As a youth, Vasili Tsiotos spent many of his Thanksgivings helping George Markos serve free turkey dinners to residents at Brothers Deli.
Tsiotos performed the community service project each year, helping out Mr. Markos (a friend of Vasili’s father, Nick Tsiotos, and the Tsiotos family) and joining other volunteers at the popular restaurant in Lynn.
Last Thursday Vasili was front and center (pun intended) on the Winthrop Vikings’ offensive line, doing his job well in the team’s decisive 22-0 victory.
Tsiotos, whose family is illustrious for its basketball playing (the WHS court is named after his uncle, Chris Tsiotos) decided to play football after transferring from Brimmer and May School to Winthrop High School. It turned out to be great decision for Vasili, an outstanding student, to reunite with his Winthrop friends and former classmates and teammates.
“I can’t say enough good things about Vasili in terms of just the kind of kid he is – a very selfless kid,” said head football coach Jon Cadigan. “He wanted to be a tight end for us. He saw there were two tight ends that were very good. All he wanted to do is play and he came to me and said, ‘I’ll play center, I just want to play.’”
Tsiotos was selected Monday to the Northeastern Conference All-Star Team.
“Vasili turned himself into an All-Star center,” said Cadigan. “He truly was an unsung player for us. He was very deserving of an All-Star nod. For a kid who never played center before, to make yourself into an All-Star center your senior year, that’s a very special accomplishment.”
Vasili Tsiotos now turns his attention to the family business of basketball, hoping to lead the Vikings to a berth in the MIAA Tournament.