Prospect's Lewis sees future at Miami
Zach Lewis reaped a big benefit for helping Prospect quarterback Steve Dazzo put together an impressive highlight-reel football season.
After Miami University in Ohio saw Dazzo's film, the coaches also saw something they liked in Lewis, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound senior all-conference tackle.
Lewis ended up receiving a full scholarship offer which he verbally accepted right before the Knights' playoff opener a month ago. The signing day for football letters of intent is Feb. 2, 2011.
“I was very surprised,” Lewis said. “Out of nowhere they called and said they saw my film.
“I had just sent out all my film that Monday and got a call from Miami. I said, ‘How did you get my film already' and they said, ‘We saw you on Steve's' film.'”
Lewis was a key part up front for one of the area's most prolific offenses after rarely playing as a junior. He had received calls from South Dakota State and Drake but Miami was his first Division I scholarship offer.
Lewis visited the campus after the regular-season finale with Buffalo Grove. His host was Prospect graduate and redshirt sophomore Matt Kennedy, a two-year starter on the offensive line for the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division champions.
Lewis said the Miami coaching staff recruited him to play offensive tackle.
“I loved everything about it, a new program and new coaches,” Lewis said. “The education is top-notch with the sixth-best business program in the nation.”
Miami was on Lewis' radar because he wants to study business. He has a 4.0 grade point average on a 5.0 scale and scored 23 on the ACT.
Lewis will also be joining a football program that has made one of country's biggest turnarounds under second-year coach Michael Haywood. Miami is playing Northern Illinois for the MAC title at Detroit's Ford Field on Friday after going 1-11 last year.
“I see this as a program that's going to be very, very good,” said Lewis, who will be going to Detroit to watch the MAC championship. “A lot of hard work went into this and I'm very happy.”