Lasting Bond
ADAMS TWP — The bond between Zach Schlegel and his cousin, Drew Schlegel, did not end with the latter’s unexpected death in November 2020.
Zach often thinks of Drew, feels his presence and is motivated by it.
“I talk to him before every game, have a tattoo of his signature on my left arm,” Zach Schlegel said. “I also have a dog tag that has his fingerprint on it and I think about him every day.
“We lived next to each other since I was four years old and he became my best friend.”
Sports were a big part of Drew’s life. He starred on Mars’ football and track and field teams before graduating in 2020, but made quite an impression with people outside of competition as well.
“He was funny, comical and was the most confident person I knew,” said Zach. “He was my mentor and always motivated me.
“When he died, I was lost. Just knowing that he was gone, it was a feeling that I can’t put into words.”
In a win over Knoch last Saturday, Zach, a senior point guard on the Planets’ boys basketball team, reached 1,000 career points — a feat that undoubtedly would have made Drew proud.
In the wake of Drew’s death, which occurred just before the 2020-21 season began, Zach approached his head coach.
“He said that I couldn’t treat him any differently. If he wasn’t doing his job, he wanted me to kick him in the butt,” Carmody said. “He said: ‘You have to be demanding of me’.
“If that doesn’t tell you what kind of young man Zach is, nothing will.“
Schlegel wasn’t banking on reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
“My dad and I talked about it before the season, but my main job is passing the ball and I didn’t think I’d average 18 points per game this season.
But that’s what Schlegel is putting up to lead the Planets as they prepare for a WPIAL Class 5A first-round playoff Monday against Thomas Jefferson. He became the 12th boys player in school history to score 1,000 points — joining the likes of Bill and Steve Cress, Tim Frye, John Castello, Robby and Michael Carmody and Andrew Recchia, among others.
“Some of those guys were my favorite players growing up,” Schlegel said. “It’s awesome to be mentioned with them.”
Aside from scoring, Schlegel is also averaging five assists and nearly four steals per game.
He was a bench player his freshman year and became Mars’ starting point guard as a sophomore following the graduation of Recchia.
“I was used to the position, but it becomes much more important at the varsity level,” Schlegel said. “You’re the quarterback of the offense out there. It was challenging for me, but something I enjoyed.”
According to Rob Carmody, Schlegel has evolved into “the heart and soul of our program.
“He’s more lead by example, but when he speaks, his words carry a lot of weight,” he said. “He has a unique sense of what everybody on the team is feeling. If they’re not being serious enough or if the mood is too serious, he can snap us back to where we need to be.”
