Saturday, September 29, 2012
By Steve Ruman
Last year at this time, Zach Zidian was making his presence felt on high school football fields throughout the Mahoning Valley. As a senior at Boardman, Zidian was a two-way starter for the Spartans, playing on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Zidian earned first team All-Federal League honors, and was named to the Northeastern Inland All-District Division I team.
Today, the landscape and the opponents have changed, but Zidian continues to impact the game.
Zidian is in his freshmen season at Duquesne University. The 6-foot-1, 305-pound nose guard has started all four games for the Dukes, who currently own a 3-1 record.
Duquesne, located in Pittsburgh, is an FCS school and a member of the Northeastern Conference. It finished 9-2 (7-1) last year, sharing the league title.
The Dukes opened the season with a loss at Old Dominion, but have since reeled off three straight wins.
“The experience to this point has been everything I hoped it would be and more,” Zidian said. “From day one when we opened on the road at Old Dominion in front of 20,000 loud fans, I knew I made the right decision.”
Zidian chose Duquesne after receiving offers from Ashland, Lehigh, California (Pa.), Tiffin and Notre Dame College. He also garnered interest from several Division I schools.
His ultimate choice wasn’t based strictly on athletics. In high school, Zidian owned a 3.88 grade point average, and was named to the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association All-Ohio Team.
Duquesne was one of the few schools to offer Zidian’s major of choice (supply chain management).
Zidian was also enticed by the location of the school. Because of its proximity to Boardman, Zidian’s parents have been able to attend all of his games.
“It’s neat to know they are there for me,” Zidian said. “I’ve also had a handful of friends at different games. It means a lot to know I have that support.”
When Zidian made his decision official last February, he knew that there was at least a chance that he would be starting this fall. The Dukes were looking to replace Mike Passodelis, a four-year starter and two-time all-conference selection.
“I knew the nose guard position would be up for grabs, but I also knew that nothing is handed to you at this level,” Zidian said. “I did everything I could to prepare myself during the off-season. Physically I felt I was ready, but I knew I still had a lot to learn.
“Toward the end of training camp, I sensed that the starting job was mine to lose.”
Zidian is credited with 11 tackles and one forced fumble. He described the level of competition as “very skilled and very fundamentally sound,” and noted that the speed of the game is noticeably faster.
“The biggest difference (between high school and college) is that here, everyone is good,” Zidian said. “You go up against an offensive line, and there is no dropoff in talent from one guy to the next.”
Still, Zidian believes he entered college well-prepared thanks in large part to his experience at Boardman.
“I found out that nothing beats the level of (high school) play in the Mahoning Valley,” Zidian said. “Playing against Mooney and St. Ignatius and Fitch, that was the best preparation for college.”
Duquesne hosts Saint Francis today.