CoverThreeAthletics 2019 WPIAL Football Player Spotlight: Day 7 (Michael Barbuto)

Central Valley football player, Michael Barbuto (21), celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Waynesburg in 2018.

SOURCE: THE TIMES

Michael Barbuto helped Central Valley get into the WPIAL 3A football playoffs in 2018. Last season, he recorded a total of 5 receptions and 53 receiving yards as a wide receiver. He even scored a touchdown. He has also made a big contribution to the team on defense as a cornerback. Barbuto is hoping to have a big senior year at Central Valley in 2019 as he hopes to get his team back in the WPIAL playoffs.

Description

Name: Michael Barbuto

School: Central Valley

Sport: Football

Position: Wide Receiver and Cornerback

Class: 2020

Questions & Answers

What are the expectations for Central Valley's football team in 2019?

Michael Barbuto: "Our expectations are to bring that ring home."

You recently just received an offer from Robert Morris University. Congratulations on that. You also have three Division 1 offers. Does getting offered by Division 1 football schools motivate you to become better as a player?

MB: "Thank you for the congrats! These offers carry responsibility; so, I 100% became a better leader with them. Yet, the grind still remains the same... everyday."

Let me tell you man, on defense, you are a really hard hitter. How have you become the "hard hitter" that you are?

MB: "Since little league, mental toughness has been installed in all of us players. For me, I always knew that I have speed and that helps greatly with closing time. Expect the same hitter as last year just with an added 12 pounds."

Former Sewickley Academy Boys basketball player, Isiah Warfield, is going to attend his senior year of high school at Central Valley in the fall. Are you excited to see one of your former classmates return?

MB: "Yes, Isiah has been one of my good friends since "TWERPS". We have always been in contact even throughout his time at Sewickley Academy. It will be a blast spending our senior year together."

If you could choose any car to drive, what car would you choose?

MB: "A Maserati Gran Turismo"

Do you have any idea of what you want to do when you grow up?

MB: "I want to be in the engineering field. I want to do something in Electrical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering."

Tell me an event in your life that has impacted you into the person that you are.

MB: "When I was 13, I lost my big brother who was 18. It helped me realize that life isn’t always sweet, and if you want something you got to work for it. This experience made me mature into a go-getter."

Fill in the blanks: "In Michael Barbuto's senior year of high school, he will _________"

MB: "Make plays"

Tell us something that people would be surprised to know about you

MB: "I love to learn, whether it is in school or everyday life."

BY Hilton: bythebossandgoat@gmail.com and Twitter @BYHilton13