ROANOKE, Va. – He has imposed his will at every chance he gets for the North Cross Raiders football team and soon he’ll do the same on an ACC football gridiron. Moritz Schmoranzer, also known as “Schmo” committed to continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Pittsburgh.
In a ceremony that happened live on 10 News at 6 on Friday, “Schmo” chose the Pitt Panthers over Miami, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech.
“Last week was pretty stressful but I felt very comfortable about it when I left that place,” Schmoranzer said. “This last week as I said, Miami really ramped it up--text every day, calls every day, hour-long Zoom calls. It got me thinking but in the end, it was Pitt.”
“Schmo” stands at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, and has been a force to be reckoned with on the Raiders’ offensive and defensive lines the past few years. As a sophomore when he first arrived to the United States from Germany, he spent time at the wide receiver position before making a move.
The three-star recruit stood out as a 1st team All-State honoree this past year as a junior. Schmo helped lead the Raiders to an 11-1 record and the VISAA DII State Championship.
Schmo said that not picking Virginia Tech was also a hard decision considering his old teammate and German native Hannes Hammer is heading to Blacksburg.
“I just couldn’t see myself there as well as West Virginia. When I went on my official visits it was just a lot of love and I appreciated it a lot.”
Now with the big decision day behind him, Schmo is relieved and ready to give his all during his senior season for North Cross.
“I was hard thinking about that. My parents told me they had sleepless nights. But this feeling is so, so good.”