Giovanni Baggio started taking face-offs when he was in sixth grade.

Stepping in for his youth team, Baggio immediately took a liking to the position. Now a graduating senior, Baggio has become one of the most dominant face-off get-off (FOGO) players in the country. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder imposed his will, snatching up 1,062 ground balls and winning 1,285 face-offs over his four-year varsity career.

“Without Gio, we don’t dominate a lot of our games,” Huntley coach Dominic Saccomanno said. “He was make it, take it after every goal. Teams had a tough time scoring two in a row on us because of him.”

Baggio, who will play Division I lacrosse at Mercyhurst next year, won 84.1% (264-for-314) of his face-offs this season, leading Huntley to a 15-4 record and the team’s sixth straight Fox Valley Conference championship. Per MaxPreps, Baggio’s face-off win rate was first in the state (min. 100 attempts), and his 264 wins were fourth-most.

Baggio, who scooped up 227 ground balls, third-most in the state, earned All-FVC and All-State first-team honors. He was also named the first All-American in program history. For his efforts, Baggio has been named the 2026 Northwest Herald Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year. Crystal Lake South senior Drake Lenckus also was considered.

Northwest Herald sports reporter Russ Hodges spoke with Baggio about his senior season, earning All-American honors, his musical talents and more.

What did it mean to win the FVC title for a sixth straight year?

Baggio: It feels pretty good. We’ve been dominant in our conference these past years, so it’s something special. We have a good team at Huntley, and we continue to perform each year.

What did you enjoy most about your senior season?

Baggio: What I enjoyed most were my teammates. We get along very well outside of practice, and we hang out with each other. That makes our connection and our team chemistry stronger. A lot of us have been playing together since elementary school.

What allows you to be so effective and efficient in the circle?

Baggio: Training with the best guys in the nation. I go to weekly face-off trainings and get some good competition around my area. Going against good competition all the time helps me succeed.

How are you able to consistently snatch so many ground balls?

Baggio: Off the face-off, I’m getting the ball and popping it to myself. I gain a lot of possessions that way.

What did it mean to become Huntley’s first All-American?

Baggio: It really meant a lot. My goal this season was to get first-team All-State and to get All-American was just a big bonus. I’m proud of that after all the work I put in through the years.

Why did you choose Mercyhurst, and what are you looking forward to most about playing collegiately?

Baggio: I chose Mercyhurst because I like the school overall. I like their lacrosse program, and it’s not too far from home. I just wanted to play at the Division I level and get some good competition.

How has playing lacrosse at Huntley helped prepare you for collegiate lacrosse?

Baggio: We have a pretty good program. Our coaches schedule top competition in the state, so we get some good games going, and it gets me prepared with some good face-offs as well.

What’s your favorite weightlifting exercise and why?

Baggio: Bench press. It’s fun when you’re going for a PR or getting a lot of reps in. You can feel a good pump, and it’s just fun trying to lift a lot of weight and seeing your improvement.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

Baggio: Teleportation. I wouldn’t have to travel too much. I could just go anywhere I want in the world, and that would be pretty cool.

Who is your biggest role model and why?

Baggio: My dad because he got me into lacrosse at a young age, and I look up to him every day.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Baggio: I play piano. I like to play piano for fun, and I play a little saxophone for my school, so I’m pretty musical outside of lacrosse.

What’s an interesting fact people may not know about you?

Baggio: I was born on an Army base, and I’ve moved three or four times in my lifetime, so I’ve been all over the place.