Clyde Conti

SLIPPERY ROCK — For years, Slippery Rock High football coach Clyde Conti had a simple message for his youngest son, Chase.

"You don't have to play football because of me," Conti told his son.

So, Chase didn't. Instead, he ran cross country for the Rockets for three years. On the cross country course, when people chased him down, they didn't slam him to the ground with a shoulder tackle.

And that's just the way his dad liked it.

"For me, personally, it was a lot easier when he ran cross country," said Clyde, who just finished his fifth season as the Rockets football coach.

But before his senior season, Chase's desire to play football became too strong to ignore.

He approached his dad about it, and Clyde resisted at first — until he heard something from his son that swayed his thinking.

"We've been through this before, and we've always hesitated," the elder Conti said. "But one day he came up to me and said, 'I just want to see what it is like to come out of the locker room with my friends on a Friday night.'"

Those words echoed in Clyde's mind. All of the reasons to keep his youngest son from suiting up for Slippery Rock no longer trumped what he had just heard.

A whole new set or worries crept into the coach's mind, though.

His son was 5-foot-7 and 136 pounds on a good day. He had never played football at any level before.

But Clyde figured that wouldn't matter much. The odds of Chase getting into a game with such little experience weren't very good.

"I told my wife Ursula, 'Chase will get on the hash mark on senior night against Warren and that's about it. He'll probably never get to play.'"

Chase worked out during the summer as if he would play, trying to add bulk to his runner's frame.

He lifted weights with Slippery Rock two days a week and at Freeport High School with his father's best friend, former teammate and Yellowjackets football coach Bill Dillen two more days a week.

Still, Clyde had no plans to play his son.

But fate intervened.

A rash of injuries depleted Slippery Rock's backfield. J.R. Thompson was hurt on the second play of the season, and Andrew Novak went down in the first half in the next game against Erie East.

That left Chase as one of the few healthy bodies.Chase's first carry was memorable. He fumbled, but he scooped it up and ran 30 yards for a touchdown. Chase finished his first game with 56 yards on six carries."It was all really surprising, especially that first touchdown," Chase said. "After that, I kind of got used to it."Because of the injuries,Chase saw much more playing time than anyone anticipated.He rushed for 264 yards on 54 carries and scored two touchdowns.He also suffered through his share of football injuries.Chase injured his ankle against Sto-Rox and strained his hip flexor in the warmup before a game againstGeneral McLane."I was a nervous wreck," Clyde Conti said. "But you have to divorce your thoughts of all of that."Chase enjoyed his best game in the season finale against Warren, gaining 82 yards on 10 carries."I was really glad I played this year," Chase said. "I just wish I would have played a couple of more years. It was special to go out on the field on a Friday night with all my buddies. It was a nice experience. It was fun."And, despite his fears, it was nice for dad, too."When you see him on tape, you see someone who needs two more years," Conti said. "But I thought against Warren, he became a football player."

Chase Conti