Sept. 7, 2002

By Alison Hischak
Athletic Communications Graduate Intern

They are the players doing battle in the football trenches. Rarely are their names mentioned in newspapers even though without them the quarterback would be scrambling for his life and tailbacks would not be rushing for 100-yard games.

Five of the Leopard seniors are part of the offensive line that last season led the conference in sacks allowed with 11, edging the other seven league members by at least five sacks. The line also helped Lafayette average 395.8 total yards per game, which included a league-best 265.1 yards passing average.

As the Leopards open the 2002 season, right guard Paul Stack spent the early portion of this summer thinking he might not play in a Leopard uniform ever again.

After starting his sophomore season, Stack tore his ACL during preseason camp one year ago. An intense year of rehabilitation that included several weeks on crutches and two or three months without being able to run had Stack doubting a return for his senior season.

"It was rough," Stack said. "I really didn't want to come back at times. Even this summer I didn't want to come back because my knee was still hurting. The whole time I was thinking, 'I don't know how I'm going to do this.'"

However, spending a year away from football only being around the Leopards on game days made Stack realize how much he missed playing it.

"It was more of a personal decision to come back," he said. "I've been playing football for a long time. I couldn't go out like that. I just wanted to come back for one more year and do it one more time."

Now at the start of the 2002 season, Stack is back in a Leopard uniform.

"I'm slowly getting used to the knee, but I still feel a little slow," Stack said. "I'm definitely sore and walking around with ice after practice. That's become a part of life. I can't remember when I've practiced and haven't been sore afterward - probably not since high school."

Tight end John Ricketts also had a challenging experience, but one of a different nature. Ricketts was the starting quarterback at Gateway Regional High School where his father, John, was the head coach. The team struggled Ricketts' sophomore season and his father ultimately stepped down at the end of the season, but not before drawing criticism.

"The fact that the team was not very successful brought down a lot of scrutiny on the two of us," Ricketts said. "I had to mature pretty quickly, taking that kind of criticism and negative attitude that people had at such a young age, but it brought my father and I closer together."

So when the Lafayette coaching staff came to Ricketts at the start of his sophomore season about the possibility of converting from quarterback to tight end, it was his dad that Ricketts looked to for guidance.

"I talked to him a lot about it when I first switched," Ricketts said. "He's been real supportive of it and helped me stick with it."

Ricketts did not make the change to tight end until the spring of his sophomore season, using the extra year to try to get bigger and stronger. Even then, he still had his doubts.

"The coaches told me that they thought I was a good enough athlete to do it," Ricketts said. "I had a better chance of playing and helping the team and I understood that. If the team needed me to help at tight end and if I was a better fit there, then I'd give it a try."

A year and a half later, Ricketts is now the Leopards' No. 2 tight end behind junior Tim Walsh.

"That was probably the biggest athletic challenge I ever had to face," Ricketts said. "It's been a learning process, but I just try to get better at it every day."

Similar to Ricketts, tackle Eric Keto also had to adapt to a new position during his Leopard playing career. Keto started the 2001 season at the guard position, but after a few injuries, moved outside to tackle.

"Right now I'm kind of the third tackle," Keto said. "I know what everyone does on the offensive line and I'm able to step in wherever the coaches need me."

Associate head coach Bob Heffner said Keto had a strong preseason camp and is dealing well with the position changes.

"I don't know anybody that could have handled it any better than he did," Heffner said. "He played and he was ready when he had to go into games when there had been injuries."

Keto didn't have much trouble adjusting to the different positions after a versatile high school career where he played both offensive and defensive line.

"Playing offensive line you have to be more controlled, because you don't know where the guys are going to go," Keto said. "On defense you can be more aggressive."

While Keto has shifted positions on the line, Chris Royle has been anchored at the center position for the Leopards.

Growing up, Royle didn't dream of being a football player. He spent his time on the soccer field.

"I've only played five years of football," Royle said. "I played soccer my whole life up until my sophomore year of high school. I switched to football my junior year because I was probably going to be cut from the soccer team. I figured I would go play another sport."

Little did Royle figure that a few years later he would be preparing to start his 29th game as the Leopards' center, having already notched two preseason honors. He was a first-team selection on the 2002 Lindy's Division I-AA Preseason All-America Squad as well as being named to The Sports Network's 2002 Preseason Division I-AA All-America team.

Royle doesn't exactly have regrets about soccer either.

"I got sick of it. I wasn't getting a lot of playing time, so it was kind of a relief to be playing football. Then I came to look at Lafayette and here I am."

Unlike Royle, left guard Phil Kolarczyk was introduced to football at an earlier age.

"When I was in fourth grade I was at one of my friend's houses and he took me with him to football practice," Kolarczyk said. "I instantly fell in love with it and have played ever since. I actually went back and told him that if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be playing football."

Kolarczyk played offensive and defensive line throughout his high school career and was surprised when he received a visit from a football coach at Altoona High School who suggested taking a look at Lafayette.

"I didn't even know Lafayette existed until about December of my senior year," Kolarczyk said. "I had no idea there was a I-AA level. All I did was watch Penn State football. I guess I have to thank the guy from Altoona."

Although each of these Leopard seniors has come down very different paths, the five of them could not be any better friends.

"Those guys are my best friends here," Ricketts said. "They're the reasons I enjoy Lafayette so much. Our personalities fit together well. We like to joke around and give each other grief, but in a friendly way. At the same time we care a lot about each other and we're really close."

Keto added, "All the offensive linemen are pretty tight because they're the first guys you get to know. Then we met Ricketts because he was a quarterback."

These five Leopards along with fullback Darrell Daman all belong to Phi Gamma Delta, meeting through football and then deciding to pledge the fraternity together. In fact, Royle, Daman and Keto all live in the same suite in the house with Ricketts next door and Stack downstairs.

When the players aren't on the field, chances are that they're together. Whether it's hanging out and watching TV or in the middle of a Playstation battle over John Madden Football, it's the togetherness off the field that contributes to the unity that the group shows on Saturdays.

Heffner said, "That's an added advantage when you're an offensive lineman because that's a brotherhood anyway. I think it's in good form to all be pretty close. They've all been here the same amount of time, and lived together for a while now. That's all a good thing in the long run."

With the unity and experience of this group of seniors, the Leopards are looking for another strong performance on the line.

"I think as an offense we have a lot to be real excited about," said Ricketts. "We have a lot of guys back. Last year we learned about just competing with people and being in games, but now I think we have what it takes to take the next step up and start beating teams."