Four Lemont Football Players Sign Letters of Intent

Four seniors—defensive linemen Sebastian Koziel, Arnas Laurinaitis, Andrew Manganiello and kicker Josh Young—have committed to playing college football in Fall 2012.

The group, who signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, joins teammates Kyle Krull and Brad Uher as members of Lemont's Class of 2012 that will play college football.

Koziel, Laurinaitis, Manganiello and Young all were key contributors to the success of head coach Eric Michaelsen’s program in recent years.

During the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the Indians compiled a 23-2 record, posting back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and South Suburban Conference-Blue Division titles. Lemont went 12-0 in SSC Blue play in 2010 and 2011, posted a 5-2 record in the IHSA Class 6A playoffs over those two years, and shut out eight opponent.

Koziel (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) will play for North Central College. He totaled 45 tackles (33 solo) from the defensive line as a junior and senior. He also contributed seven sacks, seven tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries and two pass break-ups during his career.

Laurinaitis (6-foot-2, 270 pounds) will play for Western Illinois University. He racked up 74 tackles (61 solo) while spending two seasons as the squad’s starting nose guard. An All-SSC performer, he collected 12 tackles-for-loss, forced two fumbles, and also recovered two fumbles.

Manganiello (5-foot-9, 230 pounds) will play for Olivet Nazarene University. He totaled 39 tackles (22 solo) from the defensive tackle position. He also added six tackles-for-loss and two sacks over two seasons.

Young (5-foot-10, 145 pounds) will play for Valparaiso University. He played parts of three seasons on the varsity squad, and served as the team’s primary place kicker for two of those campaigns. He converted 100 of 112 point-after attempts, and also added two field goals to finish his career with 106 points. Young also averaged 45.8 yards on 112 kickoffs in his career.

In 2011, Laurinaitis posted a career-high 39 tackles (35 solo), including seven for-loss, and forced two fumbles and recovered another. Manganiello broke into the starting line-up for the first time and posted a career-best 30 tackles (17 solo) while adding two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Despite missing time with an injury, Koziel managed 21 tackles (12 solo) and tied for fourth on the team with four sacks. Young posted a career-high 61 points by converting 61-of-68 extra point attempts. He also averaged 46.6 yards on 90 kickoffs and posted 13 touchbacks.

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