Bagonis is a ‘difference maker’

By Bruce Morgan

Warwick’s Vinny Bagonis was probably underestimated by opponents in his sophomore season.

To be fair, he was a bit on the smaller side as a 6-foot-1, 180-pound nose guard for the Warrior football team.

But teams and coaches soon learned.

Bagonis was causing havoc with his speed and quickness, so they started drawing up double teams.

It got to the point where this past fall in Bagonis’ senior year, teams were game planning around him.

Even so, the Warrior standout still led the D with nine sacks, 20 tackles for loss and 96 total stops.

In November, Bagonis was named Section Three Outstanding Lineman and Defened sive Lineman of the Year.

He thought that would be the extent of his post-season accolades.

It wasn’t. In late December, Bagonis was selected to the Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State Class 5A team.

“My coach (offensive coordinator Travis Mumma) sent me the article and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy,’” Bagonis recalled. “I really appreciate that. I didn’t expect it.”

Naturally, Bagonis has grown since his sophomore year. He is now listed at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds.

Yet, it’s still undersized when you compare him to four other D-line selections — Peters Township’s Reston Lehman (6-4, 230), Spring Grove’s David Czapp (6-2, 260),

Mechanicsburg’s Collin Stare (6-2, 245) and Bishop McDevitt’s Chris Thompson (5-10, 250).

“When I looked at the other guys that made it,” Bagonis said, “I thought, ‘Wow, those are some pretty big guys and I’m pretty impressed that I made it at my size.’” Added Warrior boss Bob Locker: “I think (Vinny’s All-State selection) just pays homage to who he was as a football player. If you look at that list and they go to the defensive lineman and it says he’s 215 pounds, I think then you have to step back and think, like, ‘Well, what made him exceptional?,’ and it was just his tenacity and speed off the ball. His mentality made him a pretty special football player.”

Bagonis actually got his football career started as a youth in California prior to moving to Lititz with his family in fifth grade.

His father believed in him from day one and imparted some wisdom on him. Smallish or not, Bagonis had his heart on playing on the defensive side of the ball at War-wick.

“I was like, ‘I love playing defensive line, I’m going to stick there,’” said Bagonis, who has committed to play at Division-Two Seton Hill. “I love the thrill that defense gives you, tackling and all that.”

Bagonis made plays at the middle school level. He executed game plans. But then as he prepared to play high school ball, Bagonis was uncertain of where he might line up.

But he got inspiration from Harman McKnight, a 2023 grad who received Section Two First-Team honors as a senior at DL at 5-foot-11, 209.

“I was unsure what I wanted to do,” Bagonis recalled. “But seeing him (play nose guard), I was like, ‘With his speed, I know that I could stick at this position and work at it.’ So I worked at it and worked at it, and I started sophomore year and have been playing since.”

As Locker noted, Bagonis played nose guard at a high level.

“He’s a difference maker,” Locker said. “Just the fact that you’re a two-time All-Section and now All-State player, he obviously has to be ranked up there with some of the elite deat fensive linemen that have ever played here.”

Yes, a lot of Bagonis’ preparations consisted of speed work. But he also spent countless hours — with the help of assistants Anthony Smoker and Jerry McKonly — perfectthe ing his hand technique against centers and guards.

“(Sophomore and junior) years, I didn’t use my hands as much,” Bagonis said. “I relied on my speed. This year, I worked them together and just had a phenomenal season.

“I have to give it to my coach, young Smoker,” he added. “He taught me how to work on my hands and my speed, and they trusted me, especially without our (2024) defensive end, Owen (Hursh), who was phenomenal.”

Hursh, as it turned out, was also splendid as a tight end. His graduation, of course, created an opening at that position and Bagonis worked on his conditioning with an eye toward seizing the opportunity.

He did exactly that, hauling in 20 passes for 263 yards and two TDs.

Just like Hursh, Bagonis was a two-way star, taking home Section Three First-Team honors at tight end.

“I just had to get in the mindset to play both sides,” he said, “and that I’m going to be in there all game. When I got that done, I knew I was ready.”

Now Bagonis is ready for Seton Hill. Nobody is underestimating him anymore.

Photo by Logan Gehman

Warwick senior nose guard Vinny Bagonis celebrates after making a big stop against Lampeter-Strasburg.