GCC football standout Dlugos will tour Italy with American all-star team

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, March 19, 2023 | 3:53 PM

Nate Dlugos enjoys Italian food. Pizza is his favorite.

Sometimes, though, it’s spaghetti and meatballs.

But what about spaghetti and … footballs?

The Greensburg Central Catholic senior was selected to play for the American Football Worldwide Elite Team, which will travel to Italy to take part in educational tours before playing a football game against a 20U team representing the host country.

The game will be April 8 at Vigorelli Stadium in Milan.

“You can never go wrong with pizza, but I love pasta, too,” Dlugos said. “My dad makes the best deer meat pasta, but I’m not sure Italy will have any of that.”

Dlugos, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver and defensive back, was one of 30 seniors picked from across the country. He is a Williams (Mass.) College commit.

“It felt like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he said. “I was selected by the head coach of an organization called American Football World, Jim Barnes. Our team is made up of seniors, and he saw that I was a good student and football player committed to play at Williams. So he reached out to me to and asked if I was interested.”

Elite Team players and coaches will meet April 2 in Rome. From there, the team and their families will head to Lake Como.

Their sight-seeing stops will include the Roman Colosseum and Forum, the piazzas of Rome, Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sienna, Florence, Cinque Terra, Lake Como and Milan.

Dlugos was GCC’s most valuable player last season as the Centurions won the Class A Eastern Conference title. He was a first-team all-conference receiver and a second-team defensive back. He had 18 receptions for 396 yards and five touchdowns last season. He also returned kicks and punts.

On defense, he made 43 tackles (28 solo) and had two fumble recoveries.

He was selected to play in the East-West Small School All-Star Game set for noon May 21 at Bishop McDevitt.

“I joined this team to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Dlugos said. “I don’t think many people get to say they played football in another country. I love the game, and it’s exciting and I am looking forward to it.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.