It’s 3:14 p.m. The seventh period bells sound off at Desert Vista, signaling the culmination of one day and the beginning of a new for the school’s football team.

Michael Lonski packs his bag and strolls toward the locker room. Multiple hours of practice await him in the Arizona sun, and unlike most, he can’t wait to get started.  

Lonski enters the room and approaches his space at the end of the hall. His path reflects off the mirror of coach Dan Hinds’ office, who notices the same demeanor from the first time he met his senior offensive lineman.

“Mike Lonski’s always got a smile on his face,” Hinds says. “His positivity as a young man was really, really high.”

No matter who he’s around, Lonski’s smile can light up an entire room. But behind that beam lies a past driven by difficulty.

Four years ago, Lonski and his family were struck by tragedy when his father, Joe, passed away from Stage IV cancer. At the time, Lonski was living in Westhampton Beach, New York, a small town on the southeast coast of Long Island.

With Lonski set to begin high school, he, his brother and mother moved to Arizona to be closer to more family members. He looks at his father’s passing as the loss of his best friend.

“He always called me his ‘mini me,’” Lonski says.  “I always followed everything he did, and he taught me how to be the man I am today.”

Lonski says his close relationship stemmed from his father’s enduring commitment to his family.

“He was an inspiration for me because he was always working. Then he always had time for his family, for me and my brother, and he just taught us so many things. That’s what I miss a lot about him.”

With Lonski starting a new chapter in Phoenix, he immediately sought out football. The sport had been his favorite since he was 10 and now, more than ever, he needed the game that was his “getaway” from life.

While training the summer before his freshman year, fellow offensive lineman Keilan Corella met Lonski at practice. Corella wasn’t impressed.

“When I first saw him, I could see that he was going to work hard, but I felt he was going to be soft,” Corella says. “He didn’t have that [presence].”

As time went on, Lonski made his presence known. Corella says he and his teammate have since developed a friendly competition to out-work the other during drills and in the weight room, a tradition that keeps them prepared for gameday.

“He’s mentally tough,” Corella says. “All those workouts, everything that we’ve done together, as a team and just the two of us, has definitely prepared him to not get afraid of playing in front of hundreds of people.”

Brett Johnson, a fellow senior and member of the offensive line, says his trust in Lonski has grown to the point where the two rarely verbally communicate on the field.

“We’re perfect for each other on the offensive line,” Johnson says. “We have our own language that we talk to each other with on the line. The whole team has to communicate, but when it’s two guys that have to block, it’s good to have.”

So far, Lonski and the Thunder offensive line have been integral to the team’s success. Their efforts have blossomed into a breakout season for junior running back Tyson Grubbs, who has recorded 543 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns during the team’s 4-0 start.

Hinds attributes Lonski’s success as a lineman to his personality as a protector, which correlates directly to the program’s values.

“Mike is a bit of a caretaker on this team,” Hinds says. “Brotherhood is really important as far as this football team, and that’s the culture we built. And Mike’s all about that.

“He loves the brotherhood. He loves taking care of people, he loves looking after his teammates.”

For Lonski, the value of brotherhood is always with him.

“Just doing the right things, on and off the field,” Lonski says. “Protecting the team. They have my back, and I have their back. I’m going to do my best to not let anything happen to the quarterback or running back.”

As the Thunder move into region play, Lonski plans to continue to lead by example and push his team. He doesn’t want anything left behind in his final season.

He credits his mother’s support for giving him this motivation.

“She’s been the best,” Lonski says. “She’s been amazing since my dad passed away, and she’s just been my biggest support.

“She always comes to everything for me, my games. I just love her so much. She supports me and my brother so well and I couldn’t ask for a better mother.”

When he leaves Desert Vista, Lonski hopes to play Division 1 college football and later, the NFL. At the moment, his future is unknown.

What is known, however, is that it would be unwise to bet against him. When life hits hard, Lonski hits back with the same approach: a manner that brightens all in his presence.

 

“I approach [adversity] by just putting a smile on every day and hoping that it helps other people throughout the day,” Lonski says. “When I smile, I think things get better. Having a sad face – it’s not my personality, because I’m always a happy person.”