West Virginia RB Jason Gwaltney (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Rushed for his 100th TD this weekend

LOSS IRKS GWALTNEY
TD No. 100 doesn't feel as good as it could have
BY GREGG SARRA
STAFF WRITER; Compiled by Andy Slawson
October 10, 2004

Jason Gwaltney faced his locker, a broken man. His arms told a tale of fury. There were deep, nasty gashes all over. Blood still oozed from his swollen knuckles. A long, deep scratch on his left forearm stretched six inches. But that couldn't come close to the other pain he felt. The sting of defeat had taken over and he couldn't contain his emotions any longer.

Gwaltney hammered his locker door shut and turned to face reporters. He'd totaled 272 all-purpose yards, including 184 on the ground and a 67-yard kickoff return. He scored two touchdowns, including the 100th of his illustrious career, to become the first Long Island halfback to reach the milestone. He made nine tackles, including four crushing hits in the open field.
And it wasn't enough. And for that, he blamed himself.

Despite Gwaltney's effort, West Babylon erased a 19-point deficit, scored 29 second-half points and came back for a wild 29-27 win over crosstown rival North Babylon.

"I only care about the wins," Gwaltney said. "The records are for the stat guys. I'm furious that we lost. I'm furious that I was forced from the game during a crucial drive and we threw an interception. If I'm on the field, we don't throw the ball and we score. This is my fault. I'll take the blame for the loss."

With North Babylon holding what seemed like a comfortable 19-7 lead, Gwaltney rumbled down the left sideline for 31 yards to the West Babylon 25 with 3:03 left in the third quarter. Then he went to the sideline with leg cramps.

Two plays later, quarterback Ryan Lynch, looking into the end zone, was intercepted by linebacker Dan Viera, who returned the ball 33 yards to the Eagles' 37.

"I should have never left the field," said Gwaltney, who is 72 yards shy of Jerone Pettus' Long Island career rushing record. "This is on me."

West Babylon then took the momentum in the game as quarterback Kevin Hennessey engineered three straight touchdown drives for the win.

"I'll give the quarterback all the credit in the world because we couldn't stop him," Gwaltney said. "The kid was like a guy in a video game. It was like street ball, or a playground game, where you just run around and throw it. But it worked."

And it hurt.

Long Island career rushing leaders
Yards Name School, Years
5,841 Jerone Pettus Freeport (1996) & Roosevelt (1997-99)
5,769 Jason Gwaltney North Babylon 2001-04
5,360 Amos Zereoue Mepham 1991-94
5,282 Chad Bosch Connetquot 1990-92

Gwaltney year-by-year
Season Games Att. YDs Avg. TDs 2 Pts. Total Pts
2001 9 98 696 7.1 15 1 92
2002 9 197 1,621 8.2 30 1 182
2003 10 295 2,601 8.8 45 1 272
2004 4 115 851 7.4 11 1 68
Totals 32 705 5,769 8.2 101 4 614

game article on loss

[Buckskin86]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/highsc...ball-headlines

Trying to turn the corner
North Babylon's record-breaking back needs to change diet and do more cardio to be able to finish games

BY GREGG SARRA
STAFF WRITER

October 14, 2004

Jason Gwaltney checked into the clinic at Elite Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation late Saturday afternoon looking for answers. The senior halfback, who is just 73 yards shy of setting Long Island's career rushing record, is battling more than just opposing defenses these days. Gwaltney, who owns almost every Long Island rushing and scoring record with 5,769 yards, 101 touchdowns and 614 points, has suffered from severe cramping, headaches and exhaustion for three weeks. He said he feels worn down and out of energy.

"When I needed my body the most, it quit on me," Gwaltney said. "My mind is telling my body to do things and it's just not responding. I've been feeling very weak and slow - especially in the second half of games. Some people thought I had mononucleosis. I'm always tired. I didn't know what was bogging me down."

