Aug 22, 2018 4 min read

Warning: getimagesize(): Filename cannot be empty in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 139

Warning: Division by zero in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 142

Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412

Notice: Trying to get property 'term_id' of non-object in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412

by JOE TUSCANO

The next best thing for Washington & Jefferson’s football team stands 6-2 and weighs 195 pounds.

And, oh yes, he can throw a football with the precision of a watchmaker and the detail found in a Rembrandt painting.

Junior Jacob Adams is ready to join a long line of successful quarterbacks for the Presidents when the season gets underway with September games.

“This is the year I’ve been working for and waiting on,” said Adams.

The Louisville, Ohio, native replaces the graduated Alex Rowse and had the luxury of three starting assignments when Rowse couldn’t go last season. Adams was magnificent, completing 75 percent of his 116 attempts for 1,081 yards. He tossed seven touchdowns and was intercepted only once.

“We lost 20-some seniors from last year,” said Adams. “We’re going to be a lot younger this year, but there is a lot of talent. We’re all itching to be back.”

Adams’ starts produced wins over Geneva, Saint Vincent and rival Waynesburg. In the latter game, a 42-0 victory, Adams threw for a career-best 392 yards and four touchdowns.

“It was huge having those three starts under my belt,” said Adams. “It gives me a head-start going into this than rather the (Week 1 opponent) St. John Fisher being my first start.”

Adams spent the summer working out with a number of athletes, including Jim Ballard, who quarterbacked Mount Union to its first NCAA Division III title in 1993 before making stops in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. He also played in the Canadian Football League.

“We have a lot of weapons,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “You got a peak into the future with Jake in those three games. I kind of put the handcuffs on Jake against Saint Vincent and Geneva and turned him loose against Waynesburg. You saw what he did. The kid’s outstanding. He’s been outstanding in practice and in two years of JV games and the playing time he got. Now, he has to do it on a full-time basis. I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll be fine.”

Rowse finished his senior season throwing for 2,635 yards and 27 touchdowns. He joins a list of Sirianni-developed quarterbacks that include Pete Coughlin, Matt Bliss, Gino Rometo, Bobby Swallow, Chris Edwards, and Brian Dawson.

Adams will have one negative to deal with. He won’t have Jesse Zubik to throw to this season. Zubik, who wrapped up a career that saw him break nearly every receiving record in the school’s history while becoming one of the most productive wide receivers in Division III history.

“It will be a more balanced offense,” he said. “It will mean more catches for all the other receivers. That’s a good thing. It could be tougher on defenses because they can’t just worry about one guy. We’ll have four solid receivers out there who are able to get open on every play.”

Adams will have an array of wide receivers to throw to, including senior Brandon Barnes, who is coming off a 50-reception season.

And W&J might just have one of the strongest running games in the 16 seasons Sirianni has been head coach. Sophomore Jordan West, a Washington High School graduate, rushed for 715 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He is the lightning to E.J. Thompson’s thunder. The 5-8, 210-pound bulldozer combined with Jordan to gain 1,266 yards and score 14 touchdowns.

Add to that Trinity High School graduate Joey Koroly, who finished his scholastic career with more than 4,000 rushing yards and 1,000 points in basketball, and you might get a lot more looks of three yards and a cloud of black FieldTurf pellets at Cameron Stadium.

All-PAC first teamer Andrew Reo leads a solid offensive line that gets starters Phillip Bobich and Keaton Turney back.

Graduation devastated the defense with the loss of such players as cornerback O’Shea Anderson, who had a team-high nine interceptions, and leading tackler Nick Murgo, a linebacker.

The Presidents won the Presidents’ Athletic Conference title last year, going undefeated in the regular season before posting an impressive playoff win against Johns Hopkins. Fairmont State ended the Presidents’ season the following week. o