JOHN KOVACH | Colleges Several area players helping Blue Streaks

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Several Youngstown-area players have helped the John Carroll University football team to qualify for the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 1997.
Junior linebacker and co-captain Brian Brooke (Cardinal Mooney), senior punter and free safety Ryan Wolf (West Branch), senior offensive left guard Scott Pavalko (Boardman) and junior placekicker George Theofilos (Howland) have been key starters for the Blue Streaks, who are 11-1 after Saturday's 21-10 second-round playoff win over Muhlenberg (10-1) in Geneva, N.Y.
John Carroll, whose only previous loss was to defending national champion Mount Union, advanced through the first round with a 27-7 win over Hobart two Saturdays ago.
John Carroll will play Brockport (10-2) in a second-round game Saturday at noon.
Third-top tackler
Through 11 games, Brooke (5-9, 185) ranked third on the team in tackles with 78, including 34 solo hits, with 13 tackles going for losses of 37 yards. He was selected to the All-OAC Second Team Defense.
Brooke's brother, Wayne Brooks, also played football at John Carroll from 1997-2000.
Wolf (6-2, 190) is averaging 35.6 yards in 50 punts, while contributing 18 tackles, including 12 unassisted.
Last year, Wolf averaged 36.2 yards in his first year as the Blue Streaks' punter, and was picked to the All-OAC Second Team. He was able to place 12 of his 54 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Pavalko overcame an injury-plagued start at John Carroll that hampered him in his first two seasons.
But he finally won a starting spot last year for the final four games, to gain momentum entering his final campaign.
Developed as kicker
Theofilos (5-9 155), a former Howland High soccer player, developed as a placekicker at John Carroll to become the team's fifth-leading scorer with 31 points on 25-for-28 in placements and 2-4 in field goals.
He had played football for only one year at Howland as a senior, and started just once -- in the final game.
The other area players on the Blue Streaks' roster are: Stelio Elenis, junior linebacker from Campbell; Nick Cerni, sophomore running back from Cardinal Mooney and Boardman; Drew Crider, sophomore defensive back from Columbiana High; and Evan Fenell, freshman linebacker from Union High and New Castle.
Scafe cited
Coach Regis Scafe, in his fourth season as John Carroll's coach, was selected along with John Snell of Baldwin-Wallace as OAC Co-Coaches of the Year.
Scafe guided the Blue Streaks to the OAC runner-up spot at 8-1 behind champion Mount Union, and has a four-year record of 31-10.
Chris Cubero, a senior linebacker for John Carroll from Akron Garfield, won the OAC Bill Edwards Award as the OAC's top linebacker.
Cubero led the Blue Streaks' defense with 95 tackles, including 19.5 stops for losses, and had three interceptions.
Watson All-OAC again
In addition to Brooke, the only other All-OAC pick from the Youngstown area was senior linebacker Stan Watson of Mount Union.
Watson (6-2, 210) made the All-OAC First Team Defense for the second year in a row, and was the only Purple Raiders linebacker making All-OAC. He made the All-OAC second team in 2000.
Watson has played a key role in Mount Union's 38-game winning streak -- the longest in college football -- entering Saturday second-round playoff game against Wheaton. The Purple Raiders were launching defense of their NCAA Division III national championship, after drawing a first-round bye.
Second-leading tackler
Watson was team's second-leading tackler with 59 stops behind leader Matt Campbell, a senior defensive end from Massillon Jackson with 73, including a school-record 19.5 tackles for losses. Watson had 18 solo hits, Campbell 22.
Campbell was named the Paul Hoernemann Award winner as most outstanding defensive lineman in the OAC for the second straight year.
Mount Union will play the Wittenberg-Wabash survivor next Saturday.
The Purple Raiders are six-time national champions (1993-96-97-98, 2000-01) under coached Larry Kehres, a native of Diamond, and have won 92 of their last 93 games.