Lorello: A Different Kind of Football
November 05, 2003 09:58 AM | General
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November 1, 2003
Fate - what a funny thing. Some pursue it. Sometimes, that quest isn't necessary because it knocks right on your front door.
For sophomore Mike Lorello, it knocked him right on his rear end.
Until the eighth grade, Lorello never even thought about football, a surprising notion for a boy who hails from Powell, Ohio, just outside of Columbus, a.k.a., Ohio State Buckeyes country.
Rather than attending Ohio Stadium to watch Ohio State take on Big Ten rivals like Purdue or Michigan, Lorello opted to go there to see his hometown Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer face teams such as D.C. United or the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.
Lorello was a big-time soccer player growing up who led his club team to multiple state championships.
All this until he reached eighth grade and tasted the brunt and brute of a different kind of futebol, the kind with the pigskin and pads. Lorello had been intrigued by the hype and aggression of the game, and frankly, all of his friends were doing it.
So the gritty soccer star tested his luck out, signed up and found himself playing in his first scrimmage.
He would never forget this particular day.
"I got killed out there," admits Lorello. "I just remember all of my friends laying me out because I didn't know how to play, I didn't know how to stay low.
"I'll always, always remember that first scrimmage. It still stands out to this day because I never want to be like that again."
A message to Mike Lorello's dear friends who pasted him to the turf that fateful day: thanks guys - you created a monster.
It wasn't long after that scrimmage before Lorello fell in love with football as he dropped soccer completely after his freshman year of high school. While he still played other sports like basketball and lacrosse, it was evident what game would take him to the next level.
As a senior at Worthington Kilbourne High, he led his team to the state playoffs while recording more than 100 tackles and picking off six passes.
It came time for the fiery defensive back to select an institution to further his education and his football career, and after looking at schools like Duke and Northwestern, he visited WVU and never looked back.
"Morgantown and West Virginia University were really the best fit for me," he says. "I really liked the coaches and the guys on the team. Plus I knew my parents wouldn't have to travel far to see me play."
Though Lorello saw more action on special teams than he did with the starting defense, the defensive back obtained the most valuable experience through repetition in practice.
"Working with the coaches and some of the older players last year really helped me for the future," Lorello says. "Veteran guys like Angel Estrada and Jermaine Thaxton helped me learn the defense. Being at practice, taking as many reps as the first-teamers did, it got me used to that competitive atmosphere."
The coaches and last year's seniors certainly did something right, because all Lorello has done is become one of the top young talents in the BIG EAST conference in his sophomore season.
His impact was felt immediately, as he recorded 12 tackles against nationally-ranked Wisconsin, including four tackles for loss, for the third-best single game TFL performance in Mountaineer history. He was honored with the BIG EAST defensive player of the week award for his efforts.
"Even though we lost, I was happy with my performance especially because it was my first start against a big time team like Wisconsin," he says. "It made me realize I could hold my own against some of the best in the country."
Lorello credits his coaching staff for putting him in the right spot to make critical plays from his bandit safety position.
The bandit position in the Mountaineer defense has duties irregular to any other traditional safety roles in that most of the time, the bandit will play at linebacker level. Still, on certain defensive calls, Lorello will have deep half or deep third coverage, giving the sophomore many diverse responsibilities to remember.
"I think the bandit does a little bit of everything, as far as run support, pass coverage, man coverage," he says. "But I definitely enjoy the position. If I had my choice of position I'd stay at bandit because it's so versatile."
If it was Lorello's choice, a BIG EAST and possibly a national championship would be in his immediate future. Till then, he'll keep working and practicing to make that dream a reality.
Even through the setbacks that his Mountaineer squad has been through during the early part of this season, Lorello is one of those players who can rejuvenate a team and lead it to victory.
After all, it has already been proved that knocking Mike Lorello down will only make him stronger.
Brady Smith is a student assistant in the West Virginia University sports communications office.
