Ohio Athletic Conference Title
By: Matthew Florjancic
BEREA, OHIO —One of the biggest reasons why the Baldwin-Wallace College football team has 38 straight winning seasons and has one of the most consistent programs in the country is through solid leadership at the quarterback position.
Last year, the Yellow Jackets finished 6-4 overall and were led by two quarterbacks, Steubenvile native and junior Mike DiAngelo and classmate Rob Lewis of Castalia. If B-W is to have its 39th straight winning campaign in 2005 it will be DiAngelo and Lewis leading the way on offense.
"Both Mike and Rob have outstanding athletic ability," said fourth-year Head Coach John Snell. "Mike is a better passer and has been in the program a year longer than Rob and has a better understanding of the offense at this point. Rob is a better runner from an option perspective. These two young men give us the best of both worlds."
When the Yellow Jackets opened preseason camp on August 11, DiAngelo and Lewis began on even footing and it stayed that way all of the way until the preseason scrimmage at The College of Wooster.
At Wooster, DiAngelo had a strong showing and earned the start for the season opener against Allegheny (Pa.) College. Even though he was not the starter, Lewis knew he also would see playing time.
Against Allegheny, DiAngelo completed 16-of-23 aerials for 175 yards and a touchdown and ran for 20 more yards in seven attempts as the Yellow Jackets went on to win in overtime, 23-17. That effort also gave DiAngelo outstanding numbers in two career starts against the Gators of 33-of-52 for 345 yards with two TD and no interceptions.
"Mike had a solid first game and really showed poise both on our last drive of regulation (a 22-yard TD pass to junior wideout Tom Murphy) and in overtime (two-of-two passing for 17 yards)," said Snell, who is 25-7 in his fourth season as the head coach.
Despite the battle for the quarterback position, both Lewis and DiAngelo have a healthy respect for each other.
"Mike brings many skills to the game," said Lewis. "He has a very good arm and reads the defense very well. He pushes me day in and day out to get better. I respect Mike and I feel that he respects me. We both know that we can help this team be successful."
DiAngelo is hoping to use his past experience as the starter and backup to help the team in any way possible.
A season ago, DiAngelo saw action in nine of 10 games and completed 105-of-203 passes for 1,249 yards and eight TD and nine interceptions. He also ran for 68 yards and two TD on the ground. Both of his rushing scores (seven and 18 yards respectively) came in a 31-3 rout of the Ohio Northern Polar Bears on Community Night.
Snell has definitely taken notice of DiAngelo’s ability to control the game.
"He is a very level-headed quarterback and team-leader," said Snell, who coached the QBs as an assistant coach under Bob Packard before becoming the head coach. "He does not show excitement. [He likes to] go out there, do the job and take care of business."
Despite having to share time under center, DiAngelo remains positive about playing the game.
"Football is a great sport and not many kids get a chance to play college football," said DiAngelo. "I am thankful to have the chance to play."
DiAngelo and Snell see the benefit of using two quarterbacks to run the offense.
"No one wants to share time at quarterback," said DiAngelo. "Everyone wants to be known as the man at their individual school. We bring two separate styles to the table and that makes it harder for teams to scout us."
"Mike and Rob both work hard and are doing well," Snell said of his two quarterbacks. "It is our feeling that we have two guys who we can win with and we are going to try to utilize their abilities as much as we can."
DiAngelo is hoping he can do for his team what his favorite athlete, Donovan McNabb, did for the Philadelphia Eagles. McNabb took the Eagles to within one touchdown of winning Super Bowl XXXIX.
"I think it will be to our advantage being somewhat of an underdog this season," said DiAngelo, a pre-physical therapy and sport management double major. "We know we were a lot better than that 6-4 team of last year. We still have a bad taste in our mouths from losing the last four games of the season, and we were anxious to play Allegheny.
"The only goal for us in 2005 is to win every game we play," said DiAngelo. "Our goal is to win the Ohio Athletic Conference title. If we win an OAC title, we know that we will secure a 39th straight winning season and that we are more than capable of making a run in the NCAA Division III Playoffs."
