[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 and we never looked better this year. Scooter had some great kick-out blocks and he was in high gear on defense and jacked some people up."

North Babylon (5-1) rushed for 381 yards and held the potent Riverhead offense, which had averaged 25 points per game, to 134 total yards. Riverhead fell to 4-2.

"This was very satisfying," said Gwaltney, who has 1,464 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. "But there's so much more work to do. We're not done. I'm not satisfied until we get a Long Island championship."

Manning spoke to Rodriguez and his staff after the game.

"I asked coach Rodriguez if he thought he was getting his money's worth," Manning said with a laugh. "And he told me, 'He's the best back in the country.' "

NORTH BABYLON 36
RIVERHEAD 0

comparison with another NY HS runner- Mike Hart

free WVU insiders

With defenses stacking the box, Gwaltney enters every game with a huge X on his chest. The mantra is that if you can slow down Jason Gwaltney, you have a chance at defeating NB. That makes Jason’s job even more difficult, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I live for that,” said Gwaltney of being a marked man. “I definitely enjoy it. It makes me work harder than an average player. If nobody cares about what you do this week, you don’t have that same inspiration to work hard. I think that gives me the drive and the energy to get going.

“I know I’m the focus of most defenses, but that just goes with the territory. I look at it as a compliment. Last year against Riverhead, I ran for 190 yards, but we lost. Most people wouldn’t consider 190 yards really stopping a running back, but last year it was enough to beat us. But this year, we have other players and other weapons that if I’m held to 190 yards, when there are six people tackling me at a time, I think we can still find a way to win.”

Jason and Scooter, who is a 6-3, 270-pound fullback/ linebacker, have been to WVU several times in the past year, including a couple of days at Rich Rodriguez’s Summer Camp in June. The brothers’ most recent visit came in September when they watched the Mountaineers hammer East Carolina in the season opener. Gwaltney was impressed with the team to whom he has committed.

“It was a lot of fun. West Virginia went off, and Kay-Jay (Harris) did his thing,” said Jason, who has 1,222 yards and 18 TDs through the first five games this season. “I really think in a couple of years, that could be me filling that spot in the Blue and Gold. I like the coaching scheme, the people and the fans, especially the fans. Those are the things that have steered me towards West Virginia.”

Jason may be committed to the Mountaineers, but that doesn’t mean other schools have stopped recruiting him. When asked if he is still being hounded, Gwaltney breathes a sigh of exasperation.

“Please don’t ask me that question. Yeah, it’s still going 100 miles per hour. Everyone is still calling. I look at it like, if a coach wants the best players in the program, they’re going to keep recruiting no matter what, even if you’ve already committed. A coach is going to keep recruiting as hard as he can, because he wants the best players in his program. That’s what a lot of coaches are doing. I don’t know if I’m a great player or not, but they must see something in me to make them want to recruit me. The nice thing is that West Virginia saw that first.”

Jason insists that his heart is still Blue and Gold, but he admits that he’s listening to what other schools have to say, and he explains that he does plan on taking a couple other official visits, besides one to WVU in early January.

“My uncle tells me that everybody is still going to recruit me, and that I should listen, because you never know what they are going to have to offer,” said Jason. “Maybe they’ll have something to offer that West Virginia doesn’t, so I’m willing to listen to other schools. But when it comes down to it, I just like the way West Virginia has gone about recruiting me, and I don’t think any school can compare with what Coach (Herb) Hand and Coach (Calvin) Magee and Coach Rod (Rich Rodriguez) have to offer. (All three coaches took in Jason's game this past weekend.) I’m taking a visit to USC. I might be going to Ohio State and Nebraska, and obviously West Virginia.”

For a player of Gwaltney’s stature, there are always going to be doubts until his name is finally on the National Letter of Intent. The early commitment last February was very nice for the Mountaineers, but it doesn’t bind Jason, and obviously he’s still getting plenty of attention from the national powers. The powerhouse programs aren’t going to quietly give up on a blue chipper like Gwaltney until the very end, but for West Virginia fans still sweating, he has a one-word answer when asked if his commitment is still solid for the Mountaineers.

“Yeap.”

Small word, but for WVU, it has a huge meaning.