Our next player spotlight comes
from the big boys up front. We had
a chance to chat with Monte Vista and recent
Cal commitment Mike Costanzo. Mike was recently labeled as a four star
recruit according to scout.com, here’s what he had to say…..
PrepCa.com: What is your favorite block to make?
Mike: Pulling outside towards the
sideline with the running back following me, also straight up drive
block
PrepCa.com: What is your official height, weight,
bench, squat, clean and 40?
Mike: 6'2/ 296/ 320/ 475/
300/ 5.3
PrepCa.com: Who is currently recruiting you? Any
early offers yet? As of right now who would be your top 5?
Mike: offered from
CAL...Committed 3 weeks
later...top5.CAL/UCLA/USC/NEB/OU
PrepCa.com: What is your greatest football
memory?
Mike: Last year at our cross town
rivalry game we were down 10-3 and were predicted too lose. I was playing left end when they ran a
sweep across the opposite side. I
trailed and when he cut back I stripped the ball allowing our safety to grab it
and run it back 60 yards for a TD and a come from behind win.
PrepCa.com: What are you doing to prepare for next
season?
Mike: Training 5 times a week for at
least 2 hours at a time if not more.
PrepCa.com: What are your goals for this upcoming
season?
Mike: I want a ring. I think about it every night. Our team really feels like we have a
championship team. We also have a
great line. For my personal goals,
I would like to have 20 sacks, 80 tackles and be named All American like my
pops.
PrepCa.com: What is your strength as a football
player?
Mike: Leadership, intensity, desire and
a love for the game.
PrepCa.com: What is your weakness as a football
player?
Mike: I can’t stand to lose. Sometimes defeat overcomes me and I get
really down. But I feel that it
also builds a fire inside me for the next game.
PrepCa.com: Who are some teammates that people need
to watch for?
Mike: Matt Silva, Brandon Sweeney, Dave
Rugburg, Drew McCalister and Luke Langon.
Watch out for our line this year we could be unstoppable.
PrepCa.com: What teammate do you really respect the
most and why?
Mike: I respect anyone that would put
himself in harms way for the man next to him.
PrepCa.com: Which program do you respect the
most?
Mike: CAL
PrepCa.com: What is the best piece of advice you
have ever gotten? Who did you get it from?
Mike: My dad told me that, “If you want
something in your life, you and only you can go and get it.”
PrepCa.com: Who has been the most influential person
in your life? Why?
Mike: My dad. He had made me the man of character that
I am today. Sometimes I get
frustrated with him but I realize know how much it has helped me be who I
am.
PrepCa.com: Who is your favorite professional
athlete?
Mike: Ray Lewis, LaDanian Tomlinson and
Jerome Bettis.
PrepCa.com: What can we expect from your team this
season?
Mike: NCS CHAMPS
PrepCa.com: What are your goals as far as playing
football in college?
Mike: To be a leader, to get my
education and hopefully get a shot at the big time.
PrepCa.com: What can you bring to a college program?
Mike: A leader and a very consistent
player.
PrepCa.com: What is your favorite thing about the
game of football?
Mike: The relationships that you build
with your team and the feeling you get when you go out on the field with those
guys, your brothers.
PrepCa.com: What has been the most surprising part
of the whole recruiting process? What advice would you give to athletes
who get recruited in the future?
Mike: The most surprising thing was
probably that I committed early. I
always thought I would be a guy that kept everyone on the edge of their
seats. But it really made no sense
to wait. My advice would be to look
for a well rounded university and really think about who and what you wanted to
be surrounded by.
PrepCa.com: What was it about
CAL that made you decide that was
your choice this early in the whole process?
Mike: I chose
Cal because it’s the perfect fit for
me. It’s close to home, I can get a
great education and it’s an up and coming program. Plus our school has sent several players
to Cal. Steve Kelley and Sam Desa are there
already. Matt Russi is headed there
next year and I will be there in 2006.
The staff at PrepCa.com would
really like to thank Mike for taking the time to talk with us. We wish him and the rest of his Monte
Vista teammates the best of luck this
season. Anyone wishing to talk to
Mike please email me:
mike@24-7football.com