YSU Penguin Athletics > YSU Penguin Athletics

Backfield Returnees, New Opportunities Highlight Upcoming Spring Drills

(1/1)

IAA Fan:
The Youngstown State football team returns sophomore quarterback Kurt Hess and a stable of tailbacks led by junior Jamaine Cook. However, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Penguins to step up at many positions when spring drills start on Wednesday.

Hess had an impressive first year as the Penguins' signal caller. In 11 games, he threw for 2,117 yards and 12 touchdowns as he completed 179-of-304 attempts. He was selected as the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Freshman of the Year. He was the first freshman quarterback to start all 11 games of a season since Tom Zetts in 2004.

Also at quarterback, senior Marc Kanetsky, sophomore Najee Tyler and redshirt freshman Patrick Angle all look to get reps during the spring session.

Cook rushed for 1,276 yards on 241 attempts with 11 touchdowns on the year and had 973 yards on 199 attempts and scored eight touchdowns in eight league games. Sophomore Adaris Bellamy tied Cook for the lead in touchdowns and tied the school mark for TD rushes by a freshman with 11. Bellamy had 545 yards on 110 carries after joining the lineup last year.

Other tailbacks who can step in are sophomores Allen Jones, Torrian Pace and Jordan Thompson. Thompson had 144 yards on 36 carries and scored four touchdowns. Jones had 85 yards on eight rushes and a TD while Pace added 13 carries for 53 yards.

At tight end, senior David Rogers and sophomore Carson Sharbaugh will see the bulk of the action along with redshirt freshman Nate Adams. Sharbaugh caught 10 passes in 2010 while Rogers had seven.

YSU will have one senior on the offensive line this spring, however Andy Colegrove has not played the position since his freshman year. Leading the way are junior left tackle Andrew Radakovich, who started all 11 games in 2010, junior right tackle D.J. Main, who started the first seven of the season before being sidelined with a broken foot, and sophomore Chris Elkins, who came on to start the final four at right guard.

Brought in to help in January were linemen Lamar Mady and Mark Pratt. Mady is slated to play left guard while Pratt will take over at center. In the spring, junior Marc Stevens, sophomores Zach Larson and Andrew Sinko as well as redshirt freshmen Stephen Page and J.P. May will get their opportunity to crack the starting five. Fred Herdman transitions from defensive line to offensive line and will be given a chance to find a spot as well.

At wide receiver, the Guins lost first-team all-league performer and security-blanket Dominique Barnes. Barnes had 37 percent (67-of-180) of the team's total receptions and four of the 12 TD catches. On the flip side, that means - with the exception of all but two by Kyle Banna - 111 of the receptions and eight touchdowns from last year return. But further numbers crunching shows that 38 were receptions by tailbacks and 17 came from tight ends.

The top returning receiver entering the spring is senior Ely Ducatel. Ducatel had a breakout year with 27 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns last season. The second most by a receiver was 12 by Juilian Harrell, followed by Kevin Watts' 11 and three each by Andre Barboza and Josh Lee.

The Guins lost Jelani Berassa early in fall camp and look to have him back as a major contributor in 2011. Senior Pat White, senior Dionte Snow and redshirt freshman Jake Dragovich will be looking for opportunities this spring as well.

On defense, senior linebacker and 2010's leading tackler John Sasson will spearhead the unit. Last year, 21 different players started at some point on defense and 13 of them are back this season.

On the defensive line, seniors Obinna Ekweremuba and Andrew Johnson return with the most experience up front combining to start 14 contests. YSU will be without 11-game starters from last year in Torrance Nicholson and Luke Matelan, but that will open opportunities for others.

Senior Daniel Stewart and sophomore D.J. Moss started a game each in 2010. Sophomore Kyle Sirl, redshirt freshman Brandon Green will push for action in the spring. Junior college newcomers Nick DeKraker (tackle) and Josh Fenderson (end) joined the team in January following strong junior-college careers.

At linebacker, Sasson started all 11 games last season finishing with 89 total tackles, including 44 solo stops. Senior Deonta Tate returns following a 52-tackle campaign while sophomore Dom Rich had 15 starting the final three games. Junior Will Shaw moves from the safety slot to linebacker after recording 48 tackles.

A hungry group of underclassmen will get their shot this spring. Sophomores Ali Cheaib, Thomas Sprague and Mark Brandenstein all were special-teams contributors in 2010 along with junior Ethan Slark. Sophomore Taylor Hill returns after redshirting in 2010. Hill was a major contributor in 2009 being named to the league's all-newcomer squad. Redshirts Kevin Johnson and Danny Fernback and transfer Chuck Lengyel also will get looks in the spring. Lengyel impressed in the fall after transferring from Mount Union.

