wearing their football letterman jackets from 20 and 30 years ago. Peter and I are really proud to play for Greenwich High School alongside our amazing teammates and keep all our traditions going.”
“I chose to stay at my public high school instead of private schools for many reasons. The coaching staff at Greenwich High School is amazing,” Peter added. “Coach Morello and Coach Bruce Cunningham – my offensive line coach – have not only made me a better football player, but a better student and person. Playing high school football with kids that you grew up and played youth sports with is an amazing experience. We now share stories about playing tackle football as a 4th grader in the schoolyard and winning a Connecticut state championship at Rentschler Field.”
Both guys are truly elite, with George looking at Wagner, Fordham, Bucknell, Holy Cross and Bryant currently and Peter in contact with Boston College, Wake Forest, Costal Carolina and Army for now.
“I’ve been going to college camps since last summer to get in front of coaches and show them how I can help their team with my abilities,” George said in a recent interview. “Playing college ball is a dream for both of us.”
“I would love to play on the same college football team as my brother,” Peter said.
“Connecticut has turned out a whole bunch of FBS starters, we have a lot of Connecticut players that are playing in the NFL right now,” added Morello. “I definitely think this state has caught the eyes of a lot of big programs that aren’t 100 miles away, but further than that. It’s an underrated state. What we lack in size compared to other states – especially South of us – the kids make up for it with intangibles. Coachability. The game isn’t slowing down anymore. You’re getting high IQ football players that can be worked into a more complex system at all three levels…I know how special Connecticut High School football is for so many people.”
The Vomvolakis brothers have been inseparable for their entire lives as Morello can attest to having taught them at a young age.
“I had the pleasure of teaching them when they were in elementary school and they were always together,” he said. “No matter what they were doing, it was always together. One of them as a blocker, one of them as the runner made for great backyard workouts together.”
Things were slightly different during the younger years with those backyard drills, but both expressed just how meant last year’s state championship game experience meant when asked about their favorite memories together.
“My favorite youth football memory with my brothers was every day doing the Oklahoma drill in my backyard. (Younger brother) Nicholas was the running back. I was the offensive lineman while my brother George played defense,” Peter explained. “In high school my favorite memory with my brother is winning the Connecticut state championship game in 2022.
“My favorite memory of playing together is definitely last year’s Connecticut State Championship game,” added George. “Peter was a sophomore and I was a junior. Our team was getting better and better during the season and we knew we were going to be real tough to beat going into that game. It was amazing playing under the lights in UConn’s stadium with my teammates. The entire town supported us and even though it was freezing cold, parents, grandparents, students and hundreds of people from our community came out to support our team. Peter and the entire offensive line did an amazing job blocking for me. We all gave everything that night and the result was a title.”
The competition level – as you’d expect between brothers – is always high, which ultimately drives other players on the Greenwich roster to up their level every day in practice too.
“They’ve been tremendously instrumental,” Morello – a class of ’05 alum who’s seen plenty of great players go through the program – said of the brothers’ impact on recent success. “They’re both vocal leaders. George is a captain this year. The only reason Peter’s not a captain is we only have seniors as captains, but he’s also one of our best leaders on this football team. They lead by example. In the offseason they’re at all the workouts, they’re assisting younger developmental guys in the weight room in addition to taking care of themselves. They promote themselves positively as well as their teammates on social media. They do everything the right way and they’re both 3.5 GPA or better students.
“Now, they push each other. You hear them going back-and-forth when we’re in a thud period or an inside run period, Peter will be yelling at George ‘you gotta hit that hole harder!’ and George will get on Peter’s case as well. They raise the competition level of everyone around them every single day at practice.”
Next weekend, if you’re at the Greenwich game against Darien and see No.’s 73 and 6 dominating, just know they’re living the high school football dream while doing it. You’re probably also watching two guys who will be talked about with some of the greats in program lore for years to come.
“It is an amazing experience playing high school football in Greenwich with my older brother and (Nicholas) who is on the freshman team,” Peter said when asked how much this experience has meant to them. “I enjoy watching my brother follow my blocks and run for touchdowns.”
“It means everything,” added George. “Peter and I are so close in age, we have all the same friends and we have been playing football together since we were little kids. We have never been on different teams in high school. My freshman year was a COVID year and I was brought up to varsity my sophomore year. Peter was brought up to varsity his freshman year, so we have always played together in high school. It has been so incredible to be on this team, with all our amazing coaches and teammates. Sometimes, I can’t believe it has gone so fast and I am in my senior season. My goal is to support all my teammates as captain, do a great job on the field and enjoy my senior season with Peter and all the players on this team.”