Huntley QB Mooney a player in demand
Junior quarterback Eric Mooney, who helped Huntley reach the Class 8A quarterfinals last season, said he has seen recruiting pick up in the last several months.
‘‘ It’s going really well,’’ said Mooney, a 6- 1, 185- pounder. ‘‘ I’m receiving a lot of interest. As of right now, I have [ scholarship] offers from Wofford, South Dakota, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Butler.’’
Mooney completed 62.4 percent of his passes last season and ran or passed for 34 touchdowns.
‘‘ The hardest part about the recruiting process is getting your name out there as a serious prospect,’’ Mooney said. ‘‘ Coaches tend to look at kids who have already received offers. So I think the biggest difference was getting my first offer. After that, coaches have been evaluating me purely off my talent.
‘‘ That being said, I continued to work hard to get bigger stronger and faster. I never really worried about getting an offer. For me, it’s about playing the game and continuing to get better.’’
As for the next steps, Mooney has them planned.
‘‘ Schools like Penn State and Syracuse have showed major interest in me, so I plan on going to the NIU camp and Elmhurst College camp,’’ he said. ‘‘ Both Syracuse and Penn State are going to be there. I also plan on visiting the colleges that have offered me and going to North Dakota State camp.’’
Calcagno drawing interest
Naperville North junior receiver Nick Calcagno is turning heads in recruiting.
‘‘ Recruiting has definitely picked up a decent amount this spring, and we’ve had a ton of coaches in school to watch me lift and run routes,’’ Calcagno said. ‘‘ So now I’m just putting on a little more size, plus trying to finalize my camp schedule.’’
At 6- 3 and 215 pounds, Calcagno is a big- bodied prospect who can play a variety of positions. That’s what coaches like most about him.
‘‘ Coaches say they like my size,’’ Calcagno said. ‘‘ Even though I’m a wide receiver, I’m being recruited as an outside linebacker and H- back by a lot of the schools.’’
Calcagno said he has scholarship offers from Southern Illinois, Indiana State and Southeast Missouri.
‘‘ Besides the schools that have offered me, the schools that have showed the most interest are Illinois State, North Dakota State, North Dakota, South Dakota, Western Illinois, Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa,’’ Calcagno said.
He said his first offer was one that changed the game.
‘‘ It was an amazing feeling, just getting my first offer under my belt,’’ Calcagno said. ‘‘ My family was super- excited, as well.
‘‘ My brother plays defensive end at Miami [ Ohio]. He didn’t have any offers going into his senior year and ended with 15, so I’m already one step ahead of where he was.’’
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