Cole Zaccarelli spent nearly every weekend this past summer at college football camps.
One of those camps paid off — in a big way for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School senior.
“At one of the camps a former Baltimore Ravens player saw me play,” Zaccarelli said. “I don’t know which camp it was at though.”
The former player thought Zaccarelli would be a good fit for the Blue-Grey All-American Football Bowl game.
The Blue-Grey was established in 1989 to help prep prospects receive national exposure.
Currently, Blue-Grey Football hosts 20 All-American Combines at venues all over the country where Blue-Grey staff, including NFL veterans and scouts, evaluate recruits. Recruits who do well are then invited to participate in the All-American Bowl game.
The bowl games are held in three NFL venues: AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys), Raymond James Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Buccanneers) and TIAA Bank Field (home of the Jacksonville Jaguars).
Zaccarelli was invited to play at the All-American Bowl game to be held in Dallas on Dec. 17.
Zaccarelli said he received a direct message on Twitter earlier this month indicating the Blue-Grey was interested in him and asked him for statistics, information about his school and highlights. Zaccarelli said that gave him an idea he may be selected.
“The actual paperwork came in Friday of the Bloomington Central Catholic game,” he said.
Zaccarelli said that he went that evening, after SJO beat BCC 42-21 to improve to 3-0 heading into this Friday’s 7 p.m. home game against Unity, and most of Saturday not knowing about the paperwork until his parents decided they needed to talk about it.
“Once I found out I was chosen for it I was very excited, but I know I need to focus primarily on the rest of my senior year, “ he said. “I have put in a ton of work from the end of wrestling season last year up until now, and at one point, football started to feel more like a job than anything else, so it was nice to have the rewarding feeling.”
Zaccarelli said his parents were excited, but his mother was concerned with how they would pay for the trip to Dallas.
“She set me down and told me if I wanted to do this,” he said, “I needed to go out and figure out ways to raise money.”
Zaccarelli has already received a donation, and The Wheelhouse in St. Joseph has also pledged a donation.
Zaccarelli works at Scratch in downtown and they are planning a fundraiser dinner.
Fellow SJO student Aiden Coon is also working on a T-shirt with proceeds going to Zaccarelli.
“Once I put it on social media, I received lots of love from my teammates, but I let them know I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now without them pushing me in practice every day, and that there is still work to do,” Zaccarelli said. “Conner Hodge and Aiden Coon are doing tons to help me raise money and spread the word.”
Zaccarelli has played in all three games so far this season and has eight tackles, seven assists, three sacks and has caused one fumble.
SJO football head coach Shawn Skinner said Zaccarelli is a team player who is willing to do whatever the team needs.
“He’s been a key part in selling our players on some of the changes we have instituted in the weight room, conditioning and philosophy,” Skinner said.
Skinner said Zaccarelli has a strong work ethic and that has helped make him successful.
“He is the first guy in the weight room, cleans up the weight room, cleans the locker room, makes sure he is accountable to his teammates and coaches and wants to be the leader all the players look up to,” Skinner said. “He is willing to speak up when things need to be addressed and will stand up and admit if he’s not performing up to standards.”
Skinner said he has watched Zaccarelli work to make changes from a health and strength standpoint over the course of a year.
“Bottom line is he just decided to be better in the weight room, on the field (and with) his diet,” Skinner said. “He just didn’t want to not do things right and have a regret of it.”
Zaccarelli said he would love to play football in college and currently has two scholarship offers, one from Robert Morris University in Chicago and one from Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. He said his goal is to play Division I FCS football.
“My favorite thing about football is definitely the emotions you get to experience with your best friends throughout a game,” he said. “Whether it is good or bad, you know you have brothers on the field that will always have your back, and there’s nothing else like it.”
Especially with how the Spartans are playing so far this season heading into Friday’s game against rival Unity.
“Everyone should come out and support the team against Unity this Friday,” Zaccarelli said.
