Hocking College- first 2 year college in OH to play football

[mr.hyde]

This article does a good job of explaining why it is more profitable for Hocking to recruit from far away rather than close by...

http://regressing.deadspin.com/how-titl ... 81/+kylenw

[vctransplant]

I truley hope this works out for Hocking. I know there are a lot of kids that this can help.It will give those kids who would normally have a chance to goto college and play ball a seriour chance to doe so.

[NYBuckeye96]

Here is a video from 10TV on the new Hocking College Hawks football team...

http://www.10tv.com/content/mediaplayer ... mpid=share

[NYBuckeye96]

http://www.athensmessenger.com/news/haw ... 081c1.html

Hawks to roost at Boston Field

BY SARAH GUINN MESSENGER STAFF JOURNALIST | Posted: Sunday, June 14, 2015 8:30 am

NELSONVILLE — Hocking College's newly formed football team will have a place to call home after the Nelsonville-York Board of Education agreed to allow the Hawks to claim stake to Boston Field.

The board voted unanimously to approve the motion, with the exception of Ernie Perkins, who was absent.

"The agreement calls for Hocking College to pay the same as the OHSAA pays for playoff games it also covers a custodian to maintain the restrooms during the games," Nelsonville-York Supt. Mick McClelland told The Messenger. "They will clean the stadium after each game and they are responsible for security services."

Hocking College President Betty Young formally proposed the idea at last month's board meeting and brought Legal Counsel Nikki Dioguardi, Police Chief Al Matthews and Trustee Gary Edwards with her.

Young recalled a particular snow day when she and Matthews drove to Nelsonville-York and chatted with McClelland and other school officials.

"That day we talked to the folks about what we were thinking about doing at Hocking College in terms of our athletics, I think probably nobody is more surprised than we are, but we got it done. We weren't sure we would get it done. It's a big undertaking to start an athletics program, but we have been able to do that, so as part of that, we would like to be able to use the field here at Nelsonville-York and play our football games."

Board President Micah Covert, at last month's meeting, said he was personally excited about the venture.

"I hope we do have a strong partnership with (Hocking College) because the people of this district built that college in the late '60s, so we should be proud of the college," he said.

Of the five home games, two will be played on Mondays and three on Saturdays.

Although Nelsonville-York has green-lighted Hocking College to use their facilities, Hocking College's Board of Trustees has yet to pass the motion to officially adopt the Buckeyes' field as their own, Dioguardi said to The Messenger Friday afternoon. The Board of Trustees is set to have its next meeting June 25, she said.

[EagleFan89]

I see Hocking College football is already making headlines for their recruiting efforts

[1987chieftains]

I catch the very end of something. I think it was one of the stubenville player.

[C-Bolt]

Yep Trent Mays from Steubenville one of the players convicted in the rape case is going there,he is not allowed to live on campus.There is an article on it over in the college forum.

[anderson2012]

Yep Trent Mays from Steubenville one of the players convicted in the rape case is going there,he is not allowed to live on campus.

I am sure that is going to stop him from ever stepping foot in any on or off-campus housing that is frequented by students.

[C-Bolt]

I agree I doubt they will keep close tabs on what he does, unless somebody rats him out for hanging around too much

[Orange and Brown]

Yep Trent Mays from Steubenville one of the players convicted in the rape case is going there,he is not allowed to live on campus.

I am sure that is going to stop him from ever stepping foot in any on or off-campus housing that is frequented by students.

I'm not sure how a tier 2 sex offender would be allowed to step foot on a high school campus let alone playon it. People in Nelsonville are pushing the school board to tell Hocking he can't play on Boston Field.

[NYBuckeye96]

NY should ban sex offenders from being on any school property if that is not already a rule they have. That would take care of this.

[cghs82]

NY should ban sex offenders from being on any school property if that is not already a rule they have. That would take care of this.

I'm no expert on sex offender laws, but I think it's been a law that sex offenders are not allowed to be on or near any school property and can't live within 2 miles of a school??? I could be wrong.

[93Bulldog]

NY should ban sex offenders from being on any school property if that is not already a rule they have. That would take care of this.

I'm no expert on sex offender laws, but I think it's been a law that sex offenders are not allowed to be on or near any school property and can't live within 2 miles of a school??? I could be wrong.

That is wrong. Athens played Steubenville last year, one of the kids playing for the Big Red was one of the individuals found guilty in the rape case and had to register as a sex offender. Obviously, if he was in school and playing football, he was allowed on school grounds.

