Well-deserved honor
Ryan Montgomery has four more years of football to look forward to as the Slippery Rock High graduate plans to attend and suit up for Grove City College.
But his selection to a pair of recent all-star games helped him cap a memorable scholastic career.
Montgomery played for the West squad in a Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association game held in Harrisburg in late May (a 49-14 win) and was on the South team in the District 10 All-Star Showcase at Allegheny College in Meadville last Saturday (a 61-40 loss).
"I played about 30 snaps at outside linebacker in the game in Harrisburg and 60 snaps at safety in the D-10 game," said Montgomery. "It was a great honor for me to represent my school, coaches and community two more times and I got to meet a bunch of new people."
At halftime in Meadville, Montgomery was one of five players awarded a scholarship from the West Penn Football Coaches Association.
"We had to fill out a form before the game, describing how football impacted us while in high school," said Montgomery, who was awarded $750. "I focused on how it made me a better leader and a better teammate. Coach (Larry Wendereusz) always talks about being a success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. That's what I want to be."
Montgomery started three years for the Rockets at defensive back and two years at running back. He tallied 542 yards from scrimmage with seven offensive touchdowns as a senior while leading the team with 77 tackles.
"Ryan put in a ton of work in the offseason, in the weight room and it carried over into the season," Wendereusz said.
Montgomery helped lead a Rocket resurgence. After a 2-6 season in 2020, Slippery Rock went 7-2 last fall, won a Region 3 championship and reached the District 10 championship game.
"A lot of people looked at us as underdogs and we took that role on," he said. "We had a few down years, but we're a tight-knit group and we wanted to win ... wanted to show people how much work we'd put in."
Grove City sees versatility in Montgomery, who plans to major in business management.
"They said I could play either safety or corner, wherever they need me," he said.
Regardless of position, Montgomery should prove to be a key addition for the Wolverines.
"He became more vocal as a safety because he was making all our checks," said Wendereusz. "But for the most part, he's one of those guys who goes out, does his job and says follow me."
A number of other local players joined Montgomery in the all-star games. Joining him in Harrisburg was Karns City's Luke Garing.
The South roster in Meadville included Slippery Rock's Dylan Twentier and Shane Thompson, who scored a touchdown on a two-yard run; Butler's Isiah Kelly, Ethan Trettel and Jacob Pomykata; Karns City's Aaron Taylor, TJ Vlassich, Josh Griffiths and Garing.
