YSU fete happy and sad

What a difference a successful playoff run and a great season will make even at the annual post-season awards banquet.
Youngstown State football team presented its annual awards Saturday afternoon, and the event which usually seems to drag on forever just seemed to fly by this year.
It still took over two hours to complete, but there were so many outstanding performances this season that nobody was complaining or even leaving early from the event.
Sitting through the 15-minute or so season highlight film that opened the event, you wondered how in the world this team ever lose three football games.
Then you stop and remember that one was to national power Penn State and another to national champion Appalachian State, and you realize that the best the Penguins could have finished was 12-2 instead of 11-3.
26 seniors get chancesto speak to gathering
The sad part of the banquet came at the end when the 26 senior players all got their chance to speak, and you look over the list and ask how can this team be anywhere as good next season with the loss of so many outstanding performers.
It's going to be hard to replace Marcus Mason at tailback, Ryan Jewell or Pat Walker on the offensive line and T.J. Peterson at wide receiver.
The Penguins are certainly going to miss defensive backs Jason Perry and Codera Jackson along with linebackers Marty Hutchinson and Jeff Koval and defensive lineman Jim Phelan.
But then you look on the other side and you see quarterback Tom Zetts is back for his fourth season as a starter, and has Brad Samsa, Josh Tanner and Tyler Booth returning as veteran starters on the offensive line.
Defensively, the Penguins got a big boost when senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright, who was one of the team's tri-captains this season and who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Penn State, was granted a medical redshirt and will be returning next season.
He'll be joined by junior linebacker James Terry, defensive linemen Mychal Savage, Greg Jacobs and Blake Halverson and defensive backs Bob Perez and Dorian Chenault.
Gone will be four-year starter Joe Bishop at punter, but between sophomore Brian Palmer and freshman Stephen Blose the Penguins should be able to fill the void.
Tailback positionbiggest void to fill
Tailback appears the biggest hole to fill since the Penguins also lose backups Monquante Gibson and Justin Reams.
They redshirted sophomore Jabari Scott and have sophomore Brandon Nicholson and a couple of others who were redshirted, but none of the group has any size like Mason or Gibson.
The Penguins have one Division I transfer already in school and who will be eligible this spring in Sian Cotton, a 6-foot-6, 315-pound defensive lineman who transferred from Ohio State last fall.
Cotton was academically ineligible for the Buckeyes his junior year or he would have been a starter, and the Akron native decided to try a different atmosphere.
He will only have one year of eligibility remaining with the Penguins.
YSU coach Jon Heacock and his staff had a group of recruits on campus last weekend, most of them from the Florida-Georgia area, which has been a prime recruiting area for the team in past years.
They had to be at least a little impressed just watching that highlight film and all the honors bestowed on this year's team.
Coach Kolakowskiis leaving program
There was a downside to the day's activities since the Penguins also announced that assistant coach and defensive coordinator Mike Kolakowski is leaving the program.
Kolakowski just finished his third season with the Penguins, all of them as defensive coordinator. He has accepted a similar position at Central Michigan University.
Handling the defensive backs he has produced All-Gateway performers Jason Perry and Codera Jackson.
Heacock and his staff are working hard as the Feb. 7 national signing day nears.
The sixth-year head coach said that he's been pleased with the response he's received thus far in the recruiting season, and is looking forward to another outstanding class for the Penguins.
With 26 seniors departing, this year's class is expected to be a big one.
Pete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com and check his blogs at Vindy.com.