As a wrestler, Marist’s Peter Marinopoulos was full of surprises last season.
As a football player, he hopes to pull off a few more surprises this fall and raise some eyebrows in that sport as well.
Marinopoulos finished 41-1 in wrestling as a junior and earned second place in the state in Class 3A.
“I’m happy the way I proved myself all year,” he said. “I was going in under the radar. No one really knew that I was going to be one of the top kids in the state. I almost had it.
“Looking to come back this year and get it.”
A backup linebacker for the RedHawks in 2021, Marinopoulos comes into this season flying under that radar once again.
Still, he’s hoping to make a name for himself in football — and away from the wrestling mats — for Marist (9-4), which comes in at No. 6 in the Daily Southtown’s preseason rankings.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to show my athleticism at middle linebacker,” he said. “Go out there and make some plays.”
The 6-foot, 205-pound Marinopoulos said both sports complement each other.
“The double leg (takedown) really helps me for football,” he said about a maneuver that resembles a football tackle. “Wrestling helps with agility. It makes me light on my feet and gives me good balance.”
Marist coach Ron Dawczak agreed wrestling has helped Marinopoulos in football.
“I think they do go hand in hand,” Dawczak said. “Wrestlers need to be very tough individuals and that always helps out for football.
“From football to wrestling, some of the explosive movements help each other. I’m a big believer in multisport athletes. It always helps from one sport to the next.”
Dawczak said Marinopoulos is getting more college attention in wrestling, but he will be a valuable player for the football team.
“He’s a very, very talented athlete,” Dawczak said of Marinopoulos. “From a football perspective, he’s physical and athletic. He has shown he has great football instincts.
“He’s quick to the ball, and he’s quick to make reads and can make plays once he diagnosis a play.”
Marinopoulos said he started playing flag football for the Mount Greenwood Colts, but when he was in third grade, he watched his friend, Jesse Herrera, wrestle. He was hooked.
What Marinopoulos likes about both sports? The results.
“The work ethic you put in shows how successful you can be,” he said. “Nothing is going to come out of it if you’re not working hard. It was fun to see how much hard work helped me with last year’s wrestling season.”
In football, Marist competes in the strong CCL/ESCC Blue with Mount Carmel, Brother Rice and Loyola.
Some of the players saw a projection that had the Redhawks finishing last in the league. Copies were put up throughout the locker room.
“I always say nobody knows anything at this point,” Dawczak said. “Rankings and predictions don’t mean anything. If I’m a player, I’m going to see that, stick it in the back of my mind and keep it for extra motivation.
“You are going to have to make a name for yourselves regardless. Even if you were ranked high, you are going to have to justify that.”
Marinopoulos is on a talented defense that features big names in defensive lineman Jamel Howard, a Wisconsin recruit, and defensive back John Nestor, who’s committed to Iowa.
“We just want to try to go out and be the best,” Marinopoulos said. “We have the talent to do it. We’ll keep grinding and pushing ourselves to be the best in the conference and in the state.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Team: Marist.
2021 record: 9-4.
Offensive leaders: Ryan Sims, senior, wide receiver; Ben Meehan, senior, offensive lineman; Scott Rybak, senior, tight end.
Defensive leaders: John Nestor, senior, defensive back; Jamel Howard, senior, defensive lineman; Matteo Filippo, senior, defensive lineman; Peter Marinopoulos, senior, linebacker.
X-factor: Dermot Smyth, senior, quarterback.
