WINNING SPIRIT: Zack DiGregorio handles the ball in action last fall for the University of Pennsylvania sprint football team. Former Princeton High star quarterback DiGregorio is entering his junior season for the Quakers. Last fall, he threw two TD passes in helping the Quakers go 5-2 and was the recipient of the program’s Benjamin F. Wagner Spirit Award.
After starring at quarterback for the Princeton High football team in 2012 and then doing a post-graduate year at the Hun School where he played for its squad, Zack DiGregorio had his sights set on continuing his career with a Division III college program.
During the recruiting process, he was considering such schools as Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, and Bowdoin.
But just days before the early decision application deadline, DiGregorio heard from the University of Pennsylvania sprint football coach and made a trip to Philadelphia.
“After seeing the school and thinking about it, I thought it would be a really good opportunity for me to play,” said DiGregorio.
“I thought a big school in a city was something I had never experienced before. It was the only big city school that I really visited so I thought it would be a really cool opportunity to see something different.”
Going in a different direction required DiGregorio to spend the next 48 hours filling out his application to Penn. DiGregorio was accepted and never looked back.
While believing that he could compete at the Division III level, DiGregorio concluded that he was better suited for sprint football as the players are required to be 172 pounds or less in order to play.
“I thought it was better for me because until very recently I had such a problem putting on weight,” said DiGregorio.
“I graduated PHS at 150 pounds, now I am at 167. I struggled to put weight on. I thought I would be OK at the D-III schools but I would really struggle to put the weight on that I needed to. I could do it but I was trying to figure out how to do that.”
Upon arriving in Philadelphia in the fall of 2014 for his freshman year, DiGregorio’s connections with his new teammates helped him figure things out.
“It is interesting being a fall sports athlete because you get into everything at the same time,” said DiGregorio.
“You are into athletics, you are into a new social scene, you are into living on your own and you are into school all at the same time. It is very overwhelming so just trying to figure out how to balance all of those things was something I struggled with in the first semester. But one of the advantages of that is you come in automatically with a set of friends because you have your football teammates, I think that was really, really big.”
While DiGregorio didn’t get on the field that season, he still relished the experience.
“It is such a good team and atmosphere to be around, especially after all of our years at PHS where we struggled to have numbers and wins,” said DiGregorio.
“There is no glory in sprint football. Being around a group of guys who are there because they love playing football and they love to compete is such a healthy football atmosphere. I absolutely love it.”
Last fall, DiGregorio made his college debut in a 51-7 win over Franklin Pierce in Penn’s season opener.
“My first game was our first game of the year against Franklin Pierce, we came out like gangbusters and put up a ton of points,” said DiGregorio.
“I played some in the second half. I think on my first pass attempt, I ended up getting hit from behind and fumbled, it was my god this is just like high school. It was great, it was so exciting because it was a home game too.”
A personal highlight for DiGregorio came in a 75-12 victory over Princeton when he completed 5-of-10 passes for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“I threw two TD passes against Princeton, it was really, really exciting, especially the way we were playing,” said DiGregorio.
“Football is a lot more fun when you are playing really well. We were able to move the ball really, really well. I got time to throw in the pocket. I got to look people off. It was exactly how it was supposed to go and it was a lot of fun.”
Getting chosen as the recipient of the program’s Benjamin F. Wagner Spirit Award was another fun moment for DiGregorio.
“It was really cool, it was definitely a really big honor, especially when your teammates and your coaches are giving you an award named after your coach’s father,” said DiGregorio. “It was very, very special and I was humbled by it.”
DiGregorio has displayed that spirit through his positive approach to serving as the back-up quarterback for the Quakers.
“The other quarterback, Mike McCurdy, is a phenomenal player,” said DiGregorio.
“He was the league co-MVP last year. He is terrific and he is a such a big help, not only with skills and minutiae of throwing and being a QB, he is so savvy with offense in general. He is really a tremendous resource, bouncing off things with him in the meeting room. It is a really good rapport.”
For DiGregorio, fine-tuning his passing was a major point of emphasis this summer.
“I put on a lot of muscle weight in the winter and spring during the school year,” explained DiGregorio, noting that he toped out at 167 pounds.
“I wanted to spend this summer really refining my feel to make my delivery more compact, more fluid. A problem that I get is over thinking things and that internal clock in your head speeds up when you start to throw and everybody is moving around you. I am trying to be less twitchy and less clicky and more rhythmic with my throwing motion. I feel like I have accomplished a lot of that. I have gotten to work with Phil Simms (former star quarterback for the New York Giants) a lot this summer and that has been incredibly helpful. I have worked with him a whole bunch. I am able to pick up on things by myself and figure out what I want to work on.”
With Penn having gone 5-2 in 2015, tying Navy for second behind league champion Army (7-0), DiGregorio believes the Quakers can take the next step this fall.
“With all of the people that we have coming back and a really exciting group of freshmen, I think we can make a run at a championship just like we did last year,” asserted DiGregorio.
“It is now less of a goal and more of an expectation. It is an exciting atmosphere to be around.”
While DiGregorio knows that he might not see much action this season, he is determined to contribute in any way possible for the Quakers.
“Playing behind Mike, I want to support him the best way I can,” said DiGregorio.
“I want to make sure that I am ready in every possible way if something happens so that the expectation of being in contention for a championship doesn’t change. It is about being able to step in and run our offense effectively and move the ball and trying to really step into a leadership role as an upperclassmen to keep us focused and working hard.”