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Faza Leads By Example

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: December 4, 2008

DADE CITY - The text message Pasco defensive end Zack Faza received in 2007 was self-defeating.

A teammate had just gotten word the Pirates would be facing Eustis in the first round of the playoffs. The correspondence was full of doubt about the Pirates' chances and reflected a sense of awe for the opposing team.

Faza's simple reply left little room for doubt about where he stood on the matter: "It matters not to a Spartan."

See, Faza is a student with big dreams, and he doesn't let much deter him. That six-word response, reflecting the fight of the famously feisty Spartans of ancient Greece, is all one needs to know about the Pasco senior captain.

"I can't think of a more outstanding individual with more integrity or leadership qualities than Zack Faza," Pasco coach Tom McHugh said. "He has been the backbone of this program since I've been here. He's one of those kinds of kids where you only have to ask them to do something one time and he does it. He leads by example. He doesn't talk a lot, but when he does, the kids all listen to him."

"He's tough on the field and he knows what it takes to be a winner in the classroom and on the football field and probably in life. Anything you can say about him is going to transfer into life also."

Faza hasn't taken a high school course in nearly two years because he has been taking classes at Pasco-Hernando Community College. As an eighth-grader, he was taking high-school classes and he figured "why not stay ahead?"

When the day comes for him to take a complete load as a college student, he has dreams of pursuing a degree in aeronautical engineering. He envisions developing an aircraft that will be used with the same frequency that cars are used today.

"I thought to myself, 'What's the greatest human advancement to this point, and the greatest realm for advancement?' And that would be aeronautical and aerospace engineering," said Faza. He credits his grandfather, Vince Martinez, who once worked at the Kennedy Space Center, for developing his interest in aeronautics. "We've made ships for thousands of years, we've had horses and we've made carts and the wheel's been around forever, but we just started this past century being able to fly. Aviation is such a new field that the advancements there are just incredible."

For now, Faza and his teammates have designs on stopping Citra North Marion in Friday night's Class 3A-Region 2 final. This is the farthest Pasco (11-1) has advanced in the playoffs since winning the state title in 1992.

North Marion will bring an offense that stars quarterback Chuckie Looney and running back Eddie Rocker. The Colts (9-3) also have an aggressive defense that can cause havoc.

Zack's father, Andy Faza, constantly tells his son to be a Renaissance man - "be a jack of all trades," because there's so much in the world to enjoy.

To that end, Zack Faza also has dabbled in music. He and older brother, Andy Jr., taught each other how to play guitar, leading to a stint in the band DC North. Now, the duo are members of Cassady.

Everything circles back to football, though.

As Faza's time in DC North came to an end, he was thinking of playing football again. He had played as a sophomore, but he contemplated not playing at all. In fact, he could have graduated after his junior year. But when McHugh was hired before the 2007 season and Faza met him, he wanted to play for a coach he calls "not just a good coach, but a good man."

In the end, it's football, and the game might have taught Faza his greatest lesson.

"Football has taught me to appreciate everyone," Faza said. "Everyone has their place in this world, and everyone has their passions and their gifts. While someone may seem slightly annoying to you or pester you, really, that's their way of dealing with things, and that's who they are, and it's not necessarily a bad thing."

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214.

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