In the secondary, YSU has five seniors with cornerback Randy Louis leading the way. Louis had 32 tackles in eight starts last year. The other seniors are Grant Mayes, Scott Sentner, Deionte Williams and Lee, who is converting from wide receiver.

Sophomores Jamarious Boatwright and Donald D'Alesio combined to start 10 games as true freshmen last year. D'Alesio ranked second on the team in tackles with 69. Sophomores Josh Garner, Matt Romeo and Gannon Hulea will also be looking for an opportunity this spring.

At punter, Nick Liste - an all-newcomer team and honorable-mention All-MVFC pick - returns after a freshman campaign in which he averaged 41.4 yards a kick and had six boots of 50 yards or more. At placekicker, junior-college transfer David Brown steps in for Stephen Blose. Brown joined the program in January and takes over after Blose made 12-of-14 FGs and 38-of-40 PAT tries.

Barnes had 11 of the team's 15 punt returns with Boatwright returning the other four. Cook and Boatwright combined for 37 kickoff returns. Kanetsky returns as holder and senior Nate Schkurko returns as the squad's holder.

Drills, which start on Wednesday, conclude on Saturday, April 16, when the Penguins will hold their annual Red-White Spring Game at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:05 p.m.

2011 Youngstown State Spring Football Roster

No.    Name    Pos.    Cl.    Ht.    Wt.    Hometown/High School
1    Najee Tyler    Quarterback    So.    6-5    240    Queens, N.Y./Xaverian
3    Grant Mayes    Cornerback    Sr.    5-10    195    Roselle, N.J./Seton Hall Prep
4    Jamarious Boatwright    Cornerback    So.    5-11    190    Largo, Fla./Largo
5    Adaris Bellamy    Tailback    So.    5-10    215    Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin
5    Randy Louis    Cornerback    Sr.    5-9    175    Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard
6    Jelani Berassa    Wide Receiver    So.    6-3    200    Miami, Fla./Miami Killian
6    Deonta Tate    Linebacker    Sr.    6-1    225    Palmetto, Fla./Palmetto
7    Ely Ducatel    Wide Receiver    Sr.    6-1    195    Naples, Fla./Lely
8    Donald D'Alesio    Cornerback    So.    5-11    180    Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney
9    Will Shaw    Safety    Jr.    6-2    220    Baltimore, Md./Highland
10    Josh Lee    Wide Receiver    Sr.    5-9    190    Lutz, Fla./Freedom
11    Kevin Watts    Wide Receiver    So.    6-0    220    Middletown, Ohio/Middletown
12    Kurt Hess    Quarterback    So.    6-3    220    Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne
14    Patrick Angle    Quarterback    RFr.    6-2    205    Logan, Ohio/Logan
15    Juilian Harrell    Wide Receiver    Jr.    6-2    210    Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt
16    Gannon Hulea    Free Safety    So.    6-0    200    Poland, Ohio/Poland
17    Dionte Snow    Wide Receiver    Sr.    6-2    190    Toledo, Ohio/Scott
19    Marc Kanetsky    Quarterback    Sr.    6-0    185    Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard
20    Dom Rich    Linebacker    So.    6-1    215    Canfield, Ohio/Canfield
21    Josh Garner    Safety    So.    6-1    190    Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne
24    Scott Sentner    Free Safety    Sr.    6-2    200    McDonald, Ohio/McDonald
25    Torrian Pace    Tailback    So.    5-10    230    Chantilly, Va./Chantilly
27    Justin Austin    Free Safety    So.    5-11    215    Hubbard, Ohio/Ursuline
28    Allen Jones    Tailback    So.    5-10    205    Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline
31    Matt Romeo    Cornerback    So.    5-9    155    Boardman, Ohio/Boardman
32    Jordan Thompson    Tailback    So.    6-1    220    Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota West
33    Deionte Williams    Free Safety    Sr.    6-2    185    Miami, Fla./Northwestern
34    Thomas Sprague    Linebacker    So.    6-1    215    Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville
35    Jamaine Cook    Tailback    Jr.    5-9    195    Cleveland, Ohio/Midpark
36    Mark Brandenstein    Linebacker    So.    5-11    210    Boardman, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney
39    Daniel Stewart    Defensive End    Sr.    6-0    240    Long Beach, Calif./Bellflower
42    Nate Adams    Tight End    So.    6-5    240    Newark, Ohio/Newark Catholic
44    Andrew Johnson    Defensive Tackle    Sr.    6-3    265    Detroit, Mich./Southeastern
48    Ethan Slark    Linebacker    Jr.    6-0    200    Springfield, Ohio/South
50    Taylor Hill    Linebacker    So.    6-2    210    Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney
51    Ali Cheaib    Linebacker    So.    6-2    215    Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin
