The Observer, November 9, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 10
First Person: Zagorski overcomes injuries for final season as a Spartan
Tommy Zagorski is a senior offensive lineman majoring in sociology. Here he gives his perspective on his five-year journey with the Case football team.
I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat (which is a shocker to anybody who knows, or has ever seen me). It was the day before the start of the 2007 training camp. It had seemed like only yesterday I was snapping to Eli Grant and having Tom Bachey whisper in my ear the correct blocking scheme or listening to the comedic tales of Santo Maimone, Mike Kelley, Mike Cesen, Joe Digeronimo or one of the other upperclassmen that added life to the sometimes difficult locker room. Guys that I came in with: Joe Brenner, Paul Hannen, John Stavlas, Nick Decesare, Jason Fronczak, Chris Kerr, and James Rosenbury, were gone. I watched them walk with their parents back in November of '06 on Senior Day from the coaches' box. The guys in my class I had come to know as teammates had moved on, Tom Brew was the only guy left in my class opting to take the fifth year with me and the rest of the Spartans. I recall standing in line for physicals and looking at how much the people had changed.
There were guys who last year only knew me as a coach that were now considered teammates and only the seniors this year I had ever really played with. I had sat out the majority of the '05 season with an ankle injury that got worse every time I attempted to play on it, and sat out all of the '06 season with head problems that were believed to have stemmed from previous concussions. I had not played football in almost two years and I wasn't sure how I would be able to handle the wear and tear of the season. I recalled sitting at home staring at books, attempting to study, yet all I could think about was how much I missed football. I was blessed that the coaching staff let me stay around in a coaching capacity, but knowing those guys out there that I was coaching were my age, the guys I came in with, made it hard to watch. I prayed every night that the good Lord would give me one more shot, one more opportunity to put on the pads and be a Spartan one more time. He did.
Camp came and I have to admit I was a glutton for the punishment. I loved every second of it, as I have loved every second of this season. I remember telling coach Dereck Slesh in the middle of camp that this is going to be something special. The first game of the season was against Oberlin and right before the game I thanked coach Greg Debeljak and coach Mickey Illiano for the opportunity to play again. We rolled over the Yeomen that day and it began a trend that we have been riding all season: winning. As the season went on and the wins began to pile up I looked around the locker room and began to conjure up new memories of Spartan football. I looked around at my fellow hogs, and these were guys whose faces became a lot more familiar. I was now celebrating wins with guys like Bobby Bott, Ben Chelbina, Angelo Mirando, Trevor Shaver, Mike Tuertscher, Chris Wolfe, Dan Foti, Matt Langston, Shaun Nicely, Marcus Kluzcynski, Corey Silvi, Sam Coffey, Ryan Kolesar and many more. I was laughing after practice with Ryan Breon, Scott Chelbina, Gian Genovesi, Nick Spring, Brandon Jeffries, DJ Suitca, Brian Webster, Drew Dixon, William Qaqish, Erritt Sinkko and others. I was helping up Corey Checkan, Dan Whalen, Chris Center, Greg Meyer, Jake Mey, Jeff Brown, Mike Pelyak, Tim Cowdrick, Lee Sasala and the other Spartans after the play. I was walking out to the coin toss with John Tiemeier and Tom Brew, not other guys I had previously been a captain with. These were the new Spartans.
The faces may have changed but the pride has stayed the same. As I celebrated with the new breed of Spartans, the old were there to cheer us on and congratulate us as champions. The sweetest breakdown of my football career took place on Saturday at Case Stadium as we chanted "UAA champs!" I will never forget the men I called teammates, but more importantly the men today I call not only teammates, but fellow champions.