[cghs82]

NY should ban sex offenders from being on any school property if that is not already a rule they have. That would take care of this.

I'm no expert on sex offender laws, but I think it's been a law that sex offenders are not allowed to be on or near any school property and can't live within 2 miles of a school??? I could be wrong.

That is wrong. Athens played Steubenville last year, one of the kids playing for the Big Red was one of the individuals found guilty in the rape case and had to register as a sex offender. Obviously, if he was in school and playing football, he was allowed on school grounds.

That had to be Richmond. He did a year in a detention center and he is registered as a tier 1 sex offender. Mays wasn't released until January after a minimum 2 years from what I found online.

[mikepike]

if the kid completed sex offender treatment as ordered by the court, and has been complying with all aspects of his parole, why should he not be allowed to participate? I realize that if my child was the victim I would probably feel different, but if allowing this kid to play football and attend college helps to make him a productive member of society, shouldn't we want that?

[NYBuckeye96]

http://www.athensmessenger.com/news/fir ... b797c.html

First Hocking College football team arrives on campus

Posted: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 8:30 am

By SARAH HAWLEY Messenger Staff Journalist

Tradition starts now.

That is the message on the back of the shirts worn by the first ever Hocking College football team on Monday as they prepared for the first day of practice.

"It is a first for Hocking College. We're all excited about it. It's a great opportunity for Hocking College to be able to provide an opportunity for these young men, these student-athletes," said Hocking College President Betty Young.


Coach Al Matthews, who is also the college's police chief, said that as of Monday around 85 players had arrived on campus with an additional 10-12 expected in the coming days. Players began arriving on campus Sunday as the team prepares to open its season on Aug. 31 at Ohio Northern.


"We are blessed to have our coach. Coach Matthews is an amazing fellow that has believed in this from day one. He is the one that really brought the idea forward to do athletics on our campus," said Young.


There were a lot of naysayers, according to Matthews, who did not think the college could attract the numbers needed to field athletic teams. Some said the team would not have 40 players, Matthews noted.


"I think we surprised a few people and hopefully we'll continue to surprise them over the course of this year with the success of the team," said Young.


"We will shock the world," Matthews told the players at Monday's team meeting regarding the naysayers. "Actions will speak louder that words."


The journey toward football has been filled with those who said it would not work at Hocking College, but Matthews found his motivation to push on from an unlikely source.


"I was at a restaurant feeling bad and depressed, talked to this older gentleman about what was happening," said Matthews after the opportunity to coach a semi-pro team in the area did not work out.


"The guy all of a sudden had me motivated to keep going and doing it. It ended up being Frank Solich," said Matthews, adding that he did not recognize the Ohio University football coach. "Since then, I've had the drive to do it. He gave me the drive and I would not say no."


While the students may be coming for football or one of the other athletics teams, it is about teaching them much more than sports, said Matthews.


"The goal is to one get the students here, show them the opportunities, offer opportunities to those who are less fortunate, those who have made mistakes and need to reinvent themselves," said the coach. "They need a second chance. Our goal is to lead them to do things the right way, help them to develop character."


That is what is driving some of the student-athletes to the college.


"It was a chance that other people wouldn't offer," said player Drew Milbrooks from Indiana. "I'm looking forward to making myself a better student first and bettering myself as an athlete so I can go on to do bigger and better things."


"I feel like it would be a good opportunity for me," said Anthony Schuster of Marion, Ohio, of playing football for Hocking College. "It's a great place to be."


"I just was looking around for a college for football and this coach was willing to accept me and he's going to give us a shot and I'm not going to let him down," said Tyler Williams of Waverly.


The college has succeeded on the recruiting front, bringing in players from local schools and across the country. Matthews said there are a few students from Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan. There are also several student-athletes from southeast Ohio as well.


"Each one of these young men has a story and we're now part of their story, as we are with all of our students. They're going to leave a legacy here," said Young.


Wins and losses are also important, said Matthews, without giving a goal as to what he hoped the team's record would ultimately be in their first season. "Wins and losses are important, but not as important as those other things."


With nearly 100 football players, the college is close to achieving one of the goals it had set when first laying out the plan for athletics.


"We built that (the budget) around 100 new athletes and so for us to have this many just in football is pretty amazing to us," said Young. "To get this many in just football alone helps us to have confidence that we are going to be able to at least meet the budget."


"The importance of the budget is that we wanted to take no money out of the college regular operating budget to do this program," said Young, noting that the college would not spend money from the regular operating fund for athletics.