Today's Articles of Local Buckeye Young Men by Billy Bruce

[ballparent]

Proud parents keeping an eye on OSU
Jan 02, 2008 @ 11:59 PM
By BILLY BRUCE
The Lawrence Herald
IRONTON -- What do the parents of four Ohio State Buckeyes have to say to the various Division I football programs that refused to offer scholarships to their sons?

Thank you!

Raceland's Aaron Pettrey, Ironton's Marcus Williams and Tyler Whaley, and Rock Hill's K.C. Christian all landed on the OSU campus thanks to snubs from other schools. Soon, the local quartet, all of whom have since earned full scholarships, will be making their second consecutive trip to the Bowl Championship Series' national championship game.

Like the train with square wheels on the Island of Misfit Toys, each has turned rejection into redemption. Their folks couldn't be more proud.

A recent gathering of Williams', Whaley's and Pettrey's parents at Whaley's Ironton home was filled with laughs, reflection and reminiscence. Mostly, it was filled with talk of blessings and how disappointment often turns into delight.

Recruiting

Aaron Pettrey, a top-12 finalist for Mr. Kentucky in football following his senior year at Raceland-Worthington High School in 2004, set two state records on the gridiron in high school: A 58-yard field goal and the highest career completion percentage by a quarterback. His strong leg should have given him his choice of colleges.

But Pettrey felt less like Lou Groza and more like Hermey the Misfit Elf during his recruiting experience. According to his parents, Steve and Lilian Pettrey, Aaron's first love was basketball, followed closely by soccer. "If they had had soccer at Raceland, he probably wouldn't have played football," Steve said.

The thunder in Pettrey's leg, however, eventually landed him in Columbus following lukewarm interest by several prominent Division I programs. After spending all of last season as the Buckeyes' place kicker, Pettrey, who recently recovered from a torn muscle in his leg, now handles kickoff duties. "I've always told Aaron that God gave him a gift for kicking," Lilian said.

Tyler Whaley, a 2003 all-Ohio defensive lineman from Ironton High School, wasn't taken seriously by the major programs because of his height. The current fullback for the Buckeyes was given the recruiting attention a Charlie-In-The-Box might receive from a doe-eyed child on Christmas morning. "He's taller if he wears his Skechers," laughed his mother, Tammy Vogelsong, adding that one college coach told Whaley he could make it in Division I if only he had a neck. "I wonder what they think of him now," she said with a smile.

Marcus Williams, another all-Ohio standout from IHS, all but gave up on playing football following weak offers from other schools. He accepted a full academic scholarship from Ohio State in 2005 and walked on to the football team the following year, where he is now a starter on special teams. Without the scholarship, his parents said they couldn't have afforded to send him to OSU. "He told us, 'What you need to do is get a divorce; then it'll get paid for,'" his mother, Mary Williams, laughed.

According to their parents, none of the players was given proper recruiting consideration coming out of high school. "A lot of people think Portsmouth is the end of Ohio," Mary Williams said of football recruiting in the southern part of the state. "The kids don't get noticed as much here."

Making the cut

Pettrey impressed the OSU staff by sticking a 59-yard field goal through the uprights in the 2006 spring kick scrimmage. His accuracy later earned him a scholarship and translated into a starting job. In 2006, Pettrey was 8 of 11 on field goal attempts and 55 of 58 on extra point kicks. He converted 51- and 50-yard field goal attempts during a season where he also kept the opposing teams from running the ball out of the end zone 35 times on kickoffs.

Whaley walked on at OSU with hopes of making the team as a long-snapper. "He thought that would be the easiest way for him to get on the team," his stepfather, Dave Vogelsong, said. But that position was short-lived. "He worked all summer on that," Tammy remembered. "Then, on the first day of practice, they put him on the scout team."

Whaley never gave up on his dream. He toiled in anonymity for three years as a back-up lineman and scout team player, battling with the Buckeyes' first-team defense, many of whom are now in the NFL, every day in practice. In 2006, his dedication to the team was rewarded with a scholarship. In early 2007, Whaley was moved to fullback. His incredible strength and low center of gravity have made him a force in the OSU offense ever since.

