High school coach had much to do with Krenzel's development at QB

The Michigan native is 2-0 as a starting quarterback against the Wolverines.
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) -- Craig Krenzel has always wanted to play quarterback.
And he always has.
Well, almost.
When he was 7, Krenzel played organized ball for the first time, and gave snaps instead of taking them on the flag football team coached by his father.
"He was a center because there was an 8-year-old who was definitely deserving of the position at quarterback," Allen Krenzel said. "I couldn't in all honesty put Craig ahead of him."
Krenzel, who grew up in Sterling Heights, secured the quarterback job the following season and has been there ever since.
Now Krenzel is Ohio State's starting quarterback. He holds a 2-0 career mark in the all-important rivalry against Michigan.
Much at stake
Saturday, he'll lead the Buckeyes into Ann Arbor as the teams play for the 100th time. The teams are playing for the Big Ten title and Ohio State has a chance to return to the national championship game.
Krenzel's parents said his dream to play college football began at Henry Ford II High School. Once he started working with coach Terry Copacia in the ninth grade, Debbie Krenzel said her son gained a new perspective on the game.
"He buckled down, really took it seriously and really learned from the man," she said.
Copacia, then a first-year coach, said Krenzel was a gangly freshman with raw talent when they first met.
"He had that quick release, nice feet and he had the height factor, that's what played out early," Copacia said. "His intelligence factor started to play a big role. He became a student of the game at a real early age."
The turning point, according to Copacia, was in a game against Brighton High and quarterback Drew Henson.
Krenzel, a sophomore at the time, entered the game with seven minutes remaining, threw two touchdowns and came within a field goal of winning the game.
"Some of the things he did in that setting showed me that this kid might be something special," Copacia said. "I thought this was the blue chip kid I was hoping to have someday."
The offers
Copacia made a short highlight reel of Krenzel's best plays and sent it to 20 schools. He got verbal offers from Ohio State, Stanford, Wake Forest, Boston College, Duke, as well as Michigan and Michigan State, Allen Krenzel said.
"At that point, I was kind of debating between Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. I liked all three schools," Krenzel said, adding that he never rooted for Michigan or Michigan State while growing up.
"While I was young, my dad and I were Notre Dame fans," he said.
Michigan backed off after signing Henson the previous year, his dad said.
Krenzel, who is majoring in molecular genetics, said academics and location were factors that sold him on Ohio State. He said he was looking for a school not too close to home with a rich football tradition and a good pre-med program.
But his family thinks it was a drive down to Columbus with older brother Brian, who was living in North Carolina at the time, to watch spring practice.
"It was an unofficial visit. We kind of wandered around and met some of the coaches. It just kind of all clicked that day," Debbie Krenzel said.
Sold on OSU
Brian Krenzel, who played football at Duke, stood quietly in the background, watching the atmosphere. Debbie Krenzel said she remembers him saying to Craig, "This is what college football is all about."
The Krenzels say Copacia was instrumental in their son's maturation at quarterback, working with him on Saturdays, often while grading papers.
"He'll never say it. He's too humble of a guy. But there's no doubt the only reason I am where I am today is because I was fortunate to be coached by Terry Copacia," Krenzel said. "He's a guy who knows the position just as well if not better than anyone I've ever been coached by."
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