Nathaniel Brooks, Associated Pre Despite being only 5 feet 5, Eugene Jarvis has evolved into the feature back for surprising Kent State. The Golden Flashes are 5-2 and lead the Mid-American Conference East Division with a 4-0 record going into the game Saturday vs. Ohio.

By Mike White
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Seton-LaSalle quarterback Matt Rodgers thought about waiting for a possible scholarship offer from one of the colleges in the "big-time" conferences that were showing interest in him. Then near the end of the summer, he decided to follow the path that has become well-traveled by WPIAL players.

Rodgers became a MAC transaction.

Rodgers made a verbal commitment in August to the University of Akron, which plays in the Mid-American Conference. In case you haven't noticed, the MAC has become a haven for WPIAL players.

Teams from the MAC have landed WPIAL players for decades, but no one can remember so many WPIAL players having an impact at MAC schools.

How's this for a MAC attack? Seventeen players from the WPIAL are starting at MAC schools. Not playing. Starting!

"I can't think of a time when this many kids were playing up there," said Penn Hills coach Neil Gordon, an assistant and head coach in the WPIAL since the 1970s. "I think it's kind of a neat thing to see."

Three of Gordon's former players are starting at Toledo -- defensive backs Barry Church and Tyrrell Herbert, and linebacker Archie Donald. Church and Donald are freshmen.

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Luke Getsy has overcome a rough opener vs. Penn State and has gone on to average 227.4 yards passing per game for Akron-- second in the MAC. Click photo for larger image.

But there are WPIAL players at schools all over the MAC, including Kent State, Akron, Miami and Ohio. Temple is playing a partial MAC schedule and its quarterback is Sto-Rox graduate Adam DiMichele. Even Central Michigan has a starter from the WPIAL -- defensive back Curtis Cutts of Ford City.

"I had some interest from other schools and I thought about waiting, but Akron had everything I wanted, so I made a decision," Rodgers said. "Seeing what some of the other players from around here have done [at MAC schools] definitely played a role in my decision."

Some of the WPIAL players are excelling in the MAC. Former Central Catholic star running back Eugene Jarvis is having a highly successful season as a redshirt freshman at Kent State, helping the Golden Flashes to a 5-2 record. They have won five games in a row for the first time since 1976 and are 4-0 in the MAC for the first time.

Jarvis, a former Post-Gazette player of the year, rushed for 179 yards on 31 carries in a victory against Toledo last Saturday. He had 109 yards in the season opener against Minnesota. For the season, he has 525 yards on 96 attempts (5.1 average), despite missing a game with an injury.

Former Steel Valley quarterback Luke Getsy found success at Akron after transferring from Pitt two years ago. One of the Zips' top receivers is Penn Hills graduate David Harvey, who has 21 catches for 498 yards (23.7 average).

Church was the MAC co-defensive player of the week earlier this season. Cutts is the fifth-leading tackler at Central Michigan.

"I think MAC schools are recruiting Western Pennsylvania harder than they did 10-15 years ago," Gordon said. "Obviously, it's very, very early in the recruiting process this year. But I already have been in touch with Toledo, Kent State and Akron. I never had this many calls from MAC coaches this early in the past."

Don't get the wrong impression about the trend of WPIAL players going to MAC schools. Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Michigan aren't losing recruiting battles to MAC schools. WPIAL players who go to the MAC usually are thought to be a step slow or a few inches too short to be recruited by schools in the Big East, Big Ten or Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jarvis is a good example. Kent State lists him at 5 feet 5, 158 pounds. Although he had a terrific high school career in the largest classification (Class AAAA), most major colleges didn't recruit him because they thought he was too small. Pitt offered him a scholarship in the spring of his junior season, but backed off when it landed LaRod Stephens-Howling, another smallish running back from Johnstown.

Some players who end up at MAC schools also might have marginal grades and the "big-time" schools don't want to take a chance on them not being eligible. Or sometimes the major colleges simply underrated a player.

Of course, maybe the WPIAL isn't producing as many players for "big-time" schools. Thus, the MAC is getting more players from the district.

But it seems WPIAL players are more at ease with attending MAC schools. So far, two players from the WPIAL class of 2007 have committed to the MAC. Besides Rodgers, Franklin Regional lineman A.J. Strum picked Ohio.

"I think what happens is once a college gets a kid from a certain school, that kid helps recruit other players," Woodland Hills coach George Novak said. "Then kids look and see the success some other players have had at some of the [MAC] schools."

Like Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins. He is a Woodland Hills graduate who played at Akron. Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski wasn't highly recruited at Seton-LaSalle, but he went to Toledo and is now starting in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And remember, the Steelers' Big Ben played at a MAC school (Miami).

Earlier this season, Akron coach J.D. Brookhart said his staff wants to make Western Pennsylvania a priority in recruiting.

"It's not an exact science with recruiting," Novak said. "Some kids aren't quite tall enough or big enough, and then they go there to the MAC and develop. You just never know.

"I remember watching Ben Roethlisberger at Pitt's camp before his senior year. I remember saying he was a tall kid with a good arm and I thought he might be a Division I kid. Now look at him."

Novak has a son playing in the MAC. Austin Novak is a reserve defensive end at Kent State.

Rodgers also had offers from three other MAC schools -- Toledo, Bowling Green and Ohio.

"At the beginning of the recruiting process, I was like any 16- or 17-year-old kid. I wasn't thinking about going to the MAC," Rodgers said. "I was shooting for the stars -- Michigan, USC and schools like that. But as you mature and go through the process, you see where you fit in.

"I think someone like Bruce Gradkowski was a factor in my decision because he basically made himself at Toledo. He's like a role model for me."

Gordon believes there are a few reasons the MAC is becoming more popular with WPIAL players. One is exposure.

"You still get to play big-time football in the MAC," Gordon said. "Look at schools like Akron and Toledo, playing Pitt and Penn State and other big-time schools. Then these kids all watch TV and you can see a MAC game on TV just about every week ever since they started these Thursday night games."

And there's a good chance you'll see a WPIAL player in one of those games.

Name	College	Pos.	High School
Barry Church	Toledo	DB	Penn Hills
Curtis Cutts	Central Michigan	DB	Ford City
Nick DeBartolo	Miami	FB	Upper St. Clair
Adam DiMichele	Temple	QB	Sto-Rox
Alex DiMichele	Temple	FB	Sto-Rox
Archie Donald	Toledo	LB	Penn Hills
Name	College	Pos	.High School
Luke Getsy	Akron	QB	Steel Valley
David Harvey	Akron	WR	Penn Hills
Tyrrell Herbert	Toledo	DB	Penn Hills
Eugene Jarvis	Kent State	RB	Central Catholic
Kris Kasparek	Akron	TE	New Brighton
J.J. Knabb	Ohio	C	Peters Township
Joe McDaniel	Akron	FB	Woodland Hills
Steve Meister	Miami	OG	Shaler
Mitch Morsillo	Ohio	FB	Moon
Pete Winovich	Bowling Green	FB	Thomas Jefferson
Kenny Lewis	Bowling Green	DB	Penn Hills