Lineups selected for spring gathering

This year's Red and White game appears on paper to be evenly matched.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Spring football practice at Youngstown State is now in its final week, so on Tuesday the Penguins held their annual draft for Friday's 34th annual Red and White game at Stambaugh Stadium.
With 23 seniors and a host of other veteran players, this year's spring game appears on paper to be one of the most evenly matched games in a long time.
Graduate assistant coaches Pat Pearson (Red Team) and Sherod Holmes (White Team) will serve as the head coaches for Friday's contest.
The senior players were divided equally by the coaching staff prior to the draft.
Senior wide receiver Josh Cayson and senior tight end Max King headed the draft selections for the White while senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright and senior linebacker Jeff Koval led the way for the Red.
White has advantage
The White team seems to hold the advantage in the backfield as they will have three starters to lead the way: junior quarterback Tom Zetts, senior fullback Regis Edgerson and senior tailback Marcus Mason.
The White also has Cayson, along with offensive linemen senior Ryan Jewell at center and junior tackle Tyler Booth and senior guard Joe Debee.
King and sophomore Derrick Bush are two tight ends on the White.
Defensively, the White secondary is led by senior Jason Perry, senior Chris Goffer and junior Bobby Perez along with senior linebacker Marty Hutchinson.
Senior defensive tackle Jim Phelan heads up the front line, while sophomore kicker Brian Palmer will handle all kicking and punting duties.
Red has talented veterans
The Red Team also has some talented veterans on the offensive line led by senior tackle Pat Walker, junior guard Brad Samsa, senior guard Jamel Lee and senior center John Foster.
Redshirt freshman Todd Rowan will handle the quarterback slot while sophomore Ben Lane is the fullback and senior Monquantae Gibson, senior Justin Reams and sophomore Brandon Nicholson are the tailbacks.
Give the overall edge at wide receiver to the Red led by senior T.J. Peterson, sophomore Da'Michael Horne and redshirt freshman Aaron Pitts. Sophomore Chris Kenney is the tight end.
The Red defense has two starting linebackers in Koval and Wright along with sophomore Mike Barlak.
The secondary, although lacking starters, is talented, with sophomore cornerback Jarvis Richards, junior safety Vince Gliatta, junior free safety Dorian Chenault and sophomore cornerback Tony Kavouras.
The defensive line includes senior Ray Taumalolo, sophomore Mychal Savage, junior Blake Halverson and redshirt freshman Brian Mellott.
Senior Joe Bishop will handle both the kicking and punting duties.
Barlak will be the snapper for both teams during the game.
Nine players injured
Nine players are listed as injured and will not play in the contest. The Red Team's injured players are junior Antaun Rose, junior Louis Irizarry, senior Tyler Morton, junior Josh Tanner and junior Maurice Smith-Davis.
The White Team's injured players are senior Codara Jackson, sophomore Bobby Lykes-Knight, junior Jermaine Jefferson and junior Tim Dewberry.
"Both these teams have a lot of veteran players who know what is expected of them," Red coach Pearson said.
Wright said, "Effort and competitiveness has been the key to this group all spring and we don't expect any less on Friday."
King said, "We feel that we have a pretty good team and we're excited to get things underway on Friday."
The contest will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast over WBBG-FM 106.1 with Bob Hannon and Dick Hartzell handling the play-by-play.
mollica@vindy.com