Penguins pick 5 captains for 2007 season
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State football coach Jon Heacock has always been a firm believer that its the senior leadership that always makes the difference with his football teams.
This past weekend the Penguins selected their senior captains for the 2007 season and none of the five players selected came as any surprise to the veteran coach.
“They are all leaders both on and off the field and they are just another example of the great tradition that we have here at Youngstown State,” he said.
This year’s captains are quarterback Tom Zetts, tight end Louis Irizarry, safety Bob Perez, and linebackers James Terry and Jeremiah Wright.
Wright, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound fifth-year senior from Orlando, Fla., was a team captain last season until his knee injury against Penn State. He becomes the first consecutive-year captain at YSU since Mark Derthick wore the label in 1983 and 1984.
“It’s awesome,” said Wright, “to have your teammates select you twice as their captain. It just makes me want to go out and work that much harder this season so as to not let them down.
“I want to be a leader both on and off the field and I want all of my teammates to look to me for that leadership,” he added.
Zetts now official leader
Zetts, also fifth-year senior, owns a 23-13 record as a starting quarterback and is within striking distance of several school records.
Entering this season, the Boardman native ranks in the top four in seven categories and is fifth in two others.
An honorable mention All-Gateway selection, Zetts ranks first in passing percentage (58.9), second in 200-yard games (11) and touchdown passes (44), third in pass attempts (817) and completions (481) and fourth in passing yards (5,788).
He’ll also be making his 37th consecutive start when the Penguins open the season Saturday at Ohio State.
“It’s such an honor,” said Zetts, “especially when you are chosen by your teammates. I’ve always hoped that this would happen, especially since I have such a leadership role on the team as the quarterback.”
Irizarry (6-5, 255), from Ursuline, was the 2006 Gateway Football Conference all-newcomer team selection at tight end, ranked third on the squad with 25 receptions and 304 yards and caught a pass in all 14 games.
Perez, a three-year letter winner at strong safety, was a 2006 second-team academic all-district choice and was credited with 30 tackles last season. Perez appeared in all 14 games with four starts and also picked off two passes.
Terry leads by example
A two-time first-team All-Gateway selection, Terry has played in 34 career games with 27 starts at linebacker. Last season he totaled a career-best 76 totals, including 10.5 tackles-for-loss and a team-high 5.5 sacks. During his career, Terry has accumulated 218 tackles, 23.5 tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks.
“I’m very proud of this honor because I’ve put in a lot of hard work these past three years and to have everybody else recognize that and vote for me is a great honor,” Terry said.
“It’s definitely going to make me work a little harder on the field and in the classroom to set a good example for our younger players,” he said.
mollica@vindy.com