Three Cheers for Ronnie Balzano

At 5'7" and 160 pounds, Ron Balzano was not the kind of football player a coach would look at in the pre-season and say, "There's my cornerback." But Balzano was quick and strong with muscles in places where most people don't even have places—more with the build of a  linebacker than that of a defensive back.

Balzano had heard, "You're good but you're too short" from the sixth grade on when he started playing lacrosse. He started playing football two years later, in the eighth grade. In the seven years since, he proved he wasn't too short.

Realizing that he wouldn't catch the coach's eye in tryouts and practices because of his height he discovered that he could draw their attention by hitting harder, being quicker, stronger and always in proper position on the football field.

Balzano was the Rams' starter at cornerback as a senior on this year's state championship football team. He was named to the Connecticut All-State Football Team and Second Team All-FCIAC. He often covered players who were anywhere from four to nine inches taller than him.

"Ron has very quick feet and knows how to get leverage on a receiver. He's rarely out of position—he's like a thigh-high wall," said former Ram standout and defensive backs coach, Chris Silvestri. "He's a great athlete and a great kid to coach."

"Because of his size people overlook him," said Rams Head Coach Lou Marinelli. "He took that as a challenge and went up against the best guys and did a great job. His heart is as big as anybody we have-he's just a tremendous success story."

Balzano earned his way into a starting position this past summer in San Diego at a "Seven-on-Seven" summer camp in which many Rams participated. He had come up through the ranks, having played on the freshman team, followed by the sophomore team, followed by the junior varsity and in his senior year, the varsity.

"Even though I think I have a pretty good vertical jump, once the game begins and the adrenalin starts flowing, I'm in pretty good shape with the taller guys," said Balzano. "I take it as a personal challenge when people think size limits me."

Balzano traded in his football uniform for a lacrosse uniform in the spring; he was given honorable mention in All-FCIAC lacrosse in 2009. His work in the trenches impressed Siena College who recruited him for their Division I program. But Balzano withdrew his commitment to Siena and will instead be headed for the University of Connecticut in the fall where he hopes to continue playing lacrosse and perhaps be a walk-on in football. 

Balzano does the dirty work that wins games—he takes most of the face offs, and starts as a defensive midfielder and on man-down situations. Rams lacrosse Head Coach Alex Whitten said,"Ronnie was always the first guy to pump up his teammates whether we scored or gave up a goal." He said Balzano will be extremely difficult to replace. "Ron is a great lacrosse player who worked hard to get where he is."

Balzano also distinguished himself in the classroom as a consistent honors winner and in providing leadership, being honored with the Principal's Leadership Award at the senior awards ceremony. He was also presented with the Reynolds and Rowella Strength In Numbers Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who has demonstrated leadership along with a strong interest in accounting, finance and community involvement.

Balzano was also among a small group selected to participate in the "Names Can Really Hurt anti-bully program developed by the Connecticut office of the Anti-Defamation League to provide a safe forum for students to confront difficult issues.

"He wants to be the best that he can be," said Balzano's father Ron. "He realizes that once you give 100 percent in anything, you've already won."

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Do you know of an athlete worthy of cheering? E-mail amy@patch.com.