A Bulldog with speed to burn

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
POLAND -- Ask Poland's players and coaches and they'll tell you senior Dave Koval is a talented football player, a good student and a better person.
But he does have his flaws.
For instance, he cheered for Bowling Green to beat Ohio State last Saturday, he played soccer until seventh grade and, when asked about this season, he committed the cardinal sin of talking about more than just this week's game.
"The next three games are big for us," Koval said. "If we want to make the playoffs, we should win all three. But we might be able to get away with winning two."
The playoffs? Gasp! That's five weeks away!
"We've got to worry about the first one," Poland coach Paul Hulea said. "You're right, there are three good ones coming up. But we've got to take them one at a time."
OK, now that things have been properly put into perspective, we can get back to Koval.
Solid credentials
The 5-foot, 11-inch, 175-pound wideout is a three-sport standout who carries a 3.5 grade point average and scored a 28 on his ACT. He verbally committed to play football at Miami (Ohio) last week.
He's the Bulldogs' second Division I recruit, joining tight end Dan McGarry, who verbally committed to Michigan State.
"I went down for a camp there on the first day of June and they offered me the next day," Koval, who had 62 catches for 799 yards and nine touchdowns last season, said. "I don't want to say I sat on the offer, but I was still looking at schools like Northwestern or Duke. But as time went on, I realized Miami was the best fit."
Koval doesn't have amazing size, but he does have amazing speed. He's a two-time Metro Athletic Conference sprint champion in the 100 and 200 and ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at Northwestern's football camp.
"It's easy to throw to him -- he's always open," Poland quarterback Reid Lamport said. "He's my go-to-guy right now. And he helps me get a lot of stats. If I throw a 5-yard pass to him, he'll get 50 yards out of it."
Koval has 19 catches for 349 yards and five touchdowns. His most impressive reception came in a win at Alliance, when he caught a 47-yard game-winning touchdown pass on the final play.
"Teams are starting to double-team him more, so it's getting tougher to get him the ball," Hulea said. "He's got real good speed, but he's also a real good student and a real good kid, which makes him fun to coach. He's a real student of the game."
Good contribution
Koval got a late start because his parents wouldn't let him play football until seventh grade. He played tailback and quarterback before switching to wideout last season, earning first team all-MAC honors as the main target of quarterback Sean Clayton, who's now at Michigan State.
Now Lamport is reaping the benefits.
"He brings a lot of leadership to the team," Lamport said. "He has a lot of knowledge of the offense and he's helped me a lot as a first-year starter."
Koval plays center field for Poland's baseball team and runs track when he doesn't have a game.
"I enjoy baseball, but I really enjoy track," Koval said. "It keeps me in shape."
Koval is looking forward to the future, but before he jumps from one MAC to another, he's going to enjoy his senior year in Poland.
"This is a great place to play," he said. "It's great to see so many people cheering you on at the games. The fan base is always behind us, win or lose."
Koval paused for a moment, then continued.
"Of course, we don't lose very often."
scalzo@vindy.com