Back then tennis was more his speed.
Before coming to Montana the sophomore wide receiver was three time team MVP of a Havre Blue Ponies tennis squad that won four consecutive state championships from 2002-2005.
Not track, though. An odd choice maybe for a kid with a 4.49-second 40-yard dash time, but he says it just wasn’t his thing.
“I was never really interested in track at all,” Mariani says.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder turned away offers from several NAIA and Division II schools to walk on with the Grizzlies last year and played in all of UM’s 14 football games on special teams. The coaching staff was duly impressed.
“He’s one of the fastest kids on our team,” says coach Bobby Hauck. “If not the fastest.”
Mariani was rewarded with a scholarship this year and his blazing speed and soft hands made him the toast of fall camp. He’s been so good, he’ll likely get the chance to butt into UM’s talented receiving corps here and there. He’ll also have the opportunity to return kicks, something he says he’s never done before.
“He’s been taking care of the ball really well and the first thing we need to do in the return game is take care of the ball,” says Hauck.
Mariani showed off his speed at a Missoula Osprey game this season, setting a record time during the nightly promotion that allows a fan to change the bases during the fifth inning.
With the Osprey season nearing its end, Mariani’s time still stands.
Saturday he’ll get the chance to show off his stuff against against Southern Utah. Last Tuesday, following the Grizzlies’ weekly press conference, he sat down with the Missoulian.
Q. You’ve been turning some heads at practice. Are you excited at the possibility of sticking your nose in there with this talented group of wide outs and getting some playing time?
A. I see it as a huge opportunity for me on every single play. We have so much depth that any one of us can do the job. We’ve all been working hard, honing in on the season. For me, I know my role. My job is to be ready when my number is called. I’m going to do that the best I can.
Q. What can you learn from veteran guys like Bagely and Allen?
A. Those guys are so physical, that’s something that I?need to learn because I’m not as big. I need to be lower, I?need to be more physical. Plus, just their presence is huge. They’re the seniors, the leaders of our (position) group and just having them around is a benefit to everybody.
Q. Earlier this baseball season, you set the record time for changing the bases during Missoula Osprey games. How’d that come about?
A. When they asked me to do it, I don’t think they knew (I was a football player), but then somebody informed them. I had a lot of pressure on me after that. I had to represent for the Griz. I was lucky, I guess. I barely beat the old record.
Q. Is it scary to know you’ll probably be returning kicks and punts this year?
A. I’ll have more anxiety on game day. The butterflies always hit me harder then. I’ve always wanted to return punts and kicks, but it is a little nerve-racking when 24,000 fans all have their eyes on you. I’m ready for it, I think.
Q. How does a guy who runs the 40 in 4.49 end up playing tennis in high school instead of doing track?
A. I was never a huge fan of running around a circle for fun. As a freshman I got into tennis and I loved it. I was doubles partners with one of my best friends and it was more of a relaxing sport for me in the spring. Football was always intense, basketball was intense. Tennis you could just relax and have fun with it. Sometimes we didn’t leave the courts until dark.
Q. Why’d you walk on at UM instead of taking a scholarship somewhere else?
A. It was a big decision for me because there were nothing but question marks around the choice. I felt inside that I could play at this level and there was nothing else to do but prove it. I was extremely skeptical in the beginning. I questioned the decision for a while, but you keep pushing and pushing.
Q. How did it feel to find out they were putting you on scholarship?
A. Oh man, when I heard the news it was a huge, huge day for me. It was little bit of breathing room, a breath of fresh air. I still have lots of improvement to make and a lot more hard work to do, though.
Lightning round:
Favorite kind of music? I’m a country guy.
Any pregame superstitions? I have to go out and play catch with Ty Palmer.
Funniest guy on the Griz? Brandon Dwyer.
Who’s faster, you or Havre native and state 100-meter record holder Steve Heberly? I know Steve pretty well but I don’t think I’ve hit my prime yet. I think I could beat him. I’d like to line it up some day.
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