W&J’s Hunter makes climb to top
Last year, John Hunter was so far down the Washington & Jefferson College football depth chart, you had to turn the page to find his name.
He played in seven games and had seven tackles.
That was it.
When camp opened in August, though, Hunter knew he had a chance for more playing time, thanks to graduation and renewed determination for a strong senior season. The 6-1, 220-pound linebacker has 67 tackles in nine games, second on the Presidents behind senior linebacker Ian Hennessy. Hunter has 3 1/2 quarterback sacks, an interception, recovered a fumble, broke up or defended nine passes and blocked a kick.
“I don’t know that he was even a back-up last year,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “He kept jumping someone in front of him (on the depth chart).”
Now, he is a vital part of W&J’s defense, which will play its final regular-season game at Waynesburg today (1:30 p.m. kickoff). The winner is the champion of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The loser has to wait until Sunday afternoon’s selection program to learn its fate.
“It was my chance to play this year, and I made the most of it,” said Hunter. “I got the start in the scrimmage (against Mt. Union).”
And he’s held the job ever since.
Hunter is coming off a season-high 12 tackles in last week’s victory over Geneva and is looking forward to playing Waynesburg.
“They have some good skill people,” he said. “Their running backs are good, and they have a big tight end. If we can stop the run, we’ll have a good chance of winning the game.”
With free safety Bryan Gary out with a knee injury, Waynesburg will turn to Mike Lupochovsky, a 6-1, 195-pound freshman. Lupochovsky had six tackles in last week’s victory over Westminster and has 34 tackles for the season. Lupochovsky will be an obvious target for W&J’s passing game, so the Yellow Jackets will depend on two McGuffey High School graduates to help: Logan McAnany and Matt Czulewicz.
McAnany is a 6-0, 210-pound junior strong safety and Czeluwicz is a 6-2, 190-pound senior cornerback. The two have combined for 65 tackles, nine pass breakups and an interception. McAnany also has blocked a kick. The two also have been strong players on special teams.
“They are outstanding guys, and they play exceptionally hard,” said Waynesburg head coach Rick Shepas. “They give everything they have. Their play has been significant.”
This is the 40th meeting of the PAC Backyard Brawl and the Presidents hold a 36-3 edge, having won eight straight games. … The Presidents are 24-6 under head coach Mike Sirianni in November, including 12-4 in road games. … From the 2003 Backyard Brawl, the team leading after the first quarter has won all nine times. … The Presidents have not turned the ball over against Waynesburg since 2009 and have thrown only two interceptions in the past eight games. … The Yellow Jackets are ranked fourth in the South Region behind Mary Hardin Baylor (1st), Wesley (2nd) and Johns Hopkins (3rd).