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MANY HATS: Haack pushing all right buttons for Memorial baseball while juggling football; family
Brooks Haack wears a lot of hats at Memorial.
Just a year ago, Haack took over the Memorial Mustangs football program while also serving as the campus athletic coordinator for the red and white. Then, early in baseball season, he stepped in to lead the baseball program as well.
Fast forward a few months, and the Mustangs are headed to their first-ever State Semifinal appearance, where they’ll face Dripping Springs beginning Thursday.
Memorial has been playing loose, confident baseball behind tremendous senior leadership and a team that continues to believe in the moment.
And if that wasn’t enough on Haack’s plate, he’s also balancing life at home with a toddler — and another baby due later this summer.
VYPE’s Matt Malatesta caught up with “Mr. Memorial” on the eve of the Mustangs’ State Semifinal appearance.
Memorial’s Grant Sperandio has committed to Texas
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The legend of Memorial’s Grant Sperandio started early — and he’s lived up to the hype.
“We had heard things about an incoming freshman who was really good, but do you know how many times I’ve heard that?” Memorial coach Jeremy York said. “Well, the first day of tryouts he throws a ball across the infield at 92 miles per hour. We had him warm up in the bullpen, but we couldn’t put him against other freshmen — so he threw to varsity hitters. Yep, he was the real deal… and he’s only gotten better.”
Sperandio committed to the University of Texas as a freshman — a ninth grader headed to one of the premier programs in college baseball.
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Fast forward to the summer before his junior year. Enter newly hired football coach Brooks Haack.
“He’d never really had quarterback training, and he couldn't do spring ball because he was in the middle of baseball season,” Haack said. “He missed most of fall ball because he was in San Diego training at an MLB workout. Then in one of his first plays, he submarine-throws a ball into a tiny window that goes for about an 80-yard touchdown.
“He was instrumental in our success this season, and he’s just getting started. After the season, he told me he wanted to run the ball more as a dual-threat quarterback. I laughed — I don’t want a $2 million NIL deal on my head,” he joked.
Being a dual-sport athlete in today’s era of specialization isn’t easy — but Sperandio embraces it.
“Two-sport athletes usually end up having great careers,” he said. “Playing football gets my mind off baseball. I’ve found that it makes me stronger and tougher heading into baseball season.
“Honestly, I just like to compete. My parents always say someone is always working while you’re resting. That’s embedded in my mind. I’m not going to be outworked, and no one wants to win more than me.”
Memorial fell to eventual state champion Kingwood in the regional semifinals — and Sperandio hasn’t forgotten it.
“Losing is part of the game, and adversity is good,” he said. “It makes me hungrier to win. We have the best pitching staff in the nation, we’ve prepared all offseason, and our chemistry is strong. We’re ready to make a real run this season.”
His coaches sum it up best.
“Grant Sperandio is a gamer, period,” Haack said.
“Playing football has made him even more of a bulldog than last season — and that’s scary,” York added.
The legacy? It’s still being written.