Williams went to school at OSU like the misfit cowboy who rides an ostrich. Recruiters might not have felt he was capable of playing with the big boys, but he knew he could. In 2006, he walked on and has since become a fixture on the kick-off and punt teams. His presence on the Buckeyes' roster is further proof that major talent sometimes slips through the cracks. His mother said Whaley had a lot to do with her son's decision to walk on. "I know Tyler played a big role in encouraging Marcus to try out," Mary said to Tammy, her longtime friend from childhood.

Prayer and faith

Whaley dreamed of becoming a Buckeye almost from birth. A picture of him at 3 months old wearing a Buckeyes T-shirt implies that fate was at work in his life. When he graduated from high school, however, an athletic scholarship for the undersized lineman at the Columbus campus was beyond reach. He visited smaller schools, but eventually decided to follow his heart and walk on at OSU.

"That same year, our store (Tipton's Bros. Grocery) closed," Tammy recalled. "I thought, 'I have no job. How can I afford tuition?'"

Dave built Tammy a bakery off the kitchen in their home, where she continued her family's legacy of making delicious confections for customers with special events. "But, when you are looking at thousands of dollars in tuition," she laughed, "that's a lot of cakes."

Since they didn't reside in Ohio, Pettrey's parents forked over $10,000 for Aaron's first quarter at OSU. Thankfully, he earned a full scholarship before the next quarter began.

"I don't know many doctors and lawyers who can afford the tuition at some of these schools," Mary said, adding that if Marcus hadn't earned an academic scholarship, she and her husband Bobby wouldn't have been able to send Marcus to school.

All three couples put their sons' futures in God's hands. "If it's God's will, it's God's will," Lilian said as Tammy nodded in agreement. "Look at the blessings," Tammy said. "Tyler never gave up and things finally went his way."

Mary said she soothed her son's early discouragement by helping him keep the faith. "When Marcus got his scholarship at Ohio State, I said, 'See, son -- the Lord provides.'"

Steve, wearing the stainless steel All State BCS national championship watch given to Aaron by the bowl committee, said keeping his son's spirits up through misfortune takes the Lord's help. "Talking him through the injury was difficult," he said. "I told him, 'Everything happens for a reason,' and he said, 'I wish He would tell me what it is.'"

Lilian said that the temporary setback for Aaron paid dividends for his best friend on the team. "When Aaron got hurt, (Jon) Thoma ended up getting a scholarship," she said. "Everything really does happen for a reason."

Tammy concluded that making sacrifices is what parenting is all about. "What is the price of a dream?" she asked. "If I had to pay for that forever, it would have been worth it."

The coach

To these parents, OSU head coach Jim Tressel fulfills the role of King Moonracer, the winged lion who flew around the world each night in search of unwanted toys. He's given all of their sons a chance to shine, both on and off of the football field. "Coach Tressel always asks the boys what their spiritual goals are," said Steve Pettrey. "I asked Aaron what he said to the team after the loss to Florida last year. He said Tressel just came in and said, 'Well, we still love each other.'"

Bobby Williams noted that Tressel's calm demeanor is the same behind the camera as it is in front of it. "What you see of Tressel on T.V. is how he is behind closed doors," he said. "When somebody is hollering and screaming at you all the time, after a while you don't hear them. He's not like that."

"Tressel kept asking Tyler if he had found a church (in Columbus)," Tammy recalled. "How many coaches would worry about something like that?"

The reward

On Monday night, in the BCS national championship game against LSU, four misfits from the local area will get the opportunity to show once again that, with faith and determination, anything is possible in life. "Most kids never get this chance," said Steve Pettrey.

Most parents don't, either.

Christian turns down smaller schools for a chance at Ohio State
Jan 02, 2008 @ 11:58 PM
By BILLY BRUCE
The Lawrence Herald
IRONTON -- The parents of K.C. Christian, the fourth misfit among local members of the Ohio State football team, were unable to attend a recent get-together of the other parents at fellow Buckeye Tyler Whaley's Ironton home.

But it sure wasn't for lack of pride in their son.

