Ben, Shaun Lane ready to meet at Ohio Stadium
By JOE SIMON Tribune Chronicle
YOUNGSTOWN ? Youngstown State fullback Ben Lane remembers the days when his older brothers Troy and Shaun used to pick on him during their first year playing football.
The three were at Wilson High School in Youngstown at the time, Troy a senior, Shaun a sophomore and Ben a freshman. They were just finding out about the bruising game of football, but Ben was learning the hard way.
??They did me bad,?? Ben recalled with a smile. ??That was all of our first years (playing football). And they used to hit me during practice ? I never used to like being hit. But they tortured me, so I now I have a chance to at least get one of them back.??
That chance will come at noon on Saturday in Ohio Stadium when Ben and Shaun, now a junior defensive back at Ohio State, play against one another for the first time when OSU hosts the Penguins.
Both said they faced off during practice once when they played at Hubbard High School (they transferred there after one year at Wilson), but the matchup didn?t have anywhere near the implications as this one.
If the opportunity to go head-to-head comes about Saturday, neither will hold anything back.
??I told (Shaun), if that chance comes, I?m going through him,?? said the 5-foot-10, 260 pound Ben, a junior at YSU. ??No moves, I?m just running straight.??
Shaun, who was redshirted as a freshman and has two more years of eligibility after this season, said he?ll be ready if little brother Ben comes roaring up the middle.
??I?m sure (Ben?s) prepared to take my best, and I?m preparing to take his,?? said Shaun, a 5-10, 180-pound corner. ??I wouldn?t want to give him anything less than my best.??
Shaun didn?t remember that year in Wilson the same as Ben. While Shaun may have been a little hard on Ben, he said the scrutiny was to make Ben better.
??He was a lot smaller than he is now, so we could do that then,?? Shaun said of the teasing. ??All in all, we were just trying to make him better. (Me and Troy) critiqued everything he did because we could see what he could be. With Ben, we could see the potential in him more than he could.??