When Colton Moskal takes the field on Friday nights he does not notice the stadium lights shining down on him or the cheers from countless friends, teachers, and complete strangers in the crowd. His focus is on who else came to watch him play.
“Family is the most important thing in my life,” Colton Moskal, senior football captain, said. “We’re very close. I just like having them around me and them supporting me at the games and knowing that they’ll always be there for me and have my back.”
Moskal said his family became really close after the loss of his father in 2005. His father passed away suddenly of a heart disease.
“The most challenging thing [in my life] was when my dad passed away at a young age,” Moskal said. “I was nine at the time. It definitely made me a tougher person and closer to my brothers and my family.”
Moskal and his older brother Blake, a 2012 graduate, both played linebacker on the varsity team when Colton was a sophomore.
“[They were] very close,” David Proffitt, varsity head coach, said. “They didn’t do a lot of verbal communicating, but you could tell that they were brothers in how they treated and how they dealt with each other.”
Tom Moskal, Colton’s father, also played on LZHS’s football team when he was in high school. He was also a linebacker, just like his sons.
“I think [Colton’s father passing away] is what made him how he is today,” Sam Walstrum, senior captain, said. “He works so hard. His dad loved football and I think he really is working hard because of his dad.”
Proffitt agrees that the passing of Colton’s father has had an impact in Colton’s life.
“It’s had an impact on him as a person,” Proffitt said, “how he takes life more seriously, and cherishes the time that God has given us here, and to do good for other people as well as your family.”
Colton is also following in his father’s footsteps by recently committing to play college football. Tom Moskal played at Eastern Illinois University and Colton Moskal committed to Syracuse University on a scholarship.
“I want to take football as far as I can. It’s always been one of my dreams, so playing football in college is the next step I have to take,” Moskal said. “I just talked with the coaches and their players, and visited the campus, and knew it was the right place for me.”
Even though Moskal is planning a college football career, he is not forgetting about his current senior season.
“I’m looking forward to playing one last year with all my friends, all those guys, and hopefully we bring back the state championship to Lake Zurich,” Moskal said.
Moskal shares captain responsibility this season along with Walstrum and seniors Noah Allgood and Sean Lynch. Walstrum said the four captains are all close.
“[Colton and I] always talked about how we dreamed about being captains together and it’s just great that I get to share that with one of my best friends,” Walstrum said. “The other captains are also my best friends, so it’s great that we’re all in it together.”
Proffitt said that all four of the captains are doing a great job leading the team and Moskal takes an active role in encouraging his teammates.
“He’s such a team player,” Proffitt said. “He’s a good person, which is very important in our program, and by being a good person, he becomes a team player because he puts other’s needs ahead of
his own to be successful. He’s constantly trying to help other players be better at playing football and also at becoming better people and human beings.”
While Moskal helps out his teammates on the field, Moskal said the fans help encourage him while playing.
“Playing football at Lake Zurich is a great experience because the whole town gets behind the football team and rallies around them Friday nights, and it’s an all around great atmosphere,” Moskal said. “[The best part] has to be seeing all the fans out there after a game, after a big win.”
Moskal said he appreciates the support from the town and is taking this season one step at a time because the lesson he took away from losing his father is to never take anything for granted.
