By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com
During the past four years, Heidelberg men's basketball has experienced a rebirth. With their recruiting efforts around the state of Ohio, the Student Princes built an Ohio Athletic Conference champion after a long streak of losing seasons.
The coaching staff brought in several athletes who bonded and were able to raise their levels of play based on competition in practice. Now, that friendship and dedication is helping the football team.
When Heidelberg was eliminated by Ohio Wesleyan in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, several careers came to an end.
Greg Tyson Jr., a four-year letterman in basketball and two-time NCAA indoor long jump national champion, decided to go out for a third sport. Tyson and fellow senior basketball guard, Shawn Shriver, decided to attend spring football practice and remained with the team through camp.
Greg Tyson is playing his third sport at Heidelberg. Heidelberg athletics photo |
"They would've struggled pretty mightily if they would have just come in during camp," said sophomore quarterback Andrew Miller. "They came in during the spring with the attitude that they're going to play. There were people doubting that they would end up playing.
"People were making jokes about seeing how long it would take them to quit," he added. "They kept fighting through and they just kept getting better. They've taken great strides and bought into the system. People trust them now and they're part of the family."
Tyson and Shriver have played in all three games for Heidelberg (1-2, 0-2 OAC). Tyson lines up as a wide receiver, while Shriver has moved up the depth chart at safety.
Tyson has five catches for 49 yards and one touchdown.
"Basketball and track are definitely not as much contact as football," Tyson said. "It's a little more rugged on your body being out there in the pads. I've got a lot of guys that want me to succeed in this. It makes it easier when you have those teammates to help you through it. At times, it can be a little difficult, but at the same time, as long as you take care of yourself, you'll be alright.
"The last time I played organized football was in the ninth grade," added Tyson. "You run a lot of routes, so you're doing a lot of sprinting. In track, you'd be done after a half-hour. Football practices can sometimes be a little long. With the lifting that coach has us doing, it made it a little easier to come in and try to do some of those things."
Though there are still some differences between football and basketball at Heidelberg, the programs have many similarities. The athletes have a desire to improve individually and as a unit, and continually work toward a championship.
"It's a great thing," Tyson said of being part of the rebirth of two programs at Heidelberg. "In both situations, you have coaches that really want to win. They get you ready to win. All the guys want to win and everyone's working really hard.
"You have all these people backing you up and letting you know that this is going to be a good thing," added Tyson. "If you trust in everyone and you try to have them trust in you, it's a real good thing."
"We're preparing to win," said Miller. "We felt that with our game plan, we could do some things to take advantage of John Carroll and Capital at the same time. We had our opportunities to win those games. We just came up a little short. We come out preparing to win every week."
In his second Heidelberg sport, Greg Tyson averaged 10.0 points per game for a team that reached the NCAA Tournament. Heidelberg athletics photo |
Football and basketball require different skill sets, but some of the same abilities. Agility, speed and power can be utilized on the field. Instead of short bursts out of the blocks, Tyson must get off the ball quickly and find space down the field. While he is used to catching passes in traffic for a dunk, Tyson now goes over the middle against linebackers to score a touchdown.
"Either way, the crowd shows you that it's a good thing," Tyson said. "A touchdown is a little more gratifying. If you're scoring a touchdown, you had to work so much harder. It's not like you get a touchdown every time you touch the ball. Over the course of a basketball game, you might get a couple chances at a dunk. When there [are] 11 guys coming after you, it's a little harder."
As Tyson continues to learn the intricacies of the game and adjust from the hardwood to the gridiron, his athletic ability and size will be a prime target for Miller.
"They make my life a lot easier," Miller said of the offense around him. "We have some veteran guys on the offensive line that came back. It starts with our offensive line. They give me enough time to get it to our playmakers. My job's easy, they do all the work.
"I get the ball [and] I'll throw it to [Dawond] Roddy on a three-yard slant and who knows how far he'll take it," he concluded. "G.T., with that speed and that length down the middle of the field, I wouldn't replace any of my guys. If it's one-on-one, it's one-on-none. We're going to win that battle every time."
News and notes
Ryan Krull had never played linebacker, not even in high school. However, the junior moved to the second level of the defense from the secondary. Krull has not only been a leader for Waynesburg (2-2, 0-1), but is No. 2 in tackles in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Through four games, Krull has made 43 tackles, 23 more than D.J. DeWitt, who is second on the team in stops. Four of Krull's tackles have been for a loss and three were quarterback sacks. Krull is also tough to beat in the passing game and on special teams. He has intercepted one pass, returned a fumble recovery 17 yards and blocked a kick.
Trine (3-0) has found itself an up-and-coming quarterback in Eric Watt. The two-time Offensive Player of the Week award winner in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association helped engineer a 30-27 upset over Franklin last weekend. Against Franklin, Watt was 14-of-27 for 207 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball 17 times for 50 yards with a long of 15. On the season, Watt has accounted for four touchdowns through the air and four others on the ground. He has 788 yards of total offense. Trine punter Nate Fitzsimmons earned MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honors after punting the ball five times for an average of 45 yards. He pinned Franklin inside the 20-yard line four times.
A 14-point third quarter brought The Old Red Lantern trophy back to the College of Wooster for another year. The Fighting Scots (3-0, 2-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) beat Denison University (1-2, 0-2) 21-10 on the road. Wooster quarterback Austin Holter was 13-of-27 for 195 yards and one touchdown. He also did some damage on the ground, rushing for 106 yards on 12 carries with another touchdown. Holter is developing chemistry with receiver Mike Francescangeli, who caught four passes for 111 yards against Denison.
Carnegie Mellon (2-2) controlled the line of scrimmage in a 41-6 victory over Hiram (2-1) last Saturday. The Tartans had four sacks on defense and their offensive line helped keep the quarterback from being brought down in the backfield. CMU also did a good job converting its opportunities in the red zone. They went 5-for-6 inside Hiram's 20-yard line and were 11-of-20 on third downs.
Games of the Week
Trine (3-0) at Hope (0-4), Saturday, Oct. 4, 2 p.m.: These two teams are heading in opposite directions. The Trine Thunder have a dual-threat quarterback, while Hope is trying to find itself after a tough non-conference slate.
Hope has given up 173 points against Illinois Wesleyan, Carthage, UW-Eau Claire and Wheaton. On the offensive side of the football, the Thunder has scored 113 points, while surrendering only 54. Trine, formerly Tri-State University, has never beaten Hope. They are 0-5 all-time vs. the Flying Dutchmen.
Otterbein (3-0, 2-0) at Heidelberg (1-2, 0-2), Saturday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.: Two upstarts in the Ohio Athletic Conference will meet in Tiffin Saturday evening. Otterbein has given up 21 points against Bethany, Muskingum and Ohio Northern. Each team has been able to score only one touchdown against the Cardinals defense.
After beating Westminster on opening weekend, Heidelberg lost to Capital 38-17 and John Carroll 17-15. A missed extra point and two-point conversion cost the Student Princes an OAC upset in University Heights.
