YSU roundup | News and notes

Beat the heat: YSU coach Eric Wolford compared Wednesday morning’s practice to being in a steam room at The Lake Club in Poland. So when his team looked sluggish, it wasn’t a surprise. But it was a disappointment. “What happens is these guys eat too much breakfast and it’s a steam bath and it’s hot and it’s one of those deals where they know how hot it is,” he said. “They’re not mentally tough enough to push through it right now.” (Incidentally, The Lake Club is owned by former Oakland Raiders lineman Ed Muransky, who attended Wednesday’s afternoon session. Coincidence?)

Hot stop: Of Wolford’s nine coaching stops, he said Houston and Arizona were the hottest. “Tucson, Arizona, it’s 110-115 out there,” Wolford said. “Houston was a hot son of a gun, though. I’d wear swimming trunks to practice to try and stay dry.” Although Wolford is from Brookfield, he’s spent much of his coaching career below the Mason-Dixon line. “My wife and I joke around about it all the time, about how, everyone complains about it being hot here in Ohio,” said Wolford, whose wife Melinda is from Texas. “They don’t have no idea.”

Making the jump: Although South Range has one of the best football programs in the Valley, it’s not known for developing Division I prospects. Junior linebacker David Rach said it took him a few years to adjust to the FCS level. “This is going to be my fourth year in the program and I think there’s still some getting used to the speed and the things that are different,” the former Raider said. “It’s tough but it’s an adjustment that can be done.”

Joe Scalzo