Prospect's Dazzo hits it off with Dartmouth
Steve Dazzo originally wanted to deliver big hits in college with a baseball bat.
But he started to have a different outlook after his junior football season at Prospect. A senior season where he received Daily Herald All-Area honors and was named Mid-Suburban East co-offensive player of the year strengthened his change of direction.
Now Dazzo is headed to Dartmouth College in the Ivy League after giving the program a verbal commitment on Tuesday.
"Once this season got going I realized how much I loved football," Dazzo said, "and I wanted it to be a part of my life for the next four years."
The 6-foot, 205-pound Dazzo will also be trying to dish out hits instead of avoiding them. He was recruited to Dartmouth as a defensive back, which isn't unfamiliar territory since he split time at cornerback and linebacker in his junior year.
Giving up the allure of playing quarterback wasn't easy. Columbia pursued him and Indiana State offered him a scholarship at a position where he he rushed for 1,476 yards and 23 touchdowns and passed for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns this fall.
"That made my decision extremely difficult, but what it came down to is I wanted to play football," said Dazzo, who visited Dartmouth two weekends ago and Columbia last weekend. "The opportunity to get on the field was available sooner at Dartmouth.
"I liked the college feel of it and the guys on the team and the coaches are awesome. The football program is awesome and I enjoyed the school while I was out there."
Dartmouth went 6-4 last season for its first winning finish in 13 years. Dazzo, who has a 4.8 grade-point average and scored 30 on the ACT, plans to study economics.
"Academics have always been a really high priority for me," Dazzo said. "I thought, what could be better than to go to a great school and play great football, too?"
Eckert has big options: Big strides by Prospect offensive lineman Payton Eckert between his junior and senior seasons is about to lead to a big payoff.
The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Eckert has received a scholarship offer from Indiana and is scheduled to visit the Bloomington campus this weekend, according to former Prospect head coach Brent Pearlman.
Last weekend, Eckert visited Michigan State, which is also expected to make an offer, according to Pearlman. Connecticut is also one of the top suitors for Eckert.
Prospect senior offensive lineman Zach Lewis made a verbal commitment to Miami (Ohio) in late October.
Pearlman to join LZ staff: It didn't take long for Brent Pearlman to realize he couldn't stay sidelined from the football sidelines for long after he stepped aside as head coach at Prospect in the fall.
Pearlman has become an assistant at Lake Zurich for head coach Bryan Stortz.
"To have this opportunity was really good," said Pearlman, who has already been involved in the Bears' offseason programs. "It's nice to just coach football again. I really like the guys there."
Lake Zurich's 14-7 win in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs ended Pearlman's 12-year tenure at Prospect. His teams won 7A titles in 2001, 2002 and 2005.
The Bears finished second in 7A last season to Wheaton Warrenville South and won the 7A crown in 2007. They open the 2011 season at Fremd.