Pizzotti willing to do whatever he can for Windham football

Bill Raycraft couldn't find Victor Pizzotti.

The Windham High School football coach expected his senior captain to arrive for practice a little earlier than usual, but when he asked if anyone had seen Pizzotti yet, no one had.

After a few inquiries, someone finally told Raycraft: Pizzotti was running late because he was giving another player a ride to the school.

"You see it in his eyes and his smile and his actions," Raycraft said as to what type of person Pizzotti is. "He goes and picks up a kid who needs a ride in, and that's what he did all summer. He's the type of kid who will go have lunch with a kid who nobody else is sitting with and not think twice about it and carry on a conversation and then keep hanging out with him."

Which is exactly what Pizzotti did early last preseason, when the Jaguars had a transfer student who spoke little English at the time. That attempt to make some feel comfortable led to that teammate becoming what Pizzotti calls "one of my closest buddies."

"It's always been a part of the tradition (at Windham), to have a close bond," Pizzotti said. "A lot of us have been playing since we were little kids together. We love each other and we want to win together. We've always been a dedicated crew."

This season for the Jaguars - who are coming off back-to-back appearances in the Division II championship game, including a title in 2014 - that dedication begins with the captain. In his three years on the varsity, Pizzotti hasn't so much been defined by which position he plays, but rather which positions he's willing to play.

"Offensively, I've played everything from lineman to tight end to wide receiver to running back to quarterback," he said. "I know (the fullback) position the best, at least in this offense. I feel comfortable there. (But) I've always been a natural defensive player."

That natural ability led to Pizzotti starting at defensive end as a sophomore, but when Windham lost its starting left tackle on offense going into the postseason, the coaches needed someone to step up.

"We had a situation where our tackle went down, and (Pizzotti) had never played tackle in his life," Raycraft said. "He stepped up and did it. He took that responsibility, changed his number, and went at it."

Pizzotti spent three playoff games, including the championship game, protecting the blindside of quarterback Brendan McInnis, as Windham won the program's first title.

"We needed a guy and we didn't have anybody else," Pizzotti said. "I was a backup tight end, and they saw me in that role, so I had to take it where it went. That's the way I play football. I don't care if I get the ball, or if I'm blocking, or if I'm making a tackle. As long as I'm on the field and we're winning."

In most cases, Raycraft would have felt nervous putting an inexperienced sophomore at a key position for a playoff run, but this wasn't most cases.

"What we talk about to these guys all the time is trust," the coach said. "I've got to be able to trust that you know you're assignments and you know what you're going to do, that you're going to do your job when we put you in that spot.

"For him, that's exactly that. We've had conversations, so I know what he's going to be doing. It's that trust factor, so if he told me he could do that, I believe he can do it."

Last season, Pizzotti spent most of his time at linebacker and fullback, and Raycraft expects the senior to fill those same positions again this year.

But the coach also hopes to get a little bit more from Pizzotti in his final season.

"There's a lot of upside to Victor and I don't think he realizes how good he can be," Raycraft said. "He's continued to work hard at his skill. It's not just showing up in the weight room. It's the extra things that he goes above and beyond. I'd love to see him reach his potential because he's a pretty darn good one."