Leader of the Pack
SLIPPERY ROCK — No. 23 leaves a void at No. 2.
More importantly, he fills one at No. 1.
Senior Sam Schwartz was Slippery Rock’s second-leading wideout last fall, totaling 26 grabs for 336 yards. With the focus on John Sabo — now at Slippery Rock University — Schwartz took advantage.
“I think any time you have a talented kid on one side, you benefit from that,” Rockets coach Larry Wendereusz said. “Has Sam benefited from Johnny being beside him? Sure, 100%. Sam’s role changes. Instead of being No. 2, he’s now No. 1. So, now who becomes that No. 2 that Sam gets to mentor and show and be the guy?”
Senior Dominck Zandi, junior Cooper Glass, and sophomores Zac Frederick and Douglas Popovec are all vying to be Schwartz’ receiving sidekick. Other than Eli Anderson — now lining up at quarterback — Schwartz is the only Rocket that caught a single varsity pass last season.
“I think those guys are all in that role of becoming that No. 2,” Wenderuesz said. “When you say No. 2 and I name four or five guys, it’s, ‘Coach, they can’t all be No. 2s.’ You’re right, they can’t. But, I think when you look at that mix of things, those guys can all do different roles and different things.”
Among the things that Schwartz picked up from Sabo were the importance of knowing the ins and outs of the playbook, footwork, timing, and when to mix up speeds.
“The way I play football, I always thought you were supposed to go 100% all the time,” Schwartz said. “But, I learned you need to slow down, you need to have hesitation when you’re at receiver. You need to be loose.
“I’m going to try to teach them the same things I learned.”
He sharpened his craft in the off-season in a competitive setting — and at an elite level to boot.
“Sam may have worked harder than anybody that I’ve seen in a while in the off-season,” Wendereusz said. “He ran just to get faster for football. Well, he worked so hard that now him and his buddies are going to the state track championship and finishing second. Really? Like, that’s the determination and his desire to succeed.
“Sam’s willingness to work hard and prove that he belongs in some of those conversations is what’s important.”
While he’s not going to be running 400 meters at a time on the football field, the lessons in technique were invaluable.
“I did not have good running form,” Schwartz said. “I was running with my arms really wide. It helped me get that dialed in.”
Wendereusz said that his expectations for Schwartz will depend on what the Rockets settle on offensively. He might even be put in pre-snap motion and morph into a running back.
“Sam’s not going to hoot,” Wendereusz said. “He’s not going to holler. He’s not going to do a lot of talking. All we want Sam to do is be Sam, and what that’s going to look like at the end of the year — we believe — is going to be a lot of catches.
“It’s going to be a lot of big-time catches in positions that we need him to make those catches. And a big-time run here and there just because of who he is.”
Schwartz isn’t concerned with personal numbers. He wants the splash plays his coach is predicting to add up to one thing — hardware.
“We want to win D-10 this year,” he said. “We’ve been there two years in a row and we’ve lost. So, that’s our goal as seniors. ... That would be successful.”
