Mayszak chooses Truman State
After years of trying to beat the Bulldogs -- which he did this year in Geneva's 14-12 victory that capped their 9-0 regular season -- Michael Mayszak will be joining them.
That's the Truman State Bulldogs, a Division II school, located in Kirksville, Mo.
Mayszak, who quarterbacked Geneva to a school-tying 11 wins this year, will get the chance to continue his career as a quarterback at Truman State.
Now it's just getting used to telling his friends he's a Bulldog.
"It will be tough to say that at the beginning," Mayszak said.
After looking at between 10-20 colleges, Mayszak narrowed his choices to Truman, Augustana and Valparaiso.
Mayszak chose a school that relies a lot on its quarterback. Truman State runs a shotgun, 4-wide receiver spread offense. Bulldogs coaches were impressed with Mayszak's transition to quarterback at Geneva and the athleticism he has at that position.
He will be competing for the backup spot behind a senior three-year starter.
"I've always wanted to play in (the spread)," said Mayszak.
Mayszak is the third straight Geneva quarterback to graduate and play college football, following Alex Pokorny (now a wide receiver at Wheaton College) and Shaun Ratay (who has transferred to Illinois State).
Mayszak is the only one of those three to play just one year of quarterback at Geneva, but he proved he is a quick learner. After a standout year at wide receiver as a junior while also making some key plays in the Geneva secondary, Mayszak took over at quarterback this year and shined.
He didn't throw an interception through Geneva's first six wins. He led the team to their fourth straight conference championship and the Class 7A quarterfinals, where his season ended in the first quarter when he broke his collarbone at East St. Louis.
Mayszak is now fully recovered from surgery to repair his collarbone. He's working out with Jeff Christensen, a quarterback coach whose son Jake plays quarterback at Iowa and who helped Mayszak make the transition last year from wide receiver to quarterback.
"It was great up until the last play," Mayszak said of his senior year. "All the guys, everyone liked each other, we had a great year, and we played well."
Mayszak will study accounting, one of the main reasons he picked Truman State.
"Their (football) program was on the rise, and they have a strong academic program in what I was interested in," Mayszak said.
Truman State just completed its 100th year of football. A victory in their final game gave the Bullodgs a 6-5 record, their 70th winning season. They compete in the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association).
Truman originally recruited Mayszak as a wide receiver from his watching tape from his junior year, but after seeing his quarterback tape he became their top quarterback prospect. Coaches liked his improvement during the season, his upside at quarterback, his vision, and having a player who can make plays when things break down.
"I'd be happy playing either," Mayszak said. "They know if QB doesn't work out, they know I could make the switch to wide receiver."