"If you could see my insides, there's one big light glowing," said K.C.'s father, Brad Christian, of his son's accomplishments on the Buckeyes football team. "I never dreamed he would be on this big of a stage," Brad said. "But, he bit off the extra bit and went for it."

An all-Ohio tailback from Rock Hill High School who was selected to play in the annual North-South All Star game, K.C. didn't get much recruiting attention following his 2006 graduation. "He had some smaller schools looking at him, and he was thinking about going," Brad recalled, adding that his local family convinced K.C. to explore Ohio State for his education.

K.C. ended up earning a full academic scholarship from OSU and walked on to the football team in 2006. "His mother was always the brain in the family," Brad laughed. "She gets the credit for pushing him so hard in school."

Contacted at her Florida residence, Judy Duncan said she indeed pushed K.C. to perform in school. "He would get all A's and one B and we would argue," she recalled. "He said once that he didn't want to be called a nerd at school. I said, 'I don't think the boy who scores all of the touchdowns on Saturday is going to be called a nerd on Monday."

But Ohio State wasn't Judy's first choice of schools for her son. She envisioned a different academic path -- one that led to 'that state up north.'

"I was born and raised in Michigan," Judy said, adding that she wanted K.C. to attend Michigan State because it is close to her mother's home. "But, he's an Ohio boy and, of course, he didn't want anything to do with that," she laughed.

A Wolverine backer her entire life, one can imagine Judy's feelings toward the Buckeyes. "It still kind of sticks in my throat," she laughed about the irony of her son playing for her favorite team's rival. "But I have to set that aside for now and root for Ohio State," she said. "I'm a bigger K.C. fan than a Michigan fan."

Both Brad Christian and Judy Duncan are in agreement about their feelings toward their son. "I'm very proud of him," Judy said. "This is the experience of a lifetime and he needs to enjoy it." Brad added, "Looking back at the time he put in to get to where he is now -- I can't put it into words. He always set goals, and now he's partway up his ladder."

The next rung on K.C. Christian's ladder is the BCS national championship game Monday against LSU. He'll join Ironton's Tyler Whaley and Marcus Williams, and Raceland's Aaron Pettrey as one of four local representatives in the national spotlight.

"This is something you never dreamed would happen," Brad said. "He's done something I honestly never thought he could do."

[ballparent]

Once again these young men give us inspirational stories and Billy Bruce shares those stories with the Buckeye nation. Well done to the young men, their parents, and Billy.

[RiverRatRay]

Another great story by Billy of the local talent on a big stage.

ballparent, reminds me of another story....I bet you get tired of my stories.



It was Media Day 2005 and this tall lanky kid was getting his picture taken to be put into the OSU Program along with his stats. As he walked away from the cameraman I yelled" Hey Aaron". Aaron Pettrey looked at me probably thinking who is this guy. I ask Aaron to sign a football I was getting autographs on, for one of my sons. He told me he didn't have a pen, I said no problem, I just happen to have one with me. I may have been the first person in Columbus to ask him for an autograph. I then told him who I was and where I was from and he then throughly understood. I ask him if I could get a picture of him and Tyler together and he very graciously said yes.

[ballparent]

Nope, I never get tired of stories about these guys from you or Billy. I think our area has been smiled upon to have these four young men to represent us on the Buckeye team and I'm sure it will open the door for athletes of the future. At least that's what I'm hearing and they're thinking.

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

It's great to see these young men getting so much local press. I think these young men have so much power when it comes to getting through to the young kids in each of their areas and it seems like they are trying to make a difference.

Congrats again to these young men and to the parents for doing such a great job with them.

[ballparent]

I hope our Buckeye young men are enjoying their experience in New Orleans and that they soon have a National Championship ring to add to their collection.

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

Not that he would remember it but my son ands I met the kicker when he was playing at in the Kentucky.Tenn allstar game. I was working the game for http://WWW.BLUEGRASSPREPS.COM and was lucky enough to be on the field that day.

The young man was very nice when we both spoke to him.
I know my son and I will always be a big fan of his.

[IronTigerMum]

Good luck to these local Buckeyes. Great articles yet again. Bring it home fellas!