YSU FOOTBALL Wright, Perry, Jewell ready to lead

By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State's tri-captains for the 2006 season have been leaders both on and off the field for several seasons.
Seniors Jeremiah Wright, Jason Perry and Ryan Jewell will lead the Penguins toward their goal of winning the Gateway Conference and returning to the Division I-AA playoffs.
It all gets underway tonight when the Penguins play host to Slippery Rock at 7:30 at Stambaugh Stadium.
All three captains were impressed with being selected to be the leaders of this year's team.
Wright, a three-year letterman and starter at linebacker, was overwhelmed by his selection.
High honor
"It's a great honor to have your teammates think that much of you to name you one of their captains," Wright said. "The fact that they feel confident that we can lead them through all the obstacles we'll be facing this year is a high honor."
Perry, a two-year starter at cornerback, also felt honored about being selected.
"I definitely feel that it is a privilege not so much an honor to be selected by my teammates," Perry said. "That they would feel that I can be the leader to take them to great heights this year will always be something very special to me."
Jewell, a three-year letterman and starter, added: "It is definitely a privilege and an honor for me to be chosen captain. But even though we're going to be the ones who walk out to midfield before the game and at halftime, there are a total of 27 seniors on this team who are all great leaders and will all play key roles in the success of this football team."
The Penguins have never lost to Slippery Rock in 10 meetings, including a 44-14 victory a year ago. This will mark the fourth straight year the teams have met in YSU's season opener.
Other opponents' openers
Nine of the other 10 opponents on YSU's schedule will also open the season this weekend, with three of them scheduled to play tonight.
Western Illinois takes on Morehead State at home, while Northern Iowa visits Drake and Southern Illinois plays host to Lock Haven.
Saturday, Penn State plays host to Akron, U.C. Davis is at Northern Colorado, Missouri State plays at Oklahoma State, Indiana State is at Purdue, Illinois State is at Kansas State and Western Kentucky plays at Georgia.
Maine will open the season Sept. 9 when it visits the Penguins at 4 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the teams since 1990.
mollica@vindy.com