Andrean senior Jake Paliga will not venture far from home to continue his football career.
The 59ers quarterback has verbally committed to play for Valparaiso beginning this fall.
Paliga spent the first three years of his high school career as the backup to Matt DeSomer. When the time came for Paliga to take over, he made the most of his opportunity, guiding the 59ers to the state championship game in his lone year as a starter.
“That hurt me a little bit (from a recruiting perspective), but I learned a lot from Matt,” Paliga said. “Getting the chance to start my senior year was the most fun I’ve had playing football.”
NCAA Division II and NAIA schools showed significant interest in Paliga, but most Division I programs had completed their 2015 recruiting classes before the 2014 season, Paliga’s first as a starter.
Andrean coach Phil Mason and Paliga discussed a wide range of possibilities, including attempting to walk on for a D-I team or a year of prep school. In the end, both agreed that Valparaiso was the best option.
“He’s the type of kid that can go in there and compete right away, and it’s still a Division I situation,” Mason said. “With all these FBS teams, if you walk on, it’s such a difficult process. It’s such an uphill climb.
“If there’s any kid I’ve ever had that could do it, it would be Jake, but this situation is a great one for him to go in and compete.”
Paliga passed for 31 touchdowns and rushed for six while completing 160 of 270 passes. He was named to the Post-Tribune All-Area first team. Paliga passed for 237 yards and three TDs in the Class 3A state championship, a 49-27 loss to Tri-West.
Recruiting coordinator Vinny Giacalone played a vital role in selling Valparaiso to Paliga. Mason’s relationship with Valparaiso assistant and former Chesterton coach John Snyder also made an impact.
The Valparaiso quarterback mix also includes Scott Staal, Dalton Stokes and Ryan Clarke. The team loses senior starter Ben Lehman to graduation after he threw for 2,264 yards and 14 TDs.
“I would like to play right away, but obviously there are no guarantees,” Paliga said. “There’s nobody that is for certain the starter. If I go out there and learn the offense well, I can win the job.”
Paliga becomes the third local player on Valparaiso’s roster, joining safety Charles Carter (Calumet) and tight end Tom Dabertin (Whiting).
“People from the area will have an idea of who I am from high school, and they’ll be able to continue to follow me,” Paliga said. “My friends and former coaches can come up to games on Saturday mornings.”
Part of Valparaiso’s pitch to Paliga was the chance to participate in a potential resurgence. After winning three games over the previous four years, the Crusaders finished 4-8 in 2013.
“Jake’s numbers speak for themselves,” Mason said. “If he gets an opportunity to play there early on in his career, it’ll be a great success story for the area.”
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