By Bobby Narang
York High School senior quarterback Matt Vezza made the most of his time on varsity.
The York senior quarterback showed what he could do in the fourth game of his junior season last year by helping guide York to a difficult road victory over Downers Grove North. Back then, Vezza was locked in a battle for the starting spot, but his strong showing against Downers Grove North turned into a transformative change for program, and, for Vezza.
Nearly four years ago, York head coach Mike Fitzgerald was embarking on a complete structural and culture overhaul of the program. Fitzgerald said he would conduct a once-a-week camp in the spring for younger players in the field house. His extensive coaching background told him he needed a top-flight quarterback.
Fitzgerald quickly noticed Vezza’s athletic talents and high IQ.
“Watching Matt run our concepts when he was in eighth grade, you could tell he was a smart kid,” Fitzgerald said. “He was very competitive and coachable. But he was also very tiny. He was super small. He could still throw the ball at his size, which was pretty remarkable.
“Still, it was pretty remarkable watching Matt pick things up. He was doing high school stuff, like progressions and our reads. It was pretty cool to see. We knew Matt had an older brother who was big for his age. I knew Matt would eventually grow.”
Vezza eventually grew.
Vezza wrapped up a prolific two-year run leading the Dukes and guiding the program to 12 consecutive victories before losing to Loyola in a Class 8A playoff semifinal last month. The six-foot, 185-pound, Vezza completed 152 of 242 passes for 2,028 yards and 21 touchdowns and five interceptions in his two seasons..
Vezza was a multi-dimensional threat who ran 115 times for 637 yards and six touchdowns to earn the West Suburban Silver Conference Player of the Year.
Vezza called it a magical run to an improbable career, both personally and individually.
“It’s been amazing, definitely from where we started as a freshmen when we were 5-4 as a team,” he said. “This senior class was special, to get to the point we did. We stuck together as a group, pushed each other, and we wanted to win a State championship. We came up short, but we did some incredible things.”
Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Vezza helped spark a remarkable turnaround, joining forces with a solid offense and a stout defense to lead the Dukes to an unprecedented run in program history that uplifted the Elmhurst community. Vezza said he experienced so many memorable moments on the field, from beating Glenbard West and a memorable comeback against Oak Park-River Forest in his junior season, to knocking off Marist in the playoffs this season.
Now, after a storied career with prodigious victories and statistics, Vezza is back in a familiar position: Counted out. Vezza has just one college Division I offer, from Drake University, to go with a mixture of Division II and III offers. He possesses all the intangibles to be a next-level standout, from passing and running skills to a 4.6 grade-point-average, along with leadership traits.
“I’m very motivated to become the best player and person I can be,” Vezza said. “I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m going to work hard day in and day out. If you have big goals, it’s going to be frustrating at times.”