Demetrius Baldo breaks free on 43-yard touchdown run against New Trier. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
It’s like Messi became Red Grange.
It happens. Not very often. But it happens.
Demetrius Baldo — a name that only sounds fictional — decided to do something weird, wild and wunderkind-ish this fall.
Baldo, a senior, strapped on the pads and went out for football. For the first time in his high school career.
Imagine Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi snubbing FC Barcelona — for a season — and suiting up for the New England Patriots.
Imagine Baldo — a long-time, high-ceiling club soccer player for the Chicago Magic — signing up to play football for Glenbrook South.
Imagine Baldo being magical.
To be sure, it’s been a rough football season for GBS’s first-year head coach, David Schoenwetter. The Titans fell to 0-8 with a 38-28 setback at New Trier on Oct. 15.
But the Titans coach has this: He got to coach a Rocky Balboa.
Baldo, who played some junior football years ago, entered the season as a longshot. A novice.
The game was fairly foreign to him.
“In the summer, some of my players told me that he wanted to give football try,” recalls Schoenwetter. “They told me how good of an athlete he was.”
But Schoenwetter knew that Baldo hailed from soccer-mad family. His two sisters — Lia (University of Nebraska) and Gabby (University of Tampa) — reached the next level in soccer. And there’s a strong possibility that he’ll get a college scholarship offer.
As it turns out, a quick conversation sealed the deal — for him to play football, not futbol.
“He was earnest and sincere about making a full commitment to us,” Schoenwetter adds. “Being a club soccer player, he knew what that meant. So I said, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’ ”
Baldo didn’t exactly blend in. A center back and striker for the Magic, he stood out almost immediately. While going up against the scout team in a preseason drill, he ran a vertical route and scored a touchdown quicker than you could say, “Where’s Baldo?”
“He’s explosive,” says Schoenwetter. “Really fast.”
He’s a kid with a lot of athletic prowess. Baldo can wow you as a running back, defensive back and special teamer.
When he’s going full speed — in full gait — he’s got that gallop thing going.
He had that gallop thing going against New Trier. Baldo made like the Ghost of Red Grange, when he turned a rocket sweep into a 43-yard touchdown with 7:03 left in the third quarter.
“I was supposed to go outside, but I decided take it back inside,” says Baldo, who is still getting the hang of this football thing. “The last guy to beat was their safety, and I was able juke him.”
“He’s really been good at that play,” notes Schoenwetter.
Here’s another one. In a 28-17 loss to visiting Evanston, Baldo went all-nuclear on a kick return. Baldo broke a tackle around the 25-yard line and blew right past everyone on his way to a 95-yard touchdown.
“We’d been waiting for him to score that first touchdown,” Schoenwetter says.
“Best moment of my life,” says Baldo.
To the best of his memory, the last time Baldo came up with a hat trick while playing on a pitch was about four years ago.
“I remember how awesome that was,” recollects Baldo. “Everything went my way that day.”
The 6-foot, 185-pound is now in position for a football hat trick. He will be aiming to score a touchdown in his third straight game, when Glenbrook South hosts Niles North (1-7) in its season finale on Oct. 21 (7:30 p.m.).
But, why think small?
“I’m going for two TDs on Friday night,” he says.
Schoenwetter is putting no restrictions or clamps on his X-factor.
Baldo, a starter in the defensive backfield, will get his chances against the Vikings. However, he won’t be overloaded.
“Due to the learning curve, and the fact that we didn’t have a lot of time with him, he only has a limited number offensive plays,” Schoenwetter says.
In the NT game, he ran the ball six times for 60 yards. He also made four tackles on the defensive end.
Schoenwetter has loved having Baldo on the squad. And he’d love to get even more players like him in the future.
“It’s really amazing how much he’s learned about the game,” says the GBS coach. “He’s like a sponge. He’s always asking the right questions. Always wanting more knowledge.
“I remember him coming up to me after playing in his first game,” Schoenwetter adds. “He told me that playing football was the coolest thing he’s ever done. He loved the environment. He loved how the coaching staff invested in him daily. I really think he’s loved every second of it.”
And Schoenwetter would get no argument on that from Baldo.
“I’m in a different state of mind, when I’m playing football,” he said. “I go into a zone. It’s crazy. It’s different. It pumps me up.”
Playing his first year of high school football, Glenbrook South senior Demetrius Baldo, seen here in last Friday’s game at New Trier, has surpassed expectations. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER