Russell ends football career in style, with Penn-Ohio MVP

Tag : Foot Ball Product

BELOIT - Though the rain at West Branch's Heacock Stadium stoppedjust before kickoff, Beaver Local product and Ohio quarterbackEthan Russell made it rain Friday in the Penn-Ohio StatelineClassic.
Passing for 169 yards and two scores while completing 7-of-14passes, the signal caller not only earned MVP honors, but led histeam to a 14-8 victory over Pennsylvania.
Russell took his stellar performance in stride, though.
At the beginning of the second half he sat on the Ohio bench, armsspread behind his teammates as two of his wide receivers talkedover him.
He was calm and cool.
He was everything a quarterback should be.
And on his last night under center, he was a star.
This was the Russell's final high school football game, as he hasopted to run track at Wheeling Jesuit rather than take to thegridiron.
The finality of his time hurling a pigskin wasn't lost on him.
"(I have) mixed feelings. I mean it's sad, it's my last game, butit's probably the best ending I could imagine," Russell said, whilestanding at the 50-yard line of Heacock Stadium with his helmet inone hand an MVP trophy in the other. "I know I'm going to miss itand everything, but four years of college football I don't know ifmy body could go through that. I'm not that big."
Though he unloaded on Pennsylvania through the air - with themajority of his yards coming in the first half - Russell was neverknown as a passing quarterback.
According to Ohio coach Bob Altenhof, he had all the tools to be agunslinger.
"We played against Ethan and we know how good of an athlete he isand how good of a quarterback he is," the coach said, whilestanding outside the Ohio locker room. "I think the fact that hedidn't throw it much at Beaver Local was more their offense thanEthan. Ethan throws the ball pretty well."
And on his second scoring pass of the game, he proved his coachright, hitting a wide open Jimmy Phillis for a 47-yard touchdown togive Ohio a 14-0 edge heading into halftime.
His first score came on an 18-yard toss to South Range's CharlieLengyel in the first quarter.
With four years on the track ahead of him, Russell knows thatnothing will ever be like playing under the bright lights of afootball stadium.
But running is the future and getting a win over Pennsylvania isthe present and according to the quarterback, he wouldn't have beenable to have such a strong game without a lot of talent around him.
"I was surrounded by a lot of great players. Great wide receivers,good running backs, good line. Defense stepped it up," he said.