Seniors facing home finale

By Pete Mollica

Sixteen Penguins will make their final appearance at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — This is Senior Week for the Youngstown State football team and although the Penguins are struggling with a 2-8 record and six straight losses, it still means a lot to head coach Jon Heacock and his seniors.

Sixteen seniors will prepare for their final home game at Stambaugh Stadium, although five will not play because of injuries.

Two other seniors, Mychal Savage and Jarvis Richards have both applied for medical redshirts and hopefully will get another season of eligibility.

“This week it’s all about the seniors,” said Heacock. “These are guys who have been in your program, some of them for five years, who will be playing their last home game.”

“It is very difficult to have made it through four or five years here and this is a way to pay tribute to their efforts,” he added.

Heacock said it will be an emotional day for them.

“Their family and friends will be here,” he said. “The last home game for them is always an emotional time.”

This year’s senior class includes Mike Barlak, Tyler Booth, Derrick Bush, Nick Canterino, Charles Gresham, Da’Michael Horne, Tony Kavouras, Tom Krupko, Ben Lane, Bobby Lykes-Knight, Brian Palmer, Brad Samsa, Nhemie Theodore, Nate Ward, Ferlando Williams and De’Angelo Wilson.

Barlak, Lykes-Knight, Ward, and Williams will not play on Saturday when the Penguins entertain winless Indiana State (0-9, 0-5 Missouri Valley Football Conference) in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium. The seniors will be honored in a pre-game ceremony at the 50-yard line.

Palmer, Samsa and Gresham were on hand Tuesday at the Penguins’ weekly press conference.

“For me, a local guy, Saturday will be a very special day,” said placekicker Palmer, a Mineral Ridge native. “You want to go out proud of yourself and proud of your school.”

“You think about all the memories that you’ve had here over the years and that it’s all going to end soon,” added Samsa, the standout center who hails from Howland. “I’ve been here five years and that’s a lot of memories that I’ve built up.”

Gresham, a fullback from Columbus, said it hasn’t hit him yet.

“But I know as the day goes on that it will hit me more,” he said. “I’m going to miss it here.”

Heacock also announced the award winners from Saturday’s disappointing 54-44 loss to Illinois State. As expected, there were no defensive awards made.

Junior quarterback Brandon Summers was the Hill, Barth and King offensive player of the game and had perhaps his best individual effort for the Penguins.

The transfer from Toledo, who missed two games with injuries, tied a school record with four touchdown passes and had 347 yards, the fourth highest single-game total in school history, against the Redbirds.

Special teams honors went to freshman quarterback Marc Kanetsky, a Hubbard native who has been the Penguins’ holder for all placement kicks. He also participates on other special teams.

The Jim Zdelar Offensive lineman of the week was senior tackle Booth, who helped the offense roll up 544 total yards and score a season high 44 points.

Junior wide receiver Donald Jones was honored with the Wash-On-Wheels Derek Pixley Hit of the Week, while Summers was also selected at the Haines Family Player of the Game by the YSU radio broadcast team. Senior Tom Krupko received the Wachovia Leadership Award.