Freshman (Yes, he's only a freshman.) Vince Chalecki has fortified Wesley Chapel's depleted linebacker corps.
By GREG AUMAN
Published November 13, 2003
WESLEY CHAPEL - His job, oddly enough, is to fill holes.
Entering the season, none was bigger at Wesley Chapel than the gaping void at linebacker, where its top two tacklers had graduated. Coaches left spring practice still unsure who would step in at a crucial position, but their new linebacker wasn't even on campus yet.
Enter freshman Vince Chalecki, who not only made the varsity in his first year at Wesley Chapel, he has made the varsity much, much better, a key in its undefeated regular season.
"He is probably, as a freshman, the best middle linebacker I've seen in high school ever," defensive coordinator Tom McHugh said. "He's 15 years old now, and I can't wait to see him when he's 18 and he's worked out with weights for three years. You can't teach instincts, and he has them."
Despite playing sparingly in Wesley Chapel's first two games, Chalecki - undersized at 5 feet 11, 195 pounds - is second on the team with 85 tackles, combining with seniors Derek Zabko and Travis Ugarte to turn the team's biggest concern into a strength.
"He can fill a hole as good as any ninth-grader I've ever seen," coach John Castelamare said. "You can imagine what he'll do as he goes on. Ninth-graders don't usually do that. They usually back up a little bit, wait to get hit. This kid sticks his nose in there, hits the hole like a middle linebacker should. We're all big-time happy with him."
And as big an impact as Chalecki has made for the Wildcats, coaches say you won't find a quieter, more soft-spoken and reserved player. McHugh said it was the sixth game of the season before he saw Chalecki smile; not an indictment of missing enthusiasm, but a testament to his intensity and focus on the field.
"He listens, and he never talks. Never talks," McHugh said. "It's "Yes, sir, no sir,' I couldn't be more pleased with the kid. He never questions. If I tell him this is your job, he'll do it or die trying. If I tell him he has to tackle the fullback on every play, a dollar to a doughnut he'll tackle that kid 99 percent of the time, whether he has the ball or not."
His speed likely will be the end of Wesley Chapel's VCR remote control. Every Friday night, when coaches review game footage and tally defensive statistics, they find opponents being tackled before the tackler is even in the frame. More often than not, it's play, rewind, play, rewind ... Chalecki.
"You can't see the number," McHugh said. "When he hits, it's just "Bam.' "Coach, you have to run that back. Slow it down.' It got to the point where I'd say, "I bet it's Chalecki. Watch the freshman.' It's like he's shooting out of a cannon."
He made his presence known quickly on defense, stepping in when senior Mike Boyer sustained a concussion in the second game. In his first start, a district victory against Zephyrhills, Chalecki responded with 11 tackles and a red-zone interception. As encouraging as Chalecki's physical skills are, coaches are more impressed by his grasp of the game. McHugh began using him on blitz packages last week, detailing specific formations and situations he would have to identify and immediately react. McHugh saw two such opportunities during the game. And on his own, Chalecki correctly read both, getting a tackle for a loss and recovering a fumbled he forced. To be playing on the varsity, let alone starting and shining, is surprising for Chalecki, who was confident in his abilities next door at Weightman Middle but cautious about how quickly he would handle the transition to Friday nights.
"I didn't expect to start this year at all," said Chalecki, who also hopes to play soccer and track. "Last year, I'd talk about playing varsity, but everyone would say I should play JV so I could actually play. It's been exciting."
Chalecki has become the silver lining in two adversities that could have spoiled Wesley Chapel's season, the offseason transfer of linebacker Cory Filley to Pasco and a knee injury that sidelined Ryan Bethell for the first half of the season. Without those two things, Chalecki might have spent his season on the junior varsity.
His reliable play at linebacker has lessened the impact of Filley's absence, and while Bethell has been healthy for the past month, Chalecki's emergence has allowed the senior to put more of his energy toward starting at guard on the offensive line.
As Wesley Chapel seeks to add to its undefeated record with its first playoff victory, its coaches are counting on the freshman piling up tackles and quickly emerging as a leader on defense. They're confident that years from now, he still will be the kind of player who makes everyone stop and rewind, play after play.
"He has a lot to do with that defense," Castelamare said. "A lot of guys are working together, but he fills that middle just right. It's a lot of good years to come."
