The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Perry DL Makad picks Saginaw Valley State
Hayden Makad terrorized high school football teams across Northeast Ohio the past three years.
Now the senior defensive lineman from Perry is ready to take his show to the college level.
A 6-foot-5, 250-pound lineman, Makad has verbally committed to Division II Saginaw Valley State. Makad will sign his national letter of intent on Feb. 7, thus accepting a full athletic scholarship.
“I’m really excited,” Makad said. “The coaches there are great. The program and campus are both great. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Makad chose Saginaw Valley State over Ashland and Mercyhurst after he trimmed his litany of college offers to three.
He will major in pre-med with the intention of being a physician’s assistant in the future.
For his first two years at Perry, Makad pulled double duty as an offensive tackle and defensive tackle, As a senior, he concentrated on defense, where he piled up 85 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and six sacks.
He earned second team News-Herald recognition, as well as second team Division IV All-Ohio honors.
Makad also was named as an academic All-Ohioan.
“Playing one way this year didn’t tire me out as much,” Makad said. “I felt way better this year than in other years. We had plenty of guys on the offensive line this year, so Coach (Matt) Rosati had us play only one side of the ball.”
Known as a defensive lineman with a quick first step, Makad said the Saginaw coaches want him to eventually bulk up to 280 pounds.
The last two years at Perry were special to Makad. He helped lead Perry to a 13-1 record as a junior and a 12-1 record as a senior.
Perry’s only losses the last two years were to Steubenville, the first in the 2016 Division IV state championship game and the second in a Division IV regional final in 2017.
“I always wanted to win it all,” Makad said with a tinge of disappointment.
By signing with Saginaw, Makad will get to see a familiar face every fall on the gridiron. Former Perry teammate Andy Foley is a freshman receiver at Grand Valley State. Saginaw Valley and Grand Valley State are rivals in the loaded Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“That’s gonna be awesome,” Makad said. “I just want us to beat’em. That’s my goal. We’ve talked about it, but Andy didn’t say much. He’s pretty quiet.”
Acitelli to JCU
Lake Catholic defensive lineman Cade Acitelli has committed to John Carroll University.
A 5-foot-10, 200-pounder, Acitelli started on the offensive and defensive line for the Cougars this past fall. He finished with 61 tackles, 12 TFLs, four sacks and three caused fumbles.
Wolverines sign
Two members of the West Geauga softball team have signed letters of intent. Samantha Ange will play at Otterbein, while Kayla Lorenzo will play at Baldwin Wallace.
Lillibridge to Hiram
Catherine Lillibridge, a senior at Berkshire, has signed a letter of intent to play soccer at Hiram College. A three-year starter at goalkeeper for the Badgers, Lillibridge holds school record for shutouts in a season and shutouts in a career.
Signing day info
Coaches and athletic directors who have athletes signing national letters of intent this week are encouraged to report the information to The News-Herald and are welcome to submit photos of the signing day ceremonies. Please send to JKampf@News-Herald.com.