By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER
St. Joseph senior wide receiver Pablo Zolezzi knew he’d play a big part for his team this season as the veteran playmaker.
As the young Bloodhounds have struggled on offense during a 1-3 start, Zolezzi will be expected to continue to keep things together and bring the underclassmen along this season.
It’s an important role, but the veteran wideout is up for the challenge as his team comes along.
“I definitely have to come in as a leader to this team,” Zolezzi said. “I think we’re growing every day as a team — we’re getting better. The younger players ask for advice on how to get better, so I try to help as much as I can. We have a lot of young guys and it’s a challenge. I’ve been a lot of teams, but this is one of the teams that I noticed that never gives up. We always move forward and every lost that we’ve had, we’ve grown as a team.”
St. Joseph starts eight sophomores on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Tomas Edge. When it comes to the unit’s development, head coach Tino Villarreal said Zolezzi has brought much more to the table than just a good pair of hands and quickness.
“The first thing is (leading) by example,” Villarreal said. “He’s out early, leaves late and works hard. The second thing is his personality. Pablo has a great attitude and gets along with the young kids and the seniors. He brings enthusiasm. The third thing is that he’s a very quiet guy at practice, but the moment the game is on and the ball is kicked off, he’s one of the most competitive individuals. The kids feed off of that passion as well.”
Villarreal said the offense has made strides so far, but they must get creative with the football.
That means finding ways of putting the ball in Zolezzi’s hands and turning him loose.
As a junior, Zolezzi caught 36 passes for 839 yards and 13 touchdowns and he already has been busy this season with 16 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns. The senior also has a 74-yard punt return for a score.
The numbers say good things happen when Zolezzi touches the football, but he’s not sneaking up on defenses anymore, especially in the post-Kai Money era.
“We have to figure out how to move (Zolezzi) around and not keep him anchored in at the same spot the entire game,” Villarreal said. “It’s taken a lot of work for us as coaches on our end, too. The last couple of years we were fortunate enough to have the playmaker at quarterback. (Money) touched the ball on every single snap. Pablo, if he can get the ball anywhere from 13 to 19 times a game, I think it will give us a chance to be explosive offensively. Anything less than that, we’re not going to make the margin that I think we need for victory.”
Zolezzi likes the carries, but says the team is ultimately what’s important to him.
“Gradually receptions have been going up, but what the team has to do is what we’ll do,” he said. “If we have to run the ball, we’ll run the ball and if we have to throw the ball, then we’ll throw it. I just want to win.”
The Bloodhounds go as Zolezzi goes during his senior campaign in which he has set goals of breaking program record and being an all-state player.
His biggest accomplishment, however, could be seeing younger players thrive under his tutelage.
In turn, that could help Zolezzi grow even more, which is something he’s done plenty of at St. Joseph.
“The cool thing about sports at St. Joseph is I think it’s helped me more than just in my athletic abilities,” he said. “(The program) helped me grow as an individual and accept values in my life.”