Hightower eyes mark for Jackets

Ray Hightower II, a junior wide receiver for the Waynesburg (Pa.) University football team from Ursuline High, is closing in on the 2,000-yard mark in career pass receiving — and he only recently began his junior season.

Hightower (6-3, 205), in his third year as a starter, has 1,874 receiving yards on 80 catches in 23 career games entering the undefeated Yellow Jackets’ third game of the season Saturday at Thomas More College.

Besides needing only 126 reception yards to reach 2,000, he also needs only 10 more catches to climb into the No. 8 spot on the school’s all-time career receptions list. That spot currently is occupied by Noah Leibhart (1995-1998) with 89 catches.

And Hightower is not that far behind the school’s career receiving yards record, needing 566 yards to surpass record-holder Ivan Hawkins (2,439 from 2002-05).

So far this year, Hightower has a team-best 211 receiving yards in 12 catches in two games and one touchdown, to help coach Rick Shepas’ Yellow Jackets to a 2-0 record.

Hightower has benefited from the passing arm of junior quarterback Brad Dawson, who has thrown for 2,387 career yards and needs just 73 more to become No. 8 on the school’s all-time list.

Shepas, in his fifth season at the helm with a 25-18 record, is a Cardinal Mooney High and Youngstown State graduate who formerly coached at Poland, Massillon and Seneca Valley (Pa.) Highs. He has recruited 14 Youngstown-area players to the Waynesburg roster, including four starters and four others besides Hightower from Ursuline.

Waynesburg (2-0) and Thomas More (1-0) will be in their Presidents’ Athletic Conference season opener Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Bank of Kentucky Field in Crestview Hills, Ky.

Thomas More leads the series between the two, 4-2, including a 34-26 win in last year’s encounter after the Yellow Jackets had rallied from a 20-0 deficit.

Waynesburg is coming off a 49-21 win over Hanover, after outlasting Wooster in the season opener, 42-39.

Hightower also led the team in receiving as a freshman with 435 yards in 21 catches for 11 games, and as a sophomore last year with 728 yards in 47 receptions in 10 games.

He also has eight career TDs so far, including three as a freshman and four as a sophomore.

The other three area starters are all defensive linemen: Joe Underwood, a junior from Ursuline; and sophomores Matt Snovak and Darryl Moore Jr., both from Boardman.

Snovak has eight tackles so far this year, while Moore and Underwood have six each and Calcagni five.

Four of the area group are No. 2 on the depth chart and have been seeing playing time: Matt Krause, freshman defensive lineman from Ursuline; Anthony Calcagni, junior middle linebacker from Boardman; Ryan Williams, sophomore quarterback from Columbiana; and Clint DeRosa, freshman defensive lineman, Wilmington (Pa.).

In addition, sophomore running back Jamelle Bowers of Cardinal Mooney was the team’s top rusher in the win over Hanover.

Two of the area delegation have set personal precedents this year: Tom Hudson, senior senior wide receiver from Canfield, caught his first collegiate TD pass against Hanover. And sophomore quarterback Ryan Williams, Dawson’s backup, threw his first collegiate TD pass against Wooster. Williams has completed two of five passes for 11 yards and the TD.

Rounding out the area list are LaVance Turnage, junior defensive back, and Alex Menton, freshman linebacker, both from Ursuline; Bobby Banks, freshman linebacker from Western Reserve; and Andrew Grande, junior defensive lineman, Sharon.

XJohn Kovach covers college athletics for The Vindicator. E-mail him at kovach@vindy.com.