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Drew Wolitarsky is one of the best receivers to play high school football in California. And that is saying a lot.
Statistically, no one has been more prolific. At Santa Clarita’s Canyon High, Wolitarsky set state marks for career catches (281) and yards (5,148), surpassing Steve Smith, who in a 16-year career has been one of the NFL’s greatest pass catchers.
But California was not where Wolitarsky was destined to stay for college. Possessed of a free spirit and a personality that welcomed adventure, he chose the University of Minnesota, where only two Californians can be found on the current roster of young men predominantly from the home state, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin...
If Wolitarsky hasn’t enjoyed a benchmark career in the talent-laden Big 10, he still has made his mark at Minnesota. Going into the bowl, his 125 career catches place him ninth in program history, while he ranks 10th in yards with 1,676. Extremely reliable, he’s caught a pass in 25 straight games.
“I am happy (with his career), but it’s a lot more than on-the-field stuff,” Wolitarsky said. “This journey, this exercise, the things I’ve learned are totally worth it.”
Wolitarsky desires to play in the NFL, but he’ll likely have to hook on as a free agent after the draft. If he doesn’t make it as a pro, there’s another career out there that seems possible: writer.
Wolitarsky said he disliked reading so much in childhood that his mother bought him audio books to get him through some classes. Then as a junior in high school he read sportswriter Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” and got hooked on the power of words.
He said he’s written a World War II novella and published a six-part fictional series on a Minnesota student literature website. This semester he took a poetry class.
“Whether or not I make a living at it, I probably won’t,” Walitorsky said. “But I can’t stop anymore. I write because I love to. It’s good therapy for me.”
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/sd-sp-minnesota-20161224-story.html
Statistically, no one has been more prolific. At Santa Clarita’s Canyon High, Wolitarsky set state marks for career catches (281) and yards (5,148), surpassing Steve Smith, who in a 16-year career has been one of the NFL’s greatest pass catchers.
But California was not where Wolitarsky was destined to stay for college. Possessed of a free spirit and a personality that welcomed adventure, he chose the University of Minnesota, where only two Californians can be found on the current roster of young men predominantly from the home state, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin...
If Wolitarsky hasn’t enjoyed a benchmark career in the talent-laden Big 10, he still has made his mark at Minnesota. Going into the bowl, his 125 career catches place him ninth in program history, while he ranks 10th in yards with 1,676. Extremely reliable, he’s caught a pass in 25 straight games.
“I am happy (with his career), but it’s a lot more than on-the-field stuff,” Wolitarsky said. “This journey, this exercise, the things I’ve learned are totally worth it.”
Wolitarsky desires to play in the NFL, but he’ll likely have to hook on as a free agent after the draft. If he doesn’t make it as a pro, there’s another career out there that seems possible: writer.
Wolitarsky said he disliked reading so much in childhood that his mother bought him audio books to get him through some classes. Then as a junior in high school he read sportswriter Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” and got hooked on the power of words.
He said he’s written a World War II novella and published a six-part fictional series on a Minnesota student literature website. This semester he took a poetry class.
“Whether or not I make a living at it, I probably won’t,” Walitorsky said. “But I can’t stop anymore. I write because I love to. It’s good therapy for me.”
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/sd-sp-minnesota-20161224-story.html