|
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Five
Intercity players pick IWU
By Douglas Hamm
Pantagraph staff
BLOOMINGTON
-- Call it an Intercity infusion of talent.
Illinois Wesleyan
football coach Norm Eash Tuesday announced that five Intercity high school
standouts will play for the Titans next fall: the Bloomington trio of Eric
Esch, Jacob Kummer and Tyler Noonan; Normal Community's Jordan Musselman;
and University High's Nels Pedersen.
"I think it's a
banner year for us as far as recruiting Intercity kids," Eash said.
"They're all very talented, and they're all great students. All of
them have a great opportunity to come to Illinois Wesleyan and make an
impact on our program."
Esch (wide
receiver/defensive back), Musselman (wide receiver/linebacker/defensive
back) and Kummer (defensive lineman) were all-Big 12 Conference first-team
performers. Noonan (offensive lineman) and Pedersen (wide receiver) were
both three-year varsity lettermen.
Eash expects Esch and
Musselman to make the most immediate impact for the Titans, who finished
6-4 last season and tied for fifth place in the College Conference of
Illinois and Wisconsin with a 3-4 record.
"They both come
from great programs. They know how to win," Eash said. "A lot
depends on how fast they make the transition from high school to college.
We think Jordan can be an outstanding strong safety/outside linebacker
because he's a good athlete, but that doesn't mean he can't catch the ball
down the road.
"Eric has been
going back and forth between do I want to play defense or catch the ball. A
lot of it will stem from what our needs are. I think you put your better
athletes on defense, but that doesn't mean Eric Esch in a year or two can't
play wide receiver for us."
The 6-foot, 178-pound
Esch had 37 tackles, including four for losses, and three interceptions at
free safety for the Class 6A state runner-up Purple Raiders. He also had 26
catches for 497 yards and six touchdowns. Forced into duty as the team's
punter because of injury, Esch averaged 34.5 yards per kick.
"Eric has great
athletic ability and diversity," said BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer.
"Norm should be able to use him in many different roles. In our
semifinal playoff game he was on the field the whole time."
Musselman, a 6-4,
210-pounder, had 54 tackles and two interceptions for NCHS, which advanced
to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. He caught 24 passes for 365
yards and four TDs.
"I think Jordan
has the ability to have a successful career there," said NCHS coach
Hud Venerable. "His future could be on the defensive side of the ball.
We saw last year he has the ability to cover and also hit people. I think
he'd be good at safety and maybe even an outside linebacker.
"He'll have to get
stronger and make a commitment to getting in the weight room and those kind
of things. He had some bigger schools evaluating him, but I think it came
down to the best opportunity for him was to stay in town."
Eash termed the 6-3,
235-pound Kummer a "sleeper."
"I think he's a
kid that people overlooked," Eash said. "He's going to play at
250 or 255, and he has good speed. I think he can be an outstanding
defensive lineman for us."
Kummer recorded 68
tackles (21 for loss) with seven sacks and two fumble recoveries for the
Raiders.
"Jake's got a big
frame, and I think he's going to fill out at 6-4 and about 255,"
Schmelzer said. "For Division III he has good balance and a great
frame, and he should really help them on the defensive side."
The 6-3, 260-pound
Noonan is a member of the exclusive 1,000-pound weightlifting club at BHS.
Only three lifts (spot, bench and clean) are used to reach the 1,000-pound
plateau.
"Tyler is a very
strong kid who I think is going to be an asset on the offensive line
somewhere," Schmelzer said. "He's going to help in the years to
come."
Pedersen, a 5-11,
180-pounder, had a team-high four TD catches for U High.
"I thought this
was a very good year for talent in the Intercity, and it's always our goal
to keep the good student-athletes in town," Eash said. "I think
it's great for public relations."
|