B U F F A L O N E W S
Mike Blocho still can’t watch a football game without getting the urge to strap on a helmet and run over an opposing defender.
But these days, the senior attack-man concentrates on dodging opposing long sticks and scoring goals for the Canisius College lacrosse team. And he isn’t half bad at it.
Blocho, a four-year starter who was a preseason first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection this year, scored a career-best 31 goals and 35 points last season for the Golden Griffins, when he was named a second- team MAAC All-Star.
“Maybe it was the right time, place and circumstances for us,” said Golden Griffins head coach Randy Mearns, recalling the recruiting process. “To our benefit, when we started talking with him, a bonus was that he was playing football. He really couldn’t go on any official lacrosse visits in the fall because of his football commitments. Things worked out really well for us.”
Blocho, much like 2007 Connolly Cup winner Jeff Tundo of Orchard Park, was a prep standout in both sports. Like Blocho, Tundo will concentrate on lacrosse at Ohio State after he graduates from high school in 2009.
After piling up 3,730 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns at Grand Island, Blocho was named The News’ Player of the Year in 2003, when he carried 234 times for 2,210 yards and 26 scores and made 42 tackles as a defensive back.
And ’03 was no down year around the area’s scholastic football fields.
Among the seniors, Albion’s Derek Kinder went on to a standout career at Pittsburgh, Amherst’s Mark Rubin played at Penn State and Grand Island teammate Brett Kern, who went on to Toledo, was among three finalists for the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter last season. Among the juniors on the All-Western New York team, Doug Worthington of St. Francis went on to become a starter at BCS runner-up Ohio State.
“It was actually pretty hard,” the 5- foot-7, 185-pound Blocho said of choosing which sport to pursue in college. “My brother [Jim] was a two-sport athlete at C.W. Post, and that’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. He told me to pick a school where I could do what I wanted to do.”
Blocho visited Hobart with the thought of playing both sports. Albany, Stony Brook, New Hampshire and C.W. Post were hot on his trail for football. Sacred Heart and Drexel also recruited him for lacrosse.
But as for the local school with a Division I football program . . .
“UB never even talked to me,” said Blocho, shrugging his shoulders. “When it came down to the point where I wasn’t recruited by UB, I didn’t hold much hope [for football].”
Blocho admits he’s still ticked he was never recruited by UB and admits he might have considered playing football and club lacrosse with the Bulls.
His voice trails off but he perks right up when asked if he harbors any regrets over his decision.
“None at all, I think I made the right choice,” he said as a smile reappears. “I wasn’t about to give up the chance to play D-I lacrosse just to play D-II or D-III football. At this point I think I took the right road. What goes on this year and after this year will really determine it.”
While Blocho might have been considered too short to be a blue-chip running back prospect, his size and skills are perfectly suited for Division I lacrosse.
“He’s fast, he’s athletic, he’s a great shooter with both hands,” said Mearns, who contends he may even use Blocho some as a midfielder to create mismatches this season. “He plays with a real sense of confidence. His thought is that if I have the ball, I can dodge anybody. He always draws a double [team] but he has the ability and confidence to make good decisions with the ball.”
Blocho, who began playing football at the age of 7, didn’t pick up lacrosse until he was an eighth-grader.
“Football probably came easier,” he said. “Lacrosse came pretty naturally, too. But I think I probably grasped football easier.”
At Grand Island, Blocho had 44 goals and 44 assists as a senior, finishing his career with 210 scores and 120 helpers.
Blocho started college as an accounting major but switched to finance. He plans on attending graduate school to pursue his desire of becoming an architect.
And he still plays flag football at Canisius because, “I have to have some kind of football in my life.”
Even as recently as the Super Bowl, Blocho said it hurt to have to watch the game knowing his football career might be over.
“And it doesn’t help to have my dad [Jim, who played football at Buffalo State] say stuff like, ‘Look at that guy. He’s a running back and he’s only 5-9,’ ” Blocho said with a chuckle. “He had a lot of fun during my high school days watching me play [football]. He always had all of his buddies out there watching, too. When they’re around it’s always so much harder because they’re always bringing [football] up. . . . He thinks I should still be playing.”
Griffs assistant coach Greg Campbell said Blocho’s football instincts translate to lacrosse.
“He has that total vision,” Campbell said. “You can really see those qualities in him on the lacrosse field. And he’s certainly not afraid to take a hit.”
Though the 22-year-old Blocho hasn’t ruled out playing football again somewhere down the road, perhaps at the semi-pro or minor-league level, helping the Griffs win lacrosse games is clearly his No. 1 priority.
“In the MAAC, not a lot of people look at us,” Blocho said. “I just want to become one of the very best lacrosse players.”
He’s well on his way.