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BUTLER TWP — Football and Zach Slomers parted ways four years ago.
“I thought I was too small and overweight at the time to keep playing,” the Butler senior said. “One hundred percent, I regret that decision now.”
Last year, Slomers decided to return to the gridiron.
This year, he's shining on it.
“I saw the situation the program was in and I wanted to help out,” Slomers said. “Those are my buddies. I felt like I could offer the team something.”
Slomers saw time at safety for the varsity his junior year. He played a number of positions for the JV team, including quarterback for a game.
“Zach is such a versatile player,” Butler coach Eric Christy said. “Our starting JV quarterback went down with an injury and we figured, why not him?
“He stepped in and did a nice job for us. We knew he could catch the ball and run with the ball. We found out he can throw the ball.”
Fast forward to this year, where Slomers has been a jack of all trades for the Golden Tornado.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver has 23 catches for 236 yards, has rushed for 151 yards from his wideout position and has 511 all-purpose yards, second on the team to quarterback Cooper Baxter.
Not bad for a kid who's played one full year of varsity football on a roster that's suited up fewer than 30 healthy players for much of its WPIAL Class 6A schedule this season.
“We even had Zach throw a couple of passes,” Christy said. “One was successful and the other was that leaping interception by North Allegheny.
“He's a tough kid, a gritty kid. Zach would do anything to help his team.”
That includes repeatedly limping on to the field at Art Bernardi Stadium on Senior Night. Battling an ankle sprain he suffered early in the game, Slomers went on to catch a touchdown pass and produce 208 all-purpose yards that night.
“That was my last home game ... No way I was not gonna play as much as I could,” Slomers said.
Also an outfielder in baseball and guard in basketball, Slomers doesn't figure to be through with football after the Tornado end their season Friday at Canon-McMillan.
Westminster College has interest in him, along with a few other Division III schools.
“We moved him to cornerback on defense this year and he more then held his own,” Christy said. “He guarded some of the top opposing receivers each week and stayed right with them.”
Slomers plans to major in business or marketing in college. And he definitely wants to continue playing football.
“At the highest level I can,” he said. “Those years I wasn't playing, I didn't realize how much I love the sport.
“Playing college football is No. 1 on my priority list. I'd like to play receiver. I feel like that's my best position.”
While Slomers has not experienced a win as a varsity player, he has experienced the camaraderie that comes naturally with the sport.
“Because there were so few of us on the team this year, we really developed a special bond,” Slomers said. “A lot of these guys were friends of mine before I even joined the team.
“I think we're gonna be tight for a long time.”
