GROVE CITY — When Zach Kepple reported to Grove City College football camp as a freshman in 2011, he was one of 11 interior offensive linemen.

And as Kepple, a Karns City High graduate, describes it, he was 11th on the depth chart.

“I was pretty low, that’s for sure,” Kepple said.

But Kepple, a 6-foot, 300-pound guard with unusual speed and athleticism for a man of that size, was undaunted.

He took his job on the scout team seriously. In fact, he was named Grove City’s scout team offensive player of the week leading up to the first game of the season against Carnegie Mellon.

Kepple earned it. He was charged with trying to block first-team all-Presidents’ Athletic Conference nose tackle Jarred Frawley. And he held his own.

“Every week I was going up against the leading nose guard in the PAC,” Kepple said. “That made me get better week in and week out.”

Last year as a sophomore, he got some playing time and then became a full-time starter at mid-season.

This fall, he will be one of the mainstays on the Wolverines’ offensive line.

“Sophomore year, coming in and getting reps with the starting team and seeing I was able to block some of our better players, that made me see I could play,” Kepple said.

One of Kepple’s strengths is, well, his strength. But he also has a secret weapon: His agility.

“He is very athletic,” said Grove City College coach Chris Smith. “He’s the kind of young man when you look at him, you think he can be really strong, but he’s a much better athlete than you first think when you look at him.”

Athleticism is a big plus for a guard in the Wolverines’ offense. Kepple can get out and pull with the best of them.

He’s also strong, pancaking defensive ends and linebackers while winning at the point of attack with defensive tackles and nose guards.

“He really came on last year,” Smith said. “We weren’t aware of just how athletic he could play and as the year went on he played well.”

Kepple is making sure he keeps his job.

He spent the summer lifting weights and getting stronger. He also worked on his agility.

“To play offensive line, some people think you don’t need to have athleticism at all,” Kepple said. “But as a guard, you have to be able to pull both ways and make blocks. You have to be ready for anything. Being athletic definitely helps with that.”

Kepple has the backing of the coaching staff, Smith in particular, and is excited about the season.

“He’s really doing an excellent job right now,” Smith said.

“It definitely feels great knowing you have the coaches behind you, that they consider you a go-to guard and that they feel like they can run behind you on any play.”

Grove City College was always Kepple’s first choice coming out of Karns City, where he played football, basketball, baseball and was a thrower on the track and field team.

Kepple is also a thrower for the Wolverines’ track and field team.

“Even my 11th-grade year, I wanted to come to Grove City,” Kepple said. “A lot of it had to do with my major choice, elementary education. I knew Grove City had a great program for that and football-wise, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”