Colby Collins, football

Senior Colby Collins has been selected as the male representative for Waynesburg Central High School this fall sports season in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight series.
Collins has been a member of the Raiders’ football squad the last four years and served as the starting quarterback the last three seasons.
“I was kind of thrown into the quarterback position in little league,” Collins stated. “It was a new position for me and we just didn’t have anybody to fill in. I was a little hesitant at first because the position has so much pressure and responsibility. But throughout little league and junior high, I have gotten more comfortable and I love all that comes with being a quarterback.”
Collins points out how vital leadership is to the quarterback spot.
“Being a leader to your team is so crucial,” he expressed. “You have to lead by example and keep a positive attitude out there. Your teammates are counting on you and they are looking for you to lead the offense. I have definitely grown as a leader and I always try to get the guys fired up on game days.”
Collins also said that he has improved in other areas at the signal caller spot since his sophomore campaign under center.
“I think my arm strength and my overall understanding of the passing game has gotten better the last two years,” he said. “Every year my yards, touchdowns and completions have gone up and my interceptions and sacks have gone down.”
Waynesburg qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2003 after going 6-4 overall and finished in fourth place in the Interstate Conference with a 5-3 mark.
“It was so big for us to get back to the playoffs,” he said. “But we were more focused on winning games in the playoffs. We weren’t just happy with the playoff appearance. We had a lot of injuries during the season, especially the last three weeks. Even now, I sometimes ask myself what if and wonder what we could have done if we were healthy as a team.”
“I have gone to a lot of football games throughout my youth and I do remember that 2003 team that made the playoffs. I think all of the seniors wanted to be a part of the team that broke the streak and make it back to the playoffs. It feels awesome to be a part of that team that did it.”
Two games stick out for Collins for his most memorable moment this season.
“I just remember the Wash High game and thinking before the game that there was no doubt in my mind that we could win this game,” he said. “It was a close game and we lost by a touchdown. The Southmoreland game sticks out too because that was the game that got us over the hump and kind of decided if we got to the postseason.”
Collins, who holds a 4.0 grade-point average in the classroom, is also a member of the boys’ basketball team, Varsity Club, National Honor Society and the Ski Club.
Collins is still undecided on a college as of now, but is leaning toward attending Penn State University and perhaps majoring in engineering.
The Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight is designed to recognize the top male and female student-athlete per high school sports’ season (fall, winter, sports). The student-athletes are selected by the respective schools and submitted to the newspaper.