53    John Sasson    Linebacker    Sr.    6-2    240    Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel
54    Danny Fernback    Linebacker    RFr.    6-1    205    Boardman, Ohio/Boardman
55    Lamar Mady    Offensive Line    Jr.    6-4    325    Topeka, Kan./Topeka
56    Zach Larson    Offensive Guard    So.    6-3    300    Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney
57    Andy Colegrove    Offensive Guard    Sr.    6-4    260    Ironton, Ohio/Ironton
59    Chuck Lengyel    Defensive End    Jr.    6-1    230    Columbiana, Ohio/South Range
60    Kevin Johnson    Defensive End    RFr.    6-3    210    Boardman, Ohio/Boardman
65    Stephen Page    Offensive Guard    RFr.    6-4    270    Newton Falls, Ohio/Newton Falls
66    Chris Elkins    Offensive Guard    So.    6-5    270    Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls
69    Marc Stevens    Center    Jr.    6-5    300    Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington
72    Andrew Radakovich    Offensive Tackle    Jr.    6-6    305    Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville
74    Andrew Sinko    Offensive Tackle    So.    6-5    280    Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville
76    Mark Pratt    Center    Jr.    6-3    325    Tooele, Utah/Tooele
77    D.J. Main    Offensive Tackle    Jr.    6-6    285    Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville
78    J.P. May    Offensive Tackle    RFr.    6-6    280    Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington
80    David Rogers    Tight End    Sr.    6-3    250    Kent, Ohio/Roosevelt
81    Nick Liste    Punter    So.    5-10    180    Niles, Ohio/Niles McKinley
82    David Brown    Placekicker    Jr.    5-10    170    Ojai, Calif./Nordoff
83    Andre Barboza    Wide Receiver    Sr.    6-2    210    Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable
84    Pat White    Wide Receiver    Sr.    6-6    220    Warren, Ohio/Harding
85    Nate Schkurko    Long Snapper    Sr.    6-2    190    Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg
86    Carson Sharbaugh    Tight End    So.    6-5    250    New Wilmington, Pa./New Wilmington
87    Kyle Sirl    Defensive End    So.    6-4    250    Westfield, Ohio/Cloverleaf
88    Jake Dragovich    Wide Receiver    RFr.    6-2    195    Canfield, Ohio/Ursuline
90    Obinna Ekweremuba    Defensive End    Sr.    6-3    250    Orlu, Nigeria/A-2 International
92    Fred Herdman    Offensive Guard    So.    6-5    240    Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle
96    Brandon Green    Defensive Tackle    RFr.    6-3    250    Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic
98    D.J. Moss    Defensive Tackle    So.    5-11    270    Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch
99    Josh Fenderson    Defensive Line    Jr.    6-2    250    Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford
   Timote Taumoepeau    Linebacker    RFr.    6-0    245    Boardman, Ohio/Boardman


Spring Football Schedule
Date    Event    Time         Links
Mar 23, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Mar 25, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Mar 26, 2011    Spring Practice    10 a.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Mar 28, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Mar 30, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 1, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 2, 2011    Spring Practice    10 a.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 4, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 6, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 8, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 9, 2011    Spring Practice    10 a.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 11, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 13, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 15, 2011    Spring Practice    4 p.m.         
   Stambaugh Stadium
Apr 15, 2011    Spring Practice    6:30 p.m.         
   DeBartolo Stadium Club
Apr 16, 2011    Red-White Spring Game    Noon         
   Stambaugh Stadium

IAA Fan:
A couple of things that came my way today:

1. Yes, a couple of returns to the roster, which does include Hill. The reason he is a soph is because he did not take red-shirt before he transferred, so he took it last year. They say he is academically a sophomore now, which means at least two more years. DJ Main is back ...I always liked him.

2. They are having a draft this year for the spring game, as we have done in the past. It will be open to the public in the Stadium Club.

3. I also heard the Torian Pace is still with the team and finally healthy. This is welcome as we really need some power up front.


I hope to get more info tonight or Saturday.

Navigation

[0] Message Index