It was an opportunity that Michael Gelatko had worked tirelessly for.

And a moment the Marian senior couldn’t wait to share with those who helped make it a reality.

Gelatko made his future plans official on Wednesday, signing his letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Buffalo, where he will play football.

The ceremony was a celebration for Gelatko and the stellar career he has had with the Colts, one that included family, coaches - past and present - and a cafeteria full of his teammates and friends.

“I think it’s definitely special for the whole school,” said Gelatko. “Being a smaller school, this isn’t something that happens every day. When Coach (Stan) Dakosty was here he stressed that to me, that this doesn’t happen very often. So being able to share that with my teammates, who helped me and worked with me all these years, is just something very special. And for the program it’s just more exposure, and helps us continue to build something special here.”

Gelatko’s abilities and accolades are all the things that coaches look for in Division I recruits. But the chance to play at the next level is something that doesn’t happen without the unwavering support of those around him.

And that wasn’t lost on Gelatko. When asked if he wanted to take a picture with any teammates, he delivered an answer that summed up what made the day so special: “All of them.”

That’s what the program at Marian has meant to Gelatko. And that’s what Gelatko has meant to the culture the Colts have continued under first-year head coach Billy O’Gurek.

“I think you saw it when his teammates came up for a picture, just what his teammates think of him,” O’Gurek said of the moment. “It’s been rewarding to see how he developed over the last four years. And it wasn’t easy. Not very many people get in this position. But because of his hard work, he was able to do it.

“And for our program, we looked at him four years ago as a freshman as a kid that we wanted to build this thing around. We didn’t get over the last hump, but we were in a position the last two years that we played for a district championship. We were a game away from winning it, and we wouldn’t have been able to get to those positions without him, without the way he played, but especially because of his leadership.”

This past season, Gelatko – who is listed at 6-4, 235 pounds and will be a tight end at Buffalo – caught a team-high 27 passes for 295 yards (10.93 yards per catch) with four touchdowns. He also had two rushing scores.

“I feel like since my freshman year I’ve developed more with my blocking,” said Gelatko, who also had offers from Division I schools Bryant and Colgate. “I’ve always been kind of a natural receiver, so I feel like my blocking was the thing that really needed to get better to get me to a Division I level prospect. And that’s what I’ve really been working on. I feel like that’s been developed really well. And just my toughness, and being a strong receiver, I feel like I can do a little bit of everything.”

He has shown that versatility throughout his career. On the defensive side of the ball this past season, Gelatko was tied for third on the team with 83 total tackles (22 solo), with six tackles for loss. He was also tied for the team lead with six sacks, and led the Colts with nine quarterback hurries while also blocking a field goal, recovering two fumbles - and forcing one - along with being responsible for four passes defensed.

Simply put, Gelatko can get after it in all three phases. O’Gurek has watched Gelatko grow and develop into a difference-maker wherever he is on the field – and off of it.

“Just emotionally, he came to us as a shy, quiet kid, not knowing a whole lot of people, and he turned into not just the leader of our team, but a leader in the school,” said O’Gurek, who had been a longtime assistant at Marian before taking over as head coach this season. “That’s been really neat to see. As a player, obviously his accolades speak for themselves. But I thought the biggest development for him as a player was last year, we were moving him around on defense a little bit – obviously he’s going to Buffalo to play offense – but he was a free safety, he was an outside linebacker and we moved him on the line of scrimmage at defensive end, and just really blossomed.

“He really became a physical player, and it helped him on offense then, too, and I really think that that move helped him get to this point, because at the next level, he’s going to have to be able to block people. So growing into that physicality, playing on the defensive line, I think that really helped him, and it was neat to see how he sort of came out of his shell then.”

Gelatko has learned from and grown under O’Gurek and Dakosty, and will take another step in his development playing for Pete Lembo at Buffalo.

But he’ll never forget where he came from, and the people who made it all possible.

“It’s meant everything to me,” Gelatko said of Marian. “I grew up (around it). My dad (Mickey) went here, so I grew up learning about it, and I came in freshman year, they brought me into the culture, and the upperclassmen took me under their wing and helped develop me. And Coach Dakosty, coming today after not being my coach for over the past year, that just kind of shows what the program is all about.”

And what it will continue to be about in the future because of foundational players like Gelatko.