MOUNT UNION Watson brothers continue tradition

Stan, now a coach, and Ross, a safety, hope to celebrate another national title.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
ALLIANCE -- When Stan Watson was playing football for Austintown Fitch High and Mount Union College, his younger brother Ross Watson went to almost all of the games.
So when it came time for Ross to choose what college he would attend, the decision to join his brother at Mount Union and continue the family tradition really had no competition.
"I was in the eighth grade when he was a senior [at Fitch]. I went to almost every game when he played at Fitch," recalled Ross Watson. "I only missed about one game in his time here [at Mount Union]."
But Ross Watson also had another reason for going to Mount Union.
"It just appealed to me a lot because it's a great tradition and offered opportunity for greatness," he said. "It's obvious [Mount Union] had a lot of success in the past, and I wanted to be part of that great tradition."
First-time teammates
So last year Ross, after graduating from Fitch where he was a safety and wide receiver, joined Stan, then a senior linebacker at Mount Union, and the brothers became teammates for the first time.
This season, Ross is a starting cornerback and Stan is the team's linebackers coach as the Purple Raiders shoot for their eighth NCAA Division III national championship and their fourth in a row.
Mount Union (11-0) plays host to Wheaton (Ill.) College (12-0) Saturday in a national quarterfinal.
Stan Watson was a big part of Mount Union's last two championships. As a senior, he ranked No. 2 on the team in tackles with 89 and made the All-Ohio Athletic Conference first team, helping the Purple Raiders to a 14-0 record.
Ross (6-foot-1, 181 pounds) trained with Stan before joining him at MUC, and saw a lot of playing time last year before becoming a starter this year.
Ross played in nine games last year and had 10 tackles. This year, he has 37 tackles to rank No. 6 on the team.
Happy reunion
"It was a great feeling," Ross said about joining Stan at MUC. "I wanted to play with my brother for a long time, and we got the opportunity last year and to win a national championship."
Ross said he learned a lot from Stan.
"When he was here, I would work out with my brother. We would do a lot of things together like speed training and weight training."
"The most important thing [Ross learned] is to be a student of the game."
For example, Ross said that one way to do this is to watch game film of opponents and devise strategies for success.
"In high school, we didn't watch a lot of film. We watch film constantly [here]. If we are not on the practice field or in the classroom, we are in the film room."
Stan still advises Ross, even though they are involved with different positions.
"Just because [Stan] is zeroing in on the linebackers doesn't mean he is not aware of what is going on in all the positions. If I need help, he is right there to help me," said Ross, who plays what he calls "the tough corner," meaning he faces the strong side offense on usually the wide side of the field, and is constantly switching sides of the field as the offense switches. His responsibilities are to prevent the pass and stop the run.
Ross is majoring in business administration and has a 3.3 GPA. Ross and Stan's parents are Stan and Marilyn Watson.
kovach@vindy.com