Girard’s Ryser is honored

February 1, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

Curbstone Coaches pays tribute to Mahoning Valley’s top football players

BOARDMAN

The Girard High School football team was quite young last fall, going 2-8 as the Indians experienced their share of growing pains.

But thanks to the leadership of senior running back Jacob Ryser, the team remained focused, won two of its final three contests and ended the campaign with plenty of promise.

For his leadership and hard work both on and off the field, Ryser was honored Sunday by the Curbstone Coaches organization with the “Byrd Giampetro Scholarship Award” of $1,000 during ceremonies at the Georgetown Banquet Center.

Other finalists were Nicholas Bell (Howland), Brian Benyo (Western Reserve), Nick Boldt (Lakeview), Alex Duda (Boardman), Greg Dunham (South Range), Jacob Esarco (Canfield), Frank Fiorito (Jefferson Area), Austin Fitch (Lowellville), Anthony Italiano (Jackson-Milton), Bryan Leipply (Mathews), Josh Liberati (Lisbon), Dalton Miller (Columbiana), Augustus Necastro (Brookfield), Jake Recard (McDonald), Zane Rummell (Mineral Ridge) and Keaton Turney (Salem).

YSU head football coach Bo Pelini served as guest speaker.

“It’s a very special evening to be able to honor the area’s very best high school football players,” said Sam Rogers, Curbstone banquet chairman. “Every finalist for this year’s award has excelled on the field, in the classroom and away from the game and will undoubtedly represent the Mahoning Valley in a first-class manner upon graduation.”

Ryser has a 3.9 grade-point average who ranks second out of 115 students in his graduating class. Ryser has been accepted to the United States Military Academy and will report upon graduation in late June.

Ryser’s mother, Tracey, is a 1995 West Point graduate.

“I got a D in my chemistry class in 10th grade and quickly recognized that I could either accept failure, or accept this new challenge in my life,” Ryser said. “I’ve lived the past three years of my life recognizing that the weakest points in our lives are the times where we are able to show our greatest strength.

“I now look forward to those science classes.”

A running back and strong safety for head coach Pat Pearson, Ryser rushed for 1,003 yards (184 attempts) and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards every time he touched the ball.

He caught 17 passes for 165 yards and added two more scores. He registered 42 tackles, picking off one pass and scoring a defensive touchdown for 10 overall.

As a junior, he rushed for 1,142 yards (226 carries) and 14 touchdowns, averaging 5.1.

He added 19 catches for 223 yards (11.74 per reception) and five more scores, also coming up with 55 tackles and two tackles for loss.

A first-team All-American Conference Blue Tier selection his final two seasons, he earned first-team All-Trumbull County laurels his junior and senior campaigns.

He was named special mention All-Northeast Inland while as a junior, was a first-team Northeast Inland and all-state special mention selection as well.

Ryser is enrolled in all Honors classes, studies two languages simultaneously (Spanish and Italian) and is earning college credits by taking classes at Youngstown State University.

He is a member of the school’s National Honor Society, Beta Club and Teen Institute. He has held class office the past four years and is the leader of Students Against Drunk Driving in Girard.

Ryser also received a nomination by Congressman Tim Ryan to the United States Naval Academy.

In order to be considered for the Curbstone award, a student-athlete must have earned a 2.5 grade point average or better, must detail all in-school and out of school activities and submit three signed letters of recommendation from the school.

Pelini told those being honored to remain focused and disciplined.

“Your next four or five years will go by very quickly and you will have an opportunity to a foundation for the rest of your life,” Pelini said. “It can either be solid or in sand.

“In this life you get what you earn. Each day when you get up, you need to find a way to set yourself apart from your competition.”