Male Most Valuable Athlete: Gino Cerrone

Name: Gino Cerrone

School: St. Charles East, senior

Sport: Football

Why he was selected: The senior defensive back had two interceptions in a 31-21 St. Charles East victory over St. Charles North. Chronicle sports reporter Jacob Bartelson caught up with Cerrone to discuss his breakout season and more. Below is an edited transcript.

Bartelson: When did you begin playing football?

Cerrone: I started playing football [in] second grade. It was flag football [for the Tri-City Chargers] and funnily enough, I was a center.

Bartelson: Why is the sport important to you?

Cerrone: Honestly, the reason football stuck around for so long [for me] is the camaraderie, the family that you build through football. The guys, you end up creating a relationship with all of them that even if you don't want it to stick, it will.

Bartelson: What's an athlete, either professional or in college that you look up to and why?

Cerrone: I'm leaning toward [New York Giants running back] Saquon Barkley. When I look at him, he's just a unit. His legs are insanely large. ... I just envy his work ethic and I wish I could put in as much work as he [does].

​​​​​​​Bartelson: Is there a book, either in football or in sports, that you really connect with?

​​​​​​​Cerrone: Honestly, when it comes to sports, the book that I read from the most is the Bible. I have a lot of personal [passages] that speak to me when it comes to sports.

Bartelson: Are you comfortable sharing an example of a passage and why that matters?

Cerrone: The biggest one for me is 1 Corinthians 15-10. That's one my dad told me when I first started playing football. Before every game, he texts me that passage. ... It's talking about how everything you do, you do it through God. And how he's really steering the wheel [for your life].