Oswego’s Mariano Velasco may have been overshadowed last season by a trio of standout senior linebackers, all slated to be playing soon at the next level, but he wasn’t overlooked.
At least not by the people who matter most — the Panthers’ coaching staff.
“He can boogie, he can scoot,” Oswego head coach Brian Cooney said of the senior speedster, a cornerback preparing to start in the secondary for a second straight season.
Velasco, now checking in at 6-foot and 180 pounds, finished fourth on the team last season with 46 tackles and 30 solo stops for the Panthers, who are No. 4 in the Beacon-News/Courier-News preseason rankings.
That aforementioned trio — Carson Cooney (Iowa), Mikey Claycombe (Iowa Central) and Easton Ruby (Iowa Central) — were the top tacklers last year for Oswego’s undefeated Southwest Prairie West champions.
And Velasco?
He also intercepted three passes, returning one 37 yards for a touchdown, and tied for the team high by deflecting six passes.
“Just his willingness to get in the box and do some of the dirty work to stop the run,” Cooney said, explaining how Velasco impressed him early in the season. “I didn’t know he had that certain level of physicality to him, because when we practice, we keep everyone up on their feet.”
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Velasco’s breakout game came in Week 2 during a 17-0 victory over a strong, physical Joliet Catholic team that reached the Class 5A championship game before losing to Nazareth.
“Against JCA, I felt like I made a statement,” Velasco said. “They were a big team with big running backs and big linemen, so it was mostly tough runs.
“I was able to get behind the line and make a couple good hits, a couple tackles for loss and a couple important tackles, just stuff like that.”
It brought a smile to the face of Chris Villafuerte, Velasco’s position coach who had coached him on the freshman basketball team.
“He was a sneaky one, becoming a vital part of our defense,” Villafuerte said of Velasco. “At the start of the season, I was conscious of him, knowing at times he had been injury prone.
“I was just hoping he would stay healthy.”
Coaches can’t simulate what was taking place with Velasco on the field, according to Villafuerte.
“He was totally down to be the player involved in stopping the run,” Villafuerte said. “It got to the point where anything run outside to Mariano’s side, I’d get excited.
“He has attributes you can’t coach.”
Villafuerte impressed upon Velasco that he had a bright future in football if that was his calling.
Just 5-6 and 120 pounds starting high school, Velasco will be adding receiver duties on offense this season as well.
“A lot of cornerbacks think they’re on an island out there, but he’s like an outside linebacker,” Cooney said. “He embraced the open-field stuff.
“He’s always been a gifted athlete, but the growth spurt from sophomore to junior year helped him to step up.”
A broken finger last winter cost him some playing time in basketball, where he likes to play the game end-to-end and lives to attack the basket.
Sound familiar?
“I attack and facilitate,” Velasco said. “I play good defense as well.”
The natural question would be then, basketball or football?
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“Football, for sure,” Velasco said. “It’s always been 50-50, but I felt like this past offseason, I’ve taken football more serious. It’s something I want to continue.”
It’s a point that Villafuerte, a Willowbrook graduate who went on to play football at Aurora University, previously made to him.
“He told me if I lock into this football stuff, I can potentially play at a good college, go to school for a low cost, if any at all,” Velasco said. “He tells me I have the talent but need to keep on working and take this seriously.”
This summer, Velasco received a scholarship offer from NCAA Division II Northern Michigan and roster spot offer from Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
“The first of hopefully many,” Villafuerte said.
Quick hits
Team: Oswego.
2024 record: 10-1.
Offensive leaders: Teddy Manikas, senior, wide receiver; Dekker Zelensek, senior, running back; Drew Kleinhans, junior, quarterback; Ryan Wynn, junior, tight end.
Defensive leaders: Dontrell Young, junior, defensive back; Caden Cooney, junior, linebacker; Gianni Casurella, senior, lineman; Andrew Shaw, senior, lineman, Mariano Velasco, senior, cornerback.
X-factor: Kaleb Stumpenhorst, senior, kicker/punter.