SAN JOSE – At first sight, Curt Calomeni looks more like a body builder than a football player. This reporter should know, having had calculus class with him senior year.
At 5-10, 195 pounds, Calomeni is in the kind of shape many people dream to be in, but not the size you would expect a Cal-Hi Sports All-State linebacker to be. For reference, the average linebacker in the National Football League is 6-2, 250 pounds.
But, despite the size differential, Calomeni has proved himself, racking up accolades such as the 2014 WCAL Linebacker of the Year and MaxPreps First Team All-NorCal along with the All-State selection among others. While many athletes find success through size and natural ability, Calomeni collected awards through hard work in the weight room and the classroom.
“There’s a lot of studying going into a game, trying to be smart,” said Calomeni, who will close out his high school career Saturday at 4:30 pm in the annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game at Levi's Stadium. “Preparing for every game with a lot of conditioning. Doing what I’m coached to do. That stuff really helps.”
“They can have size, but you need smarts too,” he added.
In a sense, Calomeni was the epitome of the 2014 Bellarmine football squad: one that was undersized, but conditioned and smart. The Bells were David, and on November 21, David met Goliath in the first round of the CCS Open Division Playoffs when BCP took on undefeated Milpitas.
A neck-and-neck game from start to finish saw Bellarmine keeping pace with Milpitas despite the obvious size advantage in favor of the Trojans. Eventually, the Bells forced overtime and held their opponents to a field goal to open the overtime period.
Then, on the first play of the ensuing possession, quarterback Troy Martig found Calomeni open in the flat, who then dove into the end zone to secure the victory.
After the game, the message from Calomeni was still the same. It was conditioning and mental preparation, rather than size and natural talent, that brought home the victory.
“We knew they were big and fast and well-coached and had great athletes. But over the summer the coaches did a great job of disciplining us and conditioning us for moments like this,” he told Prep2Prep’s John Murphy.
Calomeni grew up loving football with his father being an avid San Francisco 49ers fan, but did not find himself on the gridiron until his mom allowed him to start playing Pop Warner in fifth grade for the Almaden Mustangs. While Calomeni participated in other sports such swimming, soccer, and baseball, one of his favorite memories from childhood was capturing a Pop Warner national title in the sixth grade.
When it came to choosing a high school, Calomeni found himself with a tough decision. His older sister attended Leland High, he had a family friend attend St. Francis, and his cousin Justin was a baseball standout for Bellarmine.
“My cousin was always telling me how awesome and amazing it was,” said Calomeni of Bellarmine. “My best friend, his whole family went to St. Francis, so they were bugging me about going there, and after looking at both places, I just felt a lot more comfortable at Bellarmine.”
Clearly, the decision was the right one for Calomeni with all the achievements from his Bellarmine football career, in addition to graduating with a 3.89 grade point average. Now all that's left is the Wedemeyer Classic on Saturday.
So far, the experience has been interesting.
“Its kind of weird,” said Calomeni of the experience so far. “Being out here practicing, meeting all these new guys and guys we played against. I’m playing my last game with Twon [Bellarmine teammate Anthony Guttadauro]. Next year we’re going to be playing against each other, so that’s kind of weird.”
Afterwards, Calomeni will head off to Chapman University in Southern California to continue his football career, and will be joined by fellow Bells Adam Greenlow and Logan Wilson. He reports August 18.
“Its kind of mixed emotions right now. I’m excited to start college but I’m proud to leave high school.”
Until then, Calomeni has one more high school football game to play in, and according to his philosophy, maybe some studying too.
