This week, Back Of The CAGE caught up with the #3 ranked senior on Long Island and the #13th Ranked Recruit in the Country from Shoreham Wading High School, Johnny Schwarz for our weekly Senior Spotlight series interviewing a new senior each week.
Johnny Schwarz, same as his brother Tyler, has shown great skills, attained recognitions, and Johnny being a 2-sport athlete for football and lacrosse. He has chosen to attend UNC because of its lacrosse team chemistry and relationship between the coaches and its players, aside from everything about the school itself. Let's see how well he goes being a multi-sport athlete in his college years.
Read below to get a closer look at the Midfielder:Q&A w/ Johnny Schwarz
Back Of The CAGE (BOTC): When you found out last year that the season was going to be canceled, what was your initial reaction and how did you deal with it and keep your spirits up? Johnny Schwarz (JS): I was very upset because I thought we had a good enough team to win the state championship again. I felt terrible for the seniors because they put so much time and effort into the team every day in the offseason and for the way the season ended it was heartbreaking for them.
BOTC: What is your favorite saying from your Coach Brian? JS: He’s a really funny guy, but also a really good person. My favorite saying from him really isn’t a saying, it’s just something he says often. He says “love ya” no matter the circumstance, could be a funny situation or a serious situation. I just like how it keeps things loose when he’s messing around with you or when you need someone for advice you can go to him and he’ll finish it off with “love ya”.
BOTC: Having missed out on playing last year, how much extra motivation (if any) does it give to you personally and to your teammates in the short amount of time that you guys have been practicing together?JS: It definitely motivated us to play even harder this year and it made us realize how quickly something you love can be taken from you. This year we are taking each day one at a time and are trying to look forward. We’re trying to be present in the moment.
BOTC: Although you missed last season, how much more will you treasure this season as this will be the last time that you will be playing high school lacrosse before going on to play at the collegiate level? JS: This is my senior season and losing last year makes it that much more important to me. I want to go out on the field and have fun with all my boys and win championships.
BOTC: What made you choose to attend UNC, and what other colleges were you considering? JS: I loved the team chemistry and the guys. When I visited you can see that every single guy on the team cared for one another and had each other’s backs. The relationship between the coaches and players was also very good and that was definitely something I was looking for. Everything about the school and team I just fell in love with. Other schools I was considering were Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Rutgers, and Penn State.
BOTC: Are you superstitious and do you have any pre-game rituals?JS: I used to be very superstitious, but now I’ve come to realize performance is solely based on effort and that helped me eliminate my superstitions. The only real superstitions I have are I have to eat a good breakfast on gameday and hydrate a lot.
BOTC: What's on your playlist before games?JS: It’s a mix of a bunch of genres. Rap, Country, Classical, the list goes on.
Rapid Fire Q & A's:
- Favorite Food? Toast with honey and peanut butter
- Favorite Movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Favorite Sports Team? New York Jets
- Favorite Athletes? Justin Jefferson
See some of Johnny's career athletic accomplishments below: Lacrosse: (2018) All-Division, (2019) County Champions, Long Island Champions, Class C State Champion, 3rd Team All-State, 2nd Team All-Long Island, All-County
Football: (2018) County Champions, All-Division, Defensive MVP for the County Championship, (2019) Long Island Champions, All-Division, (2020) County Champions, All-Division, All-County, Cassese Award (Most Outstanding Defensive Back in Suffolk County)
Check
BackOfTheCAGE.com to meet Maureen Duffy from Westhampton Beach Senior High School.
