TOLEDO, Ohio — In high school, Giovanni DeSantis was a really talented linebacker at Central Catholic. He could have played in college at some smaller schools, but he chose a different path. That doesn’t mean he’s left the sideline.
He might have hung up the cleats after high school, but his passion for competing is still as high as ever. He’s just doing it in a different way as a cheerleader at the University of Toledo.
"It's still a sport. People can say what they want, it is exhausting," said DeSantis. "I'm the strongest I've ever been. I'm not nearly on the same regime I was back in high school when it came to lifting. This is a sport, this is something that really kicks your butt if you really put the time and effort in to do it. I can promise you, me at 230 pounds back in high school is not flipping and doing any of this stuff that I'm doing now."
He’s been around cheerleading his entire life. His sisters both cheered, so this shouldn’t be a shock, but he’s found a new sport to love and still gets to be around the game of football.
"It's awesome. I wouldn't trade it for the world," said DeSantis. "This is one of the best opportunities that I've had. It's a lot of fun. You can do some really cool stuff. It's something that I've really fallen in love with."
You might have noticed DeSantis when the Rockets played at Ohio State. As Thomas Zsiros caught a touchdown pass, DeSantis was the first to greet his former high school rival.
"I've known Thomas a long time. We were on the same little league teams together, we grew up in the same area always playing against each other. He went to St. John's, I went to Central. Seeing a guy that I know like that get a touchdown, I wouldn't say he ran, but he ran towards that way and something came over me and I had to get up the field and congratulate him someway. Gave him a little shot, don't know if it was what it used to be, but it was something."