From Innsbruck to Davis High: Austrian exchange student continues his love for football in the States

PHOTO: Davis High football team on the sideline

By Sofia Alvarado

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

David Seftner is a junior at Davis Senior High School. He is currently on the DHS football team. Seftner is from Innsbruck, Austria and is visiting Davis through the exchange program called CAMPS. 

It has always been one of Seftner’s dreams to play American football in the U.S. “It has always been a childhood dream of mine to play high school football, so it’s really nice to fulfill that,”  Seftner said.

Currently he plays defensive end which keeps the play on the inside where there will be more help from teammates and also defensive tackle which puts pressure on the quarterback and stops offensive players who are heading up towards the line of scrimmage.

Seftner started playing football around the age of 8 years old, and played for about half a year of football before coming to the U.S. “My favorite moment of playing football as a kid was scoring a touchdown, I was about 10 years old,” Seftner said. 

Seftner played flag football back in Austria. “The hype around football here is totally different compared to Austria, players are stronger that’s for sure,”Seftner said.  

Seftner’s favorite American football team is the 49ers, he models his plays from Nick Bosa likes analyzing his skills he puts in his games, “He’s a very skillful player and I like to watch his clips to learn new moves,” Seftner said. 

Seftner also played different sports other than football in Austria. He was on a swimming team for some time and also was on the ski team in Austria. Seftner is considering trying out for the swim team this spring. 

When Seftner first came to DHS he felt very comfortable with the football team, “I’ve met a lot of great guys on the football team, and they’ve become my best friends,” Seftner said. 

His two favorite games of the season were Oakmont and Homecoming, “It was our first win of the season and everyone was cheering in the stands, we also got a party bus,” Seftner said. 

Seftner looked up to senior AJ Hasson who plays defensive tackle and tight-end. “AJ Hasson, he’s committed to Washington state now and he’s a person I admire,” Seftner said. 

Seftner really enjoyed the season overall, and being a part of a supportive team. “My most memorable experiences with the team were the Pasta Feeds on Thursday nights. It was a great opportunity for team building and making friends. My host parents Karen and Dave would also help out at the pasta feeds,” Seftner said.