YSU FOOTBALL Pad-popping practice paves way for spring

Junior Shawn Carlson may be out for for the remainder of the spring.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State held its first full contact session of the spring Wednesday afternoon and coach Jon Heacock learned a little more about his football team.
"Everybody has a game plan out here and then that first pad pops and all of a sudden some of those game plans change," said Heacock.
"It was the first real contact day we've had and it looked like it," he added. "But there was still plenty of enthusiasm out there and some good hitting on both sides of the football."
The Penguins scrimmaged for about an hour, but as Heacock indicated it was a controlled session and the players were monitored closely.
Limited action
"Nobody was in there for any more than three plays at a time," Heacock said. "It's still early and by the time the jersey scrimmage rolls around next week they'll be ready to go a complete eight-, nine- or 10-play series.
"It's then that you have to watch because then you get some fatigue setting in at times and that's when injuries pop up," he added.
The Penguins looked good at times on both sides of the football during Wednesday's scrimmage.
Senior quarterback Aaron Marshall and redshirt freshman Tom Zetts handled more of the snaps and both were impressive, throwing the football well under the gun for the first time.
Junior tailback Josh Cayson showed that he hasn't lost a step from last year, breaking loose for a 60-yard touchdown run, while sophomore transfer Monquantae Gibson was also impressive running the football.
The Penguins have a wide array of wide receivers this season, nearly a dozen, and several were impressive in the scrimmage.
Names
Senior Phil Larmon had several nice catches as did senior Matt Rycraft and junior Damian Wright, while senior tight end Mike Roberts showed that he'll also make an impact as both blocker and receiver.
The Penguins might have lost another talented tight end prospect, junior Shawn Carlson of Boardman, who went down with a separated shoulder early in the session and is questionable for the rest of the spring.
Defensively, there was some good hitting, led by senior linebacker Yancey Marcum and senior defensive back Mike Bracken.
Sophomore cornerback Jason Perry had a couple of big hits as did senior Herb Jones, sophomore Durrell Preston, redshirt freshman Bob Perez and junior linebacker Mike Andrews.
"There is a lot of competition going on at just about every position out there," said Heacock, "and competition usually brings out the best in a player.
No changes, yet
Heacock said he didn't expect to see any changes being made in positions.
"Maybe after the first jersey scrimmage you might see a few, but not right now," he said.
The Penguins will take today off and return to practice Friday at 3:30 p.m. They will then take the weekend off for the Easter holiday and return to practice Monday afternoon.
Next week the "hoot 'n holler" drill will be held, probably Monday, and the first jersey scrimmage is scheduled for Friday.
mollica@vindy.com