YSU SPRING FOOTBALL Senior Pat Walker healthy, ready for return to lineup

By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State senior offensive tackle Pat Walker missed over half of last season with a knee injury.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder from St. Peter Chanel High in Bedford is healthy now and back at full strength and looking forward to a big season with the Penguins.
"My knee feels great and it's great to be back at full strength," Walker said after Wednesday's second spring practice session at Stambaugh Stadium.
"The offense is really coming together and our line has experience at every position," he said.
The fact that Walker and junior tackle Tyler Booth both missed a lot of playing time last year with injuries enabled the Penguins to get some other young players a lot of playing time.
Lost two through graduation
YSU lost veteran guard Tony Limongi and veteran tackle John Bartos through graduation, but still returns seven players on the line with starting experience.
A strong offensive line has always been the main factor behind the Penguins success in the past, a fact that Walker is well familiar with.
"Yeah, it all starts with us," he said.
"We feel that the offense will be even better this year than last year," he added. "Everybody has been working hard since the season ended."
Walker who started eight games as a sophomore, suffered a knee injury at the end of the season that required surgery and his rehabilitation was a slow process as he didn't return to action until midway in last season.
Besides he and Booth, the other linemen with starting experience include senior center Ryan Jewell, junior guard Josh Tanner, senior guard-center John Foster, senior guard Jamel Lee and sophomore center Brad Samsa.
Cold session Wednesday
The Penguins went through their second practice with just helmets Wednesday on a cold, snowy day, but coach Jon Heacock was still very pleased with the team's effort.
"We haven't played any football yet as we are still in just helmets, but their attitude is great and they are taking coaching well and we look like a veteran football team," Heacock said.
"We've been very focused these two days in some miserable weather and we haven't put the football on the ground and we're doing a lot of good things," he added.
"We're practicing like a good football team should practice and I very pleased with what we've seen so far," he said.
Although the Penguins came out of Wednesday's practice injury free, they were still smarting from Monday's opening session when four players went down with hamstring pulls, which concerned Heacock.
Jackson pulls hamstring
Include in those four was senior starting cornerback Codera Jackson, a first-team All-Gateway Conference performer from a year ago.
Jackson, junior wide receiver Miles Williams of Austintown, junior cornerback Antaun Rose and junior safety Jermaine Jefferson all were held out of drills Wednesday.
Williams appears the worst of the four and is expected to be out of action for a week or two, while the other three are all on a day-to-day watch by the training staff.
The Penguins will put on full equipment Friday and Heacock wasn't sure whether they would do full contact Friday or Saturday morning.
"It depends on the weather," he said. "If it's nice on Friday we might just go with contact then and not on Saturday.
The annual "Hoot 'n Holler" drill which opens the spring contact session will be held either Friday or Saturday, which ever day the Penguins have contact.
Friday's session is set for 3:30 p.m. and Saturday's is at 9 a.m.
mollica@vindy.com