It is probably not a stretch to say most youngsters when putting on the uniform of the Bridgeport Pee Wee White or Pee Wee Red teams dream of one day playing in the National Football League.

 

Eventually, as the players mature and they prepare themselves for middle school and high school, they realize it is better to focus dreams on other directions. At best, getting to the professional level in sports is a long shot at best.

 

For one former Pee Wee White standout, it is a long snap to make it to the NFL. Back in September, you were told in this very blog about 2019 Bridgeport High School graduate Josh Wojciechowicz getting some sniffs from the NFL for not just a rare possible slot on an NFL roster, but for an even rarer spot as a long snapper.

 

Before going there, a quick recap. The 22-year-old has spent the last five years as a member of the Colorado School of Mines football team, and more importantly, as a student of the highly touted research school that focuses on engineering and science.

 

Already, Wojciechowicz has earned an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering with a focus on computer hardware. He is currently working on his master’s degree in nuclear engineering and science. If all goes well, and it almost certainly will, Wojciechowicz will wrap that up in May.

 

His time on the field has been equally successful. He has been rock steady as the long snapper for a team that reached the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2022 and 2024 (falling both games) before missing the postseason this year as the Orediggers went 8-3.

 

And prior to that? He was a team leader on the 2019 BHS Class AA state championship team that upended Bluefield by a 21-14 score at Wheeling Island Stadium.

 

Football, as you can see, has been good to Wojciechowicz. And it may not quite be done.

 

Back on Jan. 11, Wojciechowicz was in Orlando for the Hula Bowl. On Jan. 30, he was in Arlington, Texas for the East-West Shrine Bowl. At the Hula Bowl, he was one of four long snappers on the roster for his squad. In the Shrine Bowl, he was the only snapper invited for the West squad.

 

The purpose of the bowls is to highlight seniors to NFL scouts as well as other professional football league representatives. It is safe to say he got exposure.

 

“The Hula Bowl was first, and it was fun because the experience was brand new and I was going up almost exclusively against Division I competition with I think one or two Division II guys and one Division III player,” said Wojciechowicz. “I went up against the best prospects in the nation and dialed it in.

 

“The four rotations with long snappers proved interesting,” he continued. “But I got a few extra snaps in because the last long snapper got sick.”

 

During the course of the event, Wojciechowicz got to meet with scouts. Eventually, he sat down with six different teams who learned more about him.

 

As for the Shrine event, he said things were a bit more organized as far as working in front of scouts and meeting with them. It was also a chance to play in one of the largest venues in the world.

 

“That game itself was an absolute experience,” said Wojciechowicz, “You’re inside AT&T Stadium, and it’s massive and you look up at the lights and it’s incredible. Then, you quickly realize I need to forget about that and do my thing.”

 

While Wojciechowicz’s team came out on the wrong end of the 25-0 in the 100^th annual contest, he got plenty of work. And he felt like he was on top of his game.

 

“I felt that was one of my better days snapping. Considering we didn’t score, we had six or seven punts and one field goal attempt, and I did my job really well there,” said Wojciechowicz. “That capped an entire week that included practice where I felt really good about my long snapping.”

 

He also felt good about the experience in Arlington. He said every day leading up to the game there were time periods set up for interviews with scouts by organized groups – his included specialists, quarterbacks, tight ends, and running backs.

 

“These interviews were about 15 minutes, mainly with NFL teams. There were 24 different teams I was able to speak with,” said Wojciechowicz. “It was a big week that was a lot of fun.”

 

The next big weeks are in April and May. April 24 through April 26 is the NFL draft that will then be followed by the signing of undrafted free agents and invitations to NFL minicamps.

 

“It’s rare for long snappers to get drafted. There are only 32 positions and there are no backups and typically there is no long snapper on the practice squads,” said Wojciechowicz. “If you go undrafted, you work with your agent to get offers on the undrafted side of things and then try to pick out the best situation.”

 

His snap time is critical. In the NFL, Wojciechowicz said the goal is .7 seconds or faster from his fingertips to the punter’s fingertips. He also said the speed at which you move into blocking after the snap is critical, too, and he is well under that average.

 

“They are looking at more than the snap time, including your first movement and putting it directly at the punter’s hips,” Wojciechowicz said.

 

Going through his progressions, if he is absolutely winging the snap at full force, he said he can do .65 seconds. However, he said when he is aiming at consistency and making sure everything is correct, he is at the sweet spot of .7 seconds.

 

“It’s hard to say what will happen because the NFL is selective with their picking and the NFL can be that way because they take the best of the best,” the 2020 BHS graduate said. “I’m well aware nothing is guaranteed, but I feel I’m going to be given a shot at some level.”

 

While Wojciechowicz knows that he has beaten the odds to get to this point, the odds still have to be beaten to go a step further. The good news is that he has a pretty solid backup plan with his education where the next big weekend comes – his May graduation.

 

In fact, he has a job already lined up in the military defense contractor arena in Amarillo, Texas as soon as he graduates. And, if he goes to an NFL camp, that is not an issue either.

 

“(My future employer has) been great,” said Wojciechowicz. “They will push back the start time until after the preseason, which are the final cuts, if necessary.”

 

Wojciechowicz would not be the first person to make it to the major sport level of the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball. BHS alum Harrison Musgrave made the show for the Colorado Rockies. Before that, the best I can find was 1930's BHS graduate Babe Barna who played five years in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants.

 

In fact, Wojciechowicz, would actually be the third BHS long snapper to get a hard look from the NFL. Brothers Donnie and Timmy Lindsey, who both played at West Virginia University, turned the trick previously.

 

However, if Wojciechowicz makes an NFL roster, it appears he will likely be the first Bridgeport High School graduate to make it to the pros. Pro Football Reference lists 190 players being born in West Virginia, with not being born in Bridgeport. However, that does not mean they did not end up graduating from BHS. Regardless, Wojciechowicz said it would be something to make it that far.

 

“That’s where I want to go,” said Wojciechowicz. “Ultimately, it’s God’s plan. I’ll do what I can to get there, but I’m fine with however things turn out.”

 

Regardless, it is not too bad for a former Pee Wee White player suiting up at Wayne Jamison Field more than a decade ago. Sometimes dreams can become reality. This may be one of those cases.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Josh Wojciechowicz in his Pee Wee White uniform, while he's shown in the second image during his playing days at the Colorado School of Mines. In the third photo, Wojciechowicz is shown in practice at the Hula Bowl and postgame with his mother Michelle and father Jason in the fourth photo. Wojciechowicz, wearing 33, is shown postgame at the East-West Shrine game and in the bottom photo he is shown leading the postgame prayer while wearing his familiar 33 with the Bridgeport Indians. All photos courtesy of Jason Wojciechowicz.