Lewis and DiAngelo’s job of leading this team to the "Promised Land" will not be easy. Following its off week (Sept. 10), the Yellow Jackets travel to Ada on Sept. 17 to play fourth-ranked ONU. B-W also has road games at 11th-ranked Capital (Oct. 22) and second-ranked Mount Union (Oct. 29) and ends the regular season at home on Nov. 12 against OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll.
"We know that every game we play is a challenge," said DiAngelo. "The OAC is the best small college conference in the nation. Look at the first week of play (Sept. 3) where five OAC teams beat teams picked to win the title in other leagues. And, all five won in convincing fashion. We have to be ready to play every game and against every opponent."
Two years ago, the Yellow Jackets made the Division III Playoffs after going 9-1 in the regular season and finished the year at 10-2 after advancing to the second round. DiAngelo enjoyed being in the national spotlight.
"Being a part of a playoff team as a sophomore was a great experience," said DiAngelo, who was the backup QB and holder. "It will always be a great memory. And, we are hoping to create more memories this year."
DiAngelo came to B-W in the fall of 2002. Although he played mostly on the junior varsity, he acknowledges how fun it was to be on the sidelines for the varsity games.
"[I felt] this is a great thing to be a part of and I am glad to be here," said DiAngelo. "It was my first game at Allegheny College (a 22-2 win versus the Gators) and even though I held a clipboard the whole time, I felt honored and learned a lot each day."
Like many athletes, DiAngelo has a gameday superstition he follows before leaving the locker room.
"I always say a little prayer by myself before the game to try and get focused," said DiAngelo. "I usually keep to myself right before game time. Once I am out on the field, I know as the quarterback that I have to be a vocal leader. This is my quiet time to focus on the job that needs to be done well."
Before choosing Baldwin-Wallace, DiAngelo looked at several other colleges, including Duquesne, Robert Morris, Ohio Northern and Muskingum before making his choice.
"B-W gave me that sense of family," he said. "I felt more welcomed at B-W because the people made you feel wanted. That impression hasn’t changed either. It was a good decision for me."
Living up to big expectations is something DiAngelo did a lot at Steubenville High School. While in the Red and Black of the Big Red, he played four years of football. During his high school career, DiAngelo earned nine varsity letters -- three each in football, basketball and baseball.
Coach Snell began to take notice of DiAngelo because of his stellar high school career.
"He was very impressive on film as a high school senior," Snell said. "He made a lot of great throws and was pretty successful at Steubenville, which has been a good program for many, many years. We worked pretty hard to get him here and we’re glad we did."
As a senior football player, DiAngelo was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, first-team All-Eastern District, first-team All-Quad County Football Coaches Association and Special Mention All-Ohio selection.
DiAngelo is not a stranger to bad luck though. An injury during his junior year almost derailed his football career.
"I hurt my elbow my junior year in baseball and the doctors gave me two options," said DiAngelo. "Either to have Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery and miss my senior football season or go to physical therapy for the summer and see what happens.
"I opted for the PT (physical therapy) and it shows that with hard work and a lot of help from God that good things will happen," DiAngelo continued.
The injury also was one of the reasons why DiAngelo chose a sports medicine and pre-physical pherapy major where he has excelled with a better than 3.0 grade point average.
"Strong physical therapy made me realize how important it is and how well it works," said DiAngelo. "I would like to be in sports medicine for a major college or professional sports team and help rehab players and get them back on the field."
Since DiAngelo began his college career in Berea, he has been able to succeed on and off the football field. DiAngelo is hoping some of the lessons he has learned will continue to make him a better leader.
"As a quarterback, people look up to you," he said. "You have to set a good example of leadership and integrity at all times."
With leaders like Mike DiAngelo leading the Baldwin-Wallace College football team and its offense, the Yellow Jackets have a good shot at having a 39th straight winning season.
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