Now he does. After an evaluation by Dr. Frank Segreto, Gwaltney was found to have nutritional deficiencies. North Babylon coach Terry Manning, concerned over his star's inability to get through a full game, ordered Gwaltney to see Segreto.

"He put on a tremendous amount of muscle mass in the offseason and didn't do enough cardiovascular training," said Angelo Rizzi, the physician's assistant at Elite. "He's disproportionate. He has incredible core strength in his abdominal muscles and quadriceps. But his eating habits need to be totally modified and the school trainer is going to have to monitor his hydration and make sure he stretches."

The first four games have also taken a toll on the 6-2, 233-pound halfback, who weighed 220 last season. He has been gouged, scratched, bruised and hit by defenses that use nine and 10 players to stop the run.

"He carries an unbelievable workload," Manning said. "He's doing the same things on the field that he did last year - just in a bigger body. And the best players in the division are trying to drill him every play. We give him the rock 30 to 35 times a game and he plays defense and specials. He trains harder than anyone, but his diet is terrible. He eats well, but it doesn't mean he eats right. His diet doesn't include fruits and vegetables and he eats too much junk food. He needs to change his diet."

There have been signs that something was wrong. Gwaltney has been forced to leave the field with severe cramps in both calves. In Saturday's 29-27 loss to West Babylon, Gwaltney crawled to the sideline and rolled onto his back in discomfort.

North Babylon strength coach John Rowland said Gwaltney is the strongest player on the team. He bench presses 400 pounds, squats 405 and dead lifts 600.

"We're going to put him on the bike for 30 minutes in every gym class and cover at least 10 miles each day for the next week," Manning said. "And then we'll take the extra conditioning and go to the next level with it."

After a brief workout, Gwaltney said he was feeling a little better and will travel to Newfield for a 1:30 p.m. Suffolk Division II game Saturday. He wants to put Jerone Pettus' rushing mark of 5,841 yards behind him.

"I want to feel good at the end of games," Gwaltney said. "I have to cut out the fast food. You know, Chinese, pizza, deli, and all the salt. It's going to be tough."

[Buckskin86]

Gwaltney has a huge game breaking the LI career rushing record-video on this page

Gwaltney breaks LI rushing record
BY GREGG SARRA
Staff Writer

October 16, 2004

This was one for the record books. This also was one for a 6-year-old boy who is recovering from surgery to repair a broken femur.

For four seasons, North Babylon halfback Jason Gwaltney has run over and around opponents with power and speed. Yesterday, his effort included a small incentive that has held his attention all week.

T.J. Hughuey, a halfback from the North Babylon Youth Football League whom Gwaltney befriended, suffered a severely broken leg during a practice last Friday. Inbetween practice and his own physical therapy, Gwaltney visited the youngster at Good Samaritan Hosptial in West Islip on a daily basis.

Which made yesterday so special for Gwaltney and the youngster. The 6-1, 235-pound powerback promised the little Bulldog he would surpass Long Island's all-time career rushing record and give him the game ball.

Gwaltney followed through as he rumbled for 371 yards on 31 carries and 7 touchdowns as North Babylon defeated Newfield, 62-7, yesterday before a crowd of about 1,100 in a Suffolk Division II football game at Nick DeCillis Field in Selden. Gwaltney now has 6,140 yards and 108 touchdowns. His best rushing performance, 467 yards, came against East Islip last season.

"I promised T.J. we'd win and we'd break the record," said Gwaltney, who rushed for 269 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. "And we're going to give him the ball as a team."

Gwaltney came into the game needing 73 yards to surpass Jerone Pettus of Freeport and Roosevelt as Long Island's all-time leading rusher. He broke Pettus' record of 5,841 yards, when he burst over the left side of the line, shed two tacklers, cut to the middle of the field and outran the Newfield secondary for a 49-yard touchdown run for a 20-7 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.

In a classy move, the Newfield staff called a timeout to recognize Gwaltney's accomplishment. The officiating crew was instructed to give him the game ball as the game announcer acknowledged Gwaltney and the packed house stood and applauded.

