Saturday, September 17, 2005
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Isaac Smolko of Petersburg, a redshirt senior tight end for the Penn State football team from Springfield High, is in his third season as a starter for the Nittany Lions.
One of only three returning offensive starters, Smolko has helped Penn State to a 2-0 record for coach Joe Paterno entering Saturday's home game against Central Michigan. The Nittany Lions held wins over South Florida (23-13) and Cincinnati (42-24)
Smolko (6-foot-6, 257 pounds), who is also the long snapper on punts, is joined on the roster by four other area players.
Two of them, redshirt freshmen Tony Davis (5-10, 189), a backup cornerback from Howland, and Jed Hill (6-2, 247), a third-team left defensive end from Struthers, are in positions to see playing time this season.
The other two players are Blase Iorio (6-0, 274), a redshirt junior offensive lineman from Sharpsville, and freshmen Daryll Clark (6-2, 224), quarterback from Ursuline.
No. 3 receiver last year
Smolko, who has two receptions so far this season, has been a starter since the third game of the 2003 season, when he moved in to replace Casey Williams who suffered a season-ending injury.
Last year, Smolko ranked third on the team in receptions with 21 for 192 yards and two TDs, including a career-high seven catches for 44 yards against Purdue. He also had four receptions for 33 yards and one TD against Northwestern, two catches for 24 yards against Indiana and a TD catch against Minnesota.
He was on the field for 660 snaps, the second-most among offensive players, including a high of 74 against Central Florida.
In 2003 after replacing Williams, Smolko went on to play every game, making a 3-yard TD catch against Purdue and improving throughout the season. He was on the field for 117 snaps, with a high of 22 against Michigan State.
In 2002, Smolko battled Andrew Richardson for the No. 3 spot at tight end for most of the season and was in for 23 plays but without any catches.
Eyes teaching, coaching
The son of Joseph and Marie Smolko, Isaac is majoring in kinesiology and is interested in becoming a physical education teacher and coach. His family owns and operates a farm in Petersburg. He has two older sisters, Lori and Carrie.
Smolko enjoyed an outstanding high school career at Springfield under coach Doug Phillips, establishing a school record by starting 45 football games.
For his career, he caught 58 passes for 861 yards and nine TDs. He also registered 286 tackles, 30 sacks and one interception, including 105 tackles and 12 sacks his senior season.
Davis shows promise
Davis, a backup at left cornerback to senior Alan Zemaitis, has one solo tackle in the first two games.
An education major, Davis won a No. 2 spot during the 2005 spring drills at right cornerback behind Anwar Phillips, but then was shifted to left cornerback for this season. Davis made two solo tackles in the 2005 Blue-White spring game.
While at Howland, Davis was Ohio Division III co-offensive player of the year and first-team all-state under coach Dick Angle. Davis had four interceptions as a senior, giving him eight for his career. On offense as a senior, he rushed for 1,768 yards and 22 TDs and gained 2,053 all-purpose yards.
Hill is developing
Hill, who is majoring in criminal justice, is playing behind senior Tamba Hali and sophomore Josh Gaines at left defensive end.
Hill started his career at Penn State as a tight end and worked closely with Smolko to learn all of the intricacies of the position. But then Hill was switched to fullback in the 2005 spring drills before being moved again to left defensive end.
While a senior at Struthers in 2003, Hill was a Division IV All-Ohio choice after catching 31 passes for 331 yards and making 89 tackles, including 61 solo stops, and 10 sacks.
kovach@vindy.com