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West Virginia/JUCO/C.W. Post/Kean RB Jason Gwaltney (official thread)

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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
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game article on loss
 
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http://www.newsday.com/sports/highs...14,0,1935219.story?coll=ny-football-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."
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Gwaltney breaks LI rushing record

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

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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.
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http://www.newsday.com/sports/highs...t17,0,4862464.story?coll=ny-hsports-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
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Rivals premium- Kurelic

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

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.
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Ho hum another 200yds + and 4 TD's

http://www.newsday.com/sports/highs...023oct24,0,6037509.story?coll=ny-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
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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.
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I'm a little concerned about the running back prospects in this class. With Mo Wells looking like anything but a sure thing right now, Ringer in limbo after his injury and Jonathan Stewart, who I wouldn't call a longshot but we're certainly not the favorite for at this point, Gwaltney is looking more and more intriguing. I like the fact he mentioned Ohio State is one of the schools that could sway him from his WVU verbal. He also has to know he could compete for playing time right away and our last two o-line classes have been great and there might be another blue chipper on the way. We probably need two backs in this class and other than Ringer we don't lead for anyone.
 
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I'm worried about this RB class as well. I feel like our coaches are holding out for too many unknown commodities. You'd like to think we will get at least one out of Wells, Stewart, Ringer...but I wouldn't call any of them a Buckeye confidently. I say, wrap someone up now and if we can pick up a high prospect later...it's all gravy. Last thing we want is getting left out in the cold with no one.
 
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I have a feeling alot of the top shelf RB's are going to go down to the wire on Feb 2nd. Any one of these RB's would definitely be able to compete immediately for play time at OSU. Also with the recent GREAT Offensive line recruiting; whew the potential for any one of these RB's is off the charts !!! That's gotta get these RB's excited if they looked at the potential at OSU.
 
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Gwaltney moving up his visit is good for osu for 2 reasons.

1. if he absolutely loves it, osu may get him to jump ship on WVU.
2. if he isnt impressed enough to sway from his commitment, then osu will know much earlier and can ship their rb focus to ringer/wells/stewert.


OSU should get Doug Worthington to give him a call.
 
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That is GREAT news !!! I know that the fans are going to be so pumped for this Penn State game. Its going to be loud and crazy!!! OSU's offense will have some challenges but hopefully they will be running on all cylinders. When he hears the crowd start to chant O-H-I-O around the stadium .... well I don't know of anybody who has not been impressed with that. Still gives me chills. Also when its 3rd down for OSU's defense and you hear the GONG (like in the song Hells' Bells from ACDC ... thats AWESOME!!!).
So comon down Jason, OSU has got a few things that are going to knock your socks off when you come too town !!!!
 
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This is where I really wish I, as a fan, could do my part. If I got a chance to speak with him, he'd know exactly how important he could be in Ohio, and how revered he'd be if he makes it big.

That, or I'd lie to him to get him to hang out with me.
 
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