Senior Spotlight: Moon lacrosse player takes up new hobby before putting his head in the stars

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, May 7, 2020 | 4:18 PM

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

Zack Jadlocki is like many other high school seniors. He fills his time with schoolwork, video games and athletics.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, has taken sporting competition away from student-athletes, leaving a void for thousands of teenagers across the region.

Jadlocki, who had his senior lacrosse season at Moon halted when the PIAA canceled the season amid covid-19 concerns, has taken on a new hobby to keep the adrenaline flowing.

“Besides school and video games, I’ve been learning how to skateboard to keep me busy,” he said.

The new activity is helping him stay grounded before he heads to space … in a matter of speaking.

Jadlocki plans to study earth and space exploration with a minor in astronomy next fall at Arizona State. He’ll also play for the club lacrosse team.

Have you been doing any lacrosse activities during the stay-at-home orders?

I used to go the field until they closed down. Now I play wall ball and try to keep in shape with some cardio.

If there was a lacrosse season, what were you hoping to accomplish personally and as a team?

Personally, I really wanted to hit the 100-goal milestone. As a team, we were aiming for sections and a WPIAL title.

How much practice time did you have before the shutdown?

We had about a month of practice and a scrimmage before the season was canceled.

What do you like most about lacrosse?

Being with all my friends; we all grew up playing together.

What are some of the other activities you were involved with at Moon?

I played football for nine years, and this year I was an officer at our school’s SADD club.

What was your reaction like when you found out you wouldn’t be returning to school this spring?

I was obviously sad to not be able to finish my senior year, but I was really disappointed to see all of our teams’ hard work over the offseason go to waste.

What have you missed most during this quarantine period?

Lacrosse and going out to eat with my friends.

What have been your favorite shows to binge watch?

“Outer Banks” and “Naruto.”

If you could have dinner with any three celebrities, who would they be?

(Astrophysicist) Neil deGrasse Tyson, Joe Rogan and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Who would you like to give a commencement speech at your graduation?

Will Ferrell.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Moon