"He's a top-notch kid and we felt it was the right thing to do," Newfield coach Ted Tsirigotis said. "He goes right through the defender if they don't wrap him up. He just runs people over -- he's amazing."

Gwaltney was only getting started. He sandwiched three touchdown runs of 59, 9 and 50 yards around a Scooter Berry 67-yard scoring run in the second quarter as the Bulldogs opened a 48-7 lead.

"He just bounces off the tackles," said Newfield middle linebacker Anthoney Adamic, who also had a 65-yard touchdown run. "He's got great balance and he's tough to bring down."

Gwaltney opened the third quarter with a 55-yard scoring run on the first play from scrimmage. He added a 17-yard touchdown and didn't play in the fourth quarter.

"My line was getting low and opening some huge holes," Gwaltney said. "Without the line support, no one can be successful."

Gwaltney said the offensive line, tackles Chris Branwein and Ed Hill, guards Tim Bolden and Chris Luber, center Steve Phillips and tight ends Tim Giardina and Walter don't get enough credit. He said they are the key to North Babylon's 4-1 start. Newfield fell to 2-3.

"Jason likes to spread the wealth," North Babylon coach Terry Manning said. "He's about the team and that's one of the things that makes him special."

Gwaltney reached the 6,000-yard milestone with his 50-yard scoring run with 20 seconds left in the half.

He said was off to see T.J. with all the good news after the game. "In the hospital, I asked T.J. what his name was, and he said, he was a Bulldog," Gwaltney said. "That just tore me up. And when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up, he said, 'A Bulldog!' "

The biggest of Bulldogs made them all proud yesterday.

[Buckskin86]

rivals premium

Gwaltney sees tOSU as the one school that could sway him the easiest away from WVU (because tOSU needs an RB).

[Buckskin86]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/highsc...orts-headlines

Making a young pup proud
Gwaltney promises injured 6-year-old he'll break record, then comes through with 371 yards, 7 TDs

BY GREGG SARRA
STAFF WRITER; Compiled by Andy Slawson

October 17, 2004

This was one for the record book. This also was one for a 6-year-old boy who is recovering from surgery to repair a broken femur.

For four seasons, North Babylon halfback Jason Gwaltney has run over and around opponents with power and speed. Yesterday, in addition to trying to win, he had a small incentive that has held his attention all week.

T.J. Hughuey, a halfback from the North Babylon Youth Football League whom Gwaltney has befriended, suffered a severely broken leg during a practice nine days ago. In between practice and his own physical therapy, Gwaltney visited the youngster at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip on a daily basis.

Which made yesterday so special for Gwaltney and Hughuey. The 6-1, 235-pound North Babylon star promised the self-proclaimed little Bulldog he would surpass Long Island's all-time career rushing record and give him the game ball. Then he did it.

Gwaltney rumbled for 371 yards on 31 carries and seven touchdowns as North Babylon defeated Newfield, 62-7, before a crowd of about 1,100 in a Suffolk Division II football game at Nick DeCillis Field in Selden.

"I promised T.J. we'd win and we'd break the record," said Gwaltney, who rushed for 269 yards and five touchdowns in the first half and has 6,140 yards and 108 touchdowns in his career. "And we're going to give him the ball as a team."

Gwaltney entered the game needing 73 yards to surpass Jerone Pettus of Freeport and Roosevelt as Long Island's all-time leading rusher. He broke Pettus' record of 5,841 yards when he burst through the left side of the line, shed two tacklers, cut to the middle and outran the Newfield secondary for a 49-yard touchdown and a 20-7 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.

In a classy move, the Newfield staff called a timeout to recognize Gwaltney's accomplishment. The officiating crew was instructed to give him the game ball as the PA announcer acknowledged Gwaltney and the packed house gave him a standing ovation.

"He's a top-notch kid and we felt it was the right thing to do," Newfield coach Ted Tsirigotis said. "He goes right through the defender if they don't wrap him up. He just runs people over. He's amazing."

