Sports
VIDEO: D1 Football Player Helps Local Students Make it Big
One-stop-shop for high school football players looking to play at next level.
Making it to division-I college football wasn't easy for Paul Szczesny, so he's trying to make it easier on up-and-coming local football players. He's doing it through his Core 6 Athletes program, which the Niles native founded in 2009. Szczesny helped six high school prospects sign D-I scholarships in the class of 2011 and projects he will see 20 more in the class of 2012.
Szczesny runs Core 6 Athletes out of the building in Deerfield and has built his roster from two athletes in 2009 to 84 athletes in 2011. His goal is to not only provide physical training needed to perform at the next level, but also provide the recruiting tools necessary for local players to get recognized.
“We want these guys to get scholarships and get some of the opportunities that we had,” Szczesny said. “But beyond that, we want them to succeed in college as well.”
Find out what's happening in Deerfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After graduating from Niles Notre Dame High School in 2002, Szczesny spent two years at Pima Junior College before jumping to the Big-10 and playing for Indiana University. Now, Szczesny is using his contacts in the Big-10 and elsewhere to help ensure that his players are seen by the right people.
Conant High School senior offensive tackle Paul Perschon is one of Szczesny's students who has reaped the rewards of his recruiting tactics. “As soon as I started coming here, I started getting heavily looked at by colleges,” Perschon said. “Within the first month Toledo offered me (a scholarship) and then right after that I had Eastern Michigan and Wyoming.”
Find out what's happening in Deerfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Szczesny is also currently working with some of the top recruits in the country, including Dan Voltz of Barrington, the top offensive line prospect in the nation who has already committed to Wisconsin. Other elite players who are part of Core 6 Athletes include Lake Forest defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie (#1 DT in the state), Lincolnway East wide receiver JJ Robertson (committed to University of Illinois), and Crete Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer (committed to University of Michigan).
For more on Core 6 Athletes and its founder, click on the video link above.
