GAMES- Lower’s Frankie Ziegler Looks Toward College Football

The measure of a person is how he or she reacts in time of crisis or need.
For Lower Cape May senior Frankie Ziegler, the switch from fullback to quarterback was a reluctant necessity. Caper coach Mike Wilson felt the undermanned squad needed Ziegler’s mental toughness as well as his triple threat ability to run, throw or hand the ball off.
A two-time All-Cape Atlantic League linebacker, Ziegler ran for 700 yards a year ago behind standout senior QB Mike Mulligan. But Wilson knew that coming into the 2012 season no one was more capable on the limited Caper roster to handle the duties behind center.
“Quarterback is a special position,” said Wilson. “You lead the team from more of a mental standpoint than physical. Frankie didn’t have a lot of confidence to carry the team that way but I knew he could.”
The son of Frank and Danden Ziegler, Frankie admits that his favorite aspect of football is contact. The 5-11, 205-pounder loves to hit opponents. He’s also wrestled since the sixth grade.
“I like how it’s one-on-one with no excuses,” said Ziegler of wrestling. “It’s all on you. You can’t blame anyone else. And it keeps me in amazing shape. You use muscles you never knew you had.”
Although he’s been at 170 pounds for his entire grappling career, his intense weight training over the past year will obviously vault his class this winter.
“I was lifting seven days a week,” said Ziegler. “I did extreme lifting.”
Despite his team’s lack of success, Ziegler’s individual efforts have not gone unnoticed. He won a spot in the prestigious Blue/Gray Classic in Florida on Jan. 12. The showcase includes 90 high school players from the north and the south.
The process began in his junior year with an invitation to the first tryout at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia. Every drill was taped and he moved on to the final cut of competitors in the second combine held at the New England Patriots’ practice facility.
The tryouts included shuttle runs, the 40-yard dash, 185-pound bench presses, one-on-ones and position drills.
Ziegler’s move from the backfield to quarterback sacrificed some of his personal ambitions and desires, but he realized his role on the upstart squad.
“The players look up to me as a leader on the team,” he said. “I play the role as best I can. In the beginning they might have known I didn’t want to do it but coach Wilson had the confidence in me to excel. I never showed the team that I didn’t want to do it.”
Like any hard-working competitor, the mounting and lopsided losses aggravate Ziegler.
“Coming off of the field after losses upsets me,” he said. “We’ve lost games we should not have lost. Our guys hang their heads. We have to stay motivated and keep working.”
As somewhat of a “tweener,” Ziegler isn’t quite big enough or yet fast enough to be an automatic scholarship recipient for college football. He hopes to major in criminal justice or business and, of course, to play at the next level.
“Coach Wilson preaches to me about preparing for college football,” said Ziegler. “I need to stay in the gym, keep my head on straight, do well in school, manage my time effectively and get ready for an experience where no one will be there to hold my hand.”
Wilson recognizes his best player’s toughness but sees room for more accomplishment, more strength and more speed.
“Frankie’s strength is his physical toughness and his ability to show up and play hard at every game,” said Wilson. “There’s no deception. He gives everything he has, but he’s far from his full potential. He can be a faster, stronger player. His full potential is almost scary.”
Wilson called Ziegler “one of the hardest hitters” he’s seen and “one of the nicest kids you’ll meet.” But the coach is convinced that the 18-year-old is far from reaching his potential.
“Coaches can try to teach players to be better, but players also have to realize how much better they can be,” said Wilson. “He showed he can handle the leadership role but he can do more with running and film study. He can be even more athletic than he is now.”
Reach Rossi at joerossi61@comcast.net