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Solid Recruiting Class Bolsters WLU Grid Roster

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Football | 4/19/2016 2:32:00 PM

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University head football coach Roger Waialae has added 18 new faces to the Hilltopper roster for the 2016 season.
"It's a little smaller class than we've had in the past," Waialae said, "but with so many returning players, we really didn't have room for a big group. That allowed us to be a little more selective and I'm pretty pleased with the result.
"I thought our coaches did a great job of bringing in quality talent with a focus on filling specific needs. Having said that, we're probably not finished yet. We're still talking to some kids who are late deciders and could be impact players. We'll know more in the next few weeks."
A closer look at this year's recruiting haul shows where much of the Hilltoppers' off-season attention was focused. More than half of the 18-man recruiting class are offensive or defensive linemen with the rest of the group evenly split between wide receivers and defensive backs.
"At the Division II level, offensive and defensive linemen are an emphasis every year," Waialae said. "We were a pretty good football team after the first game last year (a 29-28 victory against No. 9-ranked Concord). Then guys started dropping on the offensive line over the next couple of weeks and the next thing you know, we're struggling with depth.
"We don't bring guys in with the idea of redshirting them. If they're good enough to play – mentally and physically – as freshmen, I'll play them. There are some guys in this class who are physically ready to play. The challenge for them is whether they'll be able to catch on mentally well enough and fast enough to be part of the mix."
Twelve members of this year's class are wrapping up their final semester of high school while six of the newcomers come to the hilltop from another outpost of higher education. Eleven of the newest Hilltoppers, including several of the transfers, played their high school ball at an Ohio Valley Athletic Conference school with many of them earning All-OVAC, All-Valley and All-State honors.
"That's always been our philosophy," Waialae said. "We start our recruiting process from the inside out. If we can fill our roster with the best kids from the valley, that's what we do. Some years we've been successful with that and other years we've had to go outside the valley and fill the gaps.
"Kids who compete successfully at a high level in their state are the type of kids who can play here. This was a very good year in the valley with Wheeling Park and Magnolia winning state championships and Steubenville making another deep run. When you see teams experiencing that level of success, they're obviously working with better players and that's a boost for us."
West Liberty opens the 2016 season with a Sept. 3 road game at Concord. Kickoff is set for noon at the Mountain Lions' Callaghan Stadium. 
Following are brief capsules for each of the WLU newcomers:

2016 WEST LIBERTY FOOTBALL NEWCOMERS
Tyler Anderson, DB, 6-0, 180, Magnolia HS, New Martinsville, WV 
1st-team All-State and All-Valley Small School tailback for unbeaten West Virginia Class A state champion Blue Eagles. ...Rushed for 1,931 yards and 20 TDs. ...Ran for 130 yards and a score in state championship rout of East Hardy.
Richard Blackwell, DL, 6-4, 240, Wheeling Park HS, Valley Grove, WV 
Standout two-way lineman started every game for West Virginia Class AAA state champion Wheeling Park High School. 
Andrew Cockerham, OL, 6-2, 280, Pickerington Central HS, Pickerington, OH 
All-District and All-OCC offensive lineman for perennial central Ohio powerhouse. ...Earned special mention on the Division I All-Ohio honor roll. ...Also excelled as a thrower on the PCHS track team
Cameron Englehart, DL, 6-3, 285, Cuyahoga Falls HS, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 
Hard-nosed two-way lineman was a bright spot for a Cuyahoga Falls High School squad that struggled through a winless 2015 season
Brian Fleming, OL, 6-2, 275, Central Valley HS, Monaca, PA 
1st-team All-Parkway Conference offensive tackle for two-time WPIAL Class AAA champion and 2014 Pennsylvania state runner-up Central Valley. ...Named to West All-Star Team for 15th annual Pennsylvania Coaches East-West Game.
Anthony Gamble, DL, 6-5, 220, Garfield Heights HS, Garfield Heights, OH 
Rangy, athletic defensive end who saw double-duty at tight end for Garfield Heights High School.
Logan Green, OL, 6-1, 290, Alderson-Broaddus, Wellsburg, WV
Two-way line standout at nearby Brooke HS. …Sat out redshirt season at Alderson-Broaddus in 2014 before coming to WLU. …Did not participate in football-related activity last year.
Nick Haynes, DB, 6-1, 180, McGuffey HS, Washington, PA 
1st-team Class AA All-Interstate League defensive back at McGuffey HS. ...Also excelled at wide receiver. ...Had 55-yard TD catch in WPIAL playoff loss to Freeport.
Zach Heasley, DL, 6-4, 225, W.Va. Wesleyan, Paden City, WV
1st-team All-OVAC football, basketball and baseball standout at Paden City HS. …Signed with W.Va. Wesleyan as a quarterback in 2015. …Sat out redshirt season at Wesleyan last year before coming to WLU. …Switched to defensive line and had two QB sacks in Black and Gold Game.
Mike Kuheleloa, OL, 6-0, 280, Southwestern CC, Chula Vista, CA
1st-team 2014 All-California juco center at Southwestern CC. ...All-Conference two-way lineman at Bonita Vista HS. ...Sat out 2015 season as a redshirt at Fairmont State
Todd Lemasters, WR, 6-1, 170, Magnolia HS, New Martinsville, WV 
Two-way standout for Magnolia's West Virginia state Class A champions. ...Had two interceptions in Blue Eagles' 62-0 rout of East Hardy in state championship game. 
Mike McLean, WR, 6-4, 200, ASA CC, Bronx, NY
Rangy wide receiver starred at Harry S Truman HS in the Bronx. ...Attended ASA Community College last year but did not participate in football-related activities.
William Poplowski, OL, 6-2, 275, Steubenville HS, Steubenville, OH 
1st-team All-Valley Big School offensive lineman for Ohio Division IV state runner-up Steubenville Big Red. ...All-Ohio selection as a junior battled through injuries as a senior for perennial Buckeye State power
Jacob Quinn, TE, 6-2, 220, Bethany, Byesville, OH
All-OVAC and All-District star at Meadowbrook HS. …Played for Ohio in 2014 OVAC All-Star Game. …Sat out redshirt season at nearby Bethany (W.Va.) College in 2015 before coming to WLU. …Younger brother of former Hilltopper standout Josh Quinn
Cody Rine, DL, 6-4, 285, Charleston, Wellsburg, WV
All-OVAC defensive lineman at Brooke HS in 2014. …Lettered all four years in high school. …Came to WLU after sitting out redshirt season at Charleston in 2015.
Kyle Ritz, DL, 6-3, 230, Magnolia HS, New Martinsville, WV 
1st-team All-Stater and defensive co-captain of The Intelligencer's Small School All-Valley team... Two-way standout led team with 7 QB sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss on defense and had nearly 30 catches with 6 TDs as a tight end... Had a touchdown catch in state championship game vs. East Hardy
Chance Rucker, OL, 6-3, 290, Caldwell HS, Caldwell, OH 
Two-time 1st-team All-Ohio Division VII two-way lineman led Caldwell to 30-5 record in three years as a starter. ...Had 96 tackles (67 solo), 10 tackles-for-loss and 5 QB sacks a senior. ...One of the state's top heavyweight wrestlers, was the 285-pound runner-up in the OVAC Tournament and finished 6th at 285 in the Ohio Division III state tournament
Austin Skrzyneki, DB, 6-1, 175, John Marshall HS, Glen Dale, WV
1st-team All-Stater and defensive co-captain of The Intelligencer's Big School All-Valley team. ...Physical free safety finished with 114 tackles (82 solos) with 10 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
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