On Campus
Petrus anchor on Jackets’ front wall For the Herald-Standard
Offensive linemen are often described as cogs, anchors, linchpins and other tough-as-iron industrial terms that portray them more as machines than players that run interference for ball carriers.
It sounds clich? until you apply the metaphor to Craig Petrus, the senior right tackle for the Waynesburg College football team.
In the weeks leading up to the season and during the first loss, the Yellow Jackets offensive line operated more like malfunctioning computer software than products of a blacksmith.
First-year coach Rick Shepas tinkered with the lineup until he found the right equation. After a week-one loss at Denison, Shepas benched a junior and a senior, replaced them with a sophomore and a freshman, and then moved a sophomore from center to right guard.
Through it all, the one fixture up front remains Petrus, a Belle Vernon native who is the only local player that starts on either side of the ball for the Yellow Jackets.
“I wasn’t too worried about it,” Petrus said. “We have a great corps of younger players coming in. Things are starting to come around.”
After two games with the new lineup, Waynesburg (2-1, 0-0) is now riding a two-game win streak as it steams into conference play Saturday at Thomas More (3-1, 3-0). Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. in Crestview Hills, Ky.
The Saints have won three straight but their one loss was to Hanover, 12-7, the same team that Waynesburg defeated last Saturday, 34-17.
Petrus, a 6-foot-2, 265-pounder who is in his third year as a starter, thinks the changes are working out well for his team.
“We’ve improved 100 percent,” he said. “We’re just coming off the ball, knowing our assignments and jelling as a group.”
As the glue of a patchwork offensive line, Petrus admits there is just a little more pressure on him to be a leader, but according to sophomore Alex Tempalski, Petrus is the reason the line is improving so much.
Tempalski, a right guard who moved one spot closer to Petrus on the line, thinks so highly of his venerable flank that he misidentified Petrus as an All-American. (Petrus was named a preseason All-American by d3football.com but the real honor is awarded by a different committee following the season.)
“It’s great playing next to an All-American because he always makes you better,” Tempalski said. “He sets the standard for everyone else to work up to.”
Petrus is no ironman or even an All-American, but lately it has been easy to confuse him for both.
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Both local college teams’ running backs were honored as offensive players of the week by their respective conferences.
Waynesburg’s Ryan Abels ran for 135 yards on 29 totes and two scores in the Yellow Jackets’ 34-7 win over Hanover, earning him PAC offensive player of the week plaudits. The junior from Elizabeth leads the PAC averaging 142.3 rushing yards per game.
California’s Antoine Bagwell racked up 251 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns-all in the first half-in the Vulcans’ 43-7 win over Clarion on Saturday. For the second time this season, Bagwell was named PSAC West offensive player of the week.
California (3-1, 1-0) travels to Slippery Rock (1-3, 1-0) Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
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Local soccer players were also honored by the two leagues.
The PSAC honored Cal U.’s Jason Pazehoski with its weekly award. The sophomore forward netted three of the Vulcans’ six goals in a 4-3 in over Slippery Rock and a 2-1 win over West Chester.
On the women’s side, the PAC honored Waynesburg’s Brittiny Bennett as the league’s player of the week. The senior forward registered seven points in victories over Mt. Aloysius and Thiel.
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Waynesburg’s conference, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, announced Monday the addition of Geneva College giving the league nine members. Geneva joins Thomas More and St. Vincent as three new members of the PAC announced in 2005.
Including Thomas More, a school that already held NCAA Division III status, the league has seven schools competing for championships this year in 19 sports.
St. Vincent and Geneva will not be eligible for championships for five to six years as they complete reclassification-ridding themselves of scholarship athletes-from the NAIA to become NCAA Division III institutions.
St. Vincent will, however, compete in a full conference schedule next year, followed by Geneva in 2007-West Virginia (4-0) is hosting No. 3 Virginia Tech (4-0) in a huge non-conference game for a noon kickoff Saturday at Mountaineer Field.
Both local players on the Mountaineers are coming off impressive games in WVU’s unimpressive 20-15 win over East Carolina last week.
Kevin “Boo” McLee had a career day. The outside linebacker from Uniontown had 11 tackles, including three for a loss and one sack. His only other 11-tackle performance was in a loss at Virginia Tech last year.
Carmichaels’ Bobby Hathaway, also an outside linebacker, earned the Hammer Award given by the coaches to the player that delivers the biggest hit. Hathaway has become a special teams hit man for the Mountaineers as he earned the award during a punt return.
Justin Zackal may be reached online at jzackal@hotmail.com