Gwaltney was only getting started. He spread touchdown runs of 59, 9 and 50 yards around Scooter Berry's 67-yard scoring run as the Bulldogs took a 48-7 lead in the second quarter.

"He just bounces off the tackles," said Newfield middle linebacker Anthoney Adamic, who also had a 65-yard touchdown run. "He's got great balance and he's tough to bring down."

Gwaltney opened the third quarter with a 55-yard scoring run on the first play from scrimmage. He added a 17-yard touchdown run and didn't play in the fourth quarter.

"My line was getting low and opening some huge holes," he said. "Without the line support, no one can be successful."

Gwaltney said the offensive line - tackles Chris Branwein and Ed Hill, guards Tim Bolden and Chris Luber, center Steve Phillips and tight ends Tim Giardina and Eric Walter - doesn't get enough credit. He said the line is the key to North Babylon's 4-1 start. Newfield is 2-3.

"Jason likes to spread the wealth," North Babylon coach Terry Manning said. "He's about the team and that's one of the things that makes him special."

Gwaltney reached the 6,000-yard milestone with his 50-yard scoring run with 20 seconds left in the half.

Afterward, he said he was off to see T.J. with all the good news. "In the hospital, I asked T.J. what his name was, and he said he was a Bulldog," Gwaltney said. "That just tore me up. And when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up, he said, 'A Bulldog!'"

The biggest of Bulldogs made them all proud yesterday.

Long Island career rushing leaders

Yards Name School (years)
6,140 Jason Gwaltney North Babylon (2001-04)
5,841 Jerone Pettus Freeport (1996) & Roosevelt (1997-99)
5,360 Amos Zereoue Mepham (1991-94)
5,282 Chad Bosch Connetquot (1990-92)

Gwaltney year by year
Season Games Carries Yards Avg. TDs 2 Pts. Total Pts
2001 9 98 696 7.1 15 1 92
2002 9 197 1,621 8.2 30 1 182
2003 10 295 2,601 8.8 45 1 272
2004 5 ' 1,222 8.4 18 1 110
Totals 33 736 6,140 8.3 108 4 656

Compiled by Andy Slawson

[Buckskin86]

Rivals premium- Kurelic

He says he is between "a solid and open commitment to WVU"

tOSU and USC have the best chance to change his commitment.

He has visits lined up with tOSU, Nebraska, USC and WVU (in that order starting Dec. 3). He may also take a visit to Mich St. or Pitt.

WVU coach was at Gwaltney's game last night

Recruiting coordinator Herb Hand was in Florida on Friday night and on Long Island on Saturday to see prize recruit Jason Gwaltney of North Babylon High School.

Gwaltney, listed as a four-star player by Rivals.com, made an oral commitment to attend West Virginia early this summer. Hand made it a point to watch Gwaltney and his brother, linebacker Scooter Berry.

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said he also was headed to New York, but he didn't say if he was going to meet up with Hand.

[Buckskin86]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/highsc...y-hs-spotlight

Gwaltney gives coach a rush
Puts on good show for West Virginia's Rodriguez, scoring four touchdowns and gaining 242 yards

BY GREGG SARRA
STAFF WRITER

October 24, 2004

West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez should have worn a bib to this game. He must have been drooling while watching the North Babylon backfield of Jason Gwaltney and Scooter Berry run over Riverhead in a 36-0 victory yesterday before a homecoming crowd of about 3,000 in a Suffolk Division II game.

Gwaltney, Long Island's career rushing leader, and his half-brother, Berry, have orally committed to play at West Virginia next fall. Gwaltney also has scheduled official visits to Ohio State, Michigan State, Nebraska and USC.

The 6-1, 232-pound Gwaltney rushed for 242 yards on 28 carries and scored four touchdowns, including three straight in an 8:44 span of the second quarter as the Bulldogs opened a 22-0 halftime lead.

"Jason was carrying us for a few weeks as the offensive line was firing on only three and four cylinders," North Babylon coach Terry Manning said. "But the O-line was in tune today a