2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Penn-Trafford’s Zach Tomosovich

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, July 14, 2023 | 2:32 PM

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Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of 25 profiles of the members of the Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team.

Zach Tomosovich didn’t play football until he went to eighth grade

“I was always too big to play midget football,” Tomosovich said. “But once I started playing, I loved it.”

He was a quick learner. By the time he was a sophomore at Penn-Trafford, he was the starting right tackle on the school’s first WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A championship team.

Now the 6-foot-5, 305-pound senior, with an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy, wants to help the Warriors win another WPIAL and PIAA title.

“Last year, I should have done better and the team should have played better,” Tomosovich said about a disappointing 6-5 season. “The team was a close-knit group my sophomore season, and I see that same attitude already this year.

“I feel we’re going to have an excellent offensive line, I think the skilled players are ready to step up, and the defense looks great. I’m excited for the season.”

Tomosovich said the 2021 team knew after a win over Pine-Richland that it wasn’t going to be beat.

“We had fun playing for each other,” Tomosovich said. “That run we had was awesome. We didn’t want it to end. We were motivated to finish the job.”

Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said Tomosovich has made himself a better player for his senior season.

“He’s lost weight, he’s faster and quicker, and he’s a finisher as a blocker,” Ruane said. “He’s a hard worker and has incredible leg strength. He’s an excellent run blocker and a good pass blocker. He’s got great vision.”

Tomosovich said he always wanted to serve in the military and wasn’t sure how. He was offered during a junior day at West Point and fell in love with the school and the campus.

“I knew that is where I wanted to go,” Tomosovich said. “It’s next to the Hudson River, and it was the right place for me. I like what they do offensively.”

He plans to study business and finance. He doesn’t know what department of the military he will be in, but he’d prefer infantry or artillery.

Tomosovich had more than 10 offers, including Akron, Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, James Madison, Maine, Dartmouth, Penn and Columbia.

Tomosovich, who likes to cook spicy shrimp and chicken on the grill, said he’s worked on his leverage and staying low.

“I’ve improved my feet and running through blocks,” Tomosovich said. “You have to be able to get to the second level and take on athletic linebackers. Looking at college level talent, you have to be able to sustain blocks.”

Zach Tomosovich

Penn-Trafford

Senior

6-5/305

RT/NT

Committed to: United States Military Academy

College offers: Akron, Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, James Madison, Maine, Dartmouth, Penn and Columbia.

2022 statistics: Tomosovich is a three-year starter for the Warriors at right tackle. Penn-Trafford averaged 21.5 points per game, passed for 142.1 yards per game and rushed for 193.8 yards a game.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford