October 26, 2007

Section: Local Sports

High school football players: Bigger than ever
TIM BOTOS
REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER
Its size XXXL for the high school football players of Generation Y.
In locker rooms and in weight rooms, todays prep players are enormous, compared to their
grandfathers or even fathers.
Want proof?
Twenty-five years ago, the heaviest Ohio State University player weighed 278 pounds. Twenty
years ago, no player on the NFLs Cleveland Browns weighed as much as 300. Six players top that
mark on this years Massillon Tigers.
Kids are just bigger; we dont necessarily think its a great thing, said Massillon head coach
Tom Stacy. Were not necessarily proud of it. We dont promote it. But thats the hand we were
dealt, so we go with it.
In a country of excess, bigger often is better. From the increasing size of TV screens to value
meals anchored with Big Macs and Whoppers, to king-size candy bars and sport utility vehicles,
America loves large.
The average weight of an adult man in the U.S. increased from 166 to 191 pounds in the last 50
years. Adult obesity rates have doubled. Theyve more than tripled for adolescents. Perhaps, it
stands to reason football players would grow, too.
Fourteen players at Stark Countys 20 high schools weigh more than 300 pounds. And 46
players weigh at least 270 dimensions that were practically unheard of on rosters as recently as
the 1970s.
The game has just evolved, said Northwest head coach Vic Whiting. The running backs are
bigger; the quarterbacks are bigger; everyone is bigger.
Although it can be helpful in flattening linemen on the other side of the ball on Friday nights, is it
healthy in the long run to carry that much weight?

*****
Its the food we eat, said Massillons Reggie Comeaux, a 6-foot-3, 341-pound senior, an allNortheast Ohio Inland District offensive lineman last year. Whatevers on the plate in front of me.
But most is pretty healthy ... vegetables, chicken, potatoes.
Comeaux wants to play Division I college football.
The recruiters say Im at a good size, he said, adding that schools such as Louisiana State,
Miami (Fla.) and Boston College have expressed an interest. I dont want to gain any more,
because I want to be quick, too.
Tiffany Evans, a registered dietitian at Aultman Weight Management, said an average adolescent
should consume about 2,200 calories a day. A typical 300-pound high school football player
probably eats between 3,000 and 5,000 calories a day.
And any excess in calories is going to come out as fat, she said.
Sometimes, you eat more than you use, said Joe Shadle, a 2003 Hoover High graduate who
played at 320 pounds on his 6-2 frame and still weighs about the same. A lot of pasta, just
anything to get you going.
In a typical day, when playing and lifting weights four or five days a week, Shadle ate six eggs at
breakfast, a boxed lunch and an extra slice of pizza at lunch, a candy bar or chips as a snack and
lots of spaghetti for dinner. After lifting, hed usually down a protein shake.
In the locker room, theres a ton of guys with that stuff, Shadle said. Proteins, glutamine,
amino acids. A lot of the smaller guys always wanted to get bigger.
Some schools, such as Massillon and McKinley, incorporate weightlifting into the curriculum as
credit courses available to students. Others, such as Lake High, rely only on an after-school
program. At most schools, some form of organized weight training for football players is yearround, except for a state-mandated 30-day hiatus at seasons end.
Jackson head football coach Thom McDaniels, formerly at McKinley and Warren Harding, said
most high school 300-pounders dont carry enough muscle; its too much fat. Jacksons weight
program, he said, is behind the times.
We need a strength and conditioning class, McDaniels said. You need one if you want to
compete at this level. Right now, we have kids, when they go out for another sport, theyre

ceasing to lift, and thats insane ... to take three months off, its ludicrous.
*****
Ohio High School Athletic Association policy is that coaches should not suggest a player take
nutritional supplements even legal varieties.
But supplements are marketed to athletes of all ages. On the Internet. At the mall. In drugstores.
Sold under names like Freak Fix, Muscle Milk and N.O.-XPLODE. Powder mixes come in
chocolate, strawberry and lemonade flavors to make them quite tasty when mixed with water.
They promise to deliver energy, focus, endurance, strength, size, power and to send oxygen and
nutrients to muscle tissue, though claims arent evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, because supplements are unregulated. Some varieties contain caffeine; others
contain creatine, a controversial muscle-builder.
The OHSAA is concerned about obesity in teens and eating patterns that can carry into
adulthood, said Deborah Moore, an assistant commissioner.
From an educational standpoint, we probably will be doing more, she said.
The association bans illegal supplements such as steroids, but does not test athletes. Moore said
member schools have consistently said theyre not willing to spend more money to set up testing.
Central Catholic head coach Lowell Klinefelter said every family with a young athlete has talked
about legal supplements. He hopes students arent following the lead of professional athletes with
illegal ones.
... But Id be naive to think its not done at the high school level, Klinefelter said.
Northwests Whiting said his players start lifting after eighth grade. Meat, potatoes and sweat,
he said.
He credits the Indians four-day a week, year-round weight program with bulking up his players.
The Indians have a pair of 300-pounders. He has a defensive back who bench-presses 250 pounds
and a receiver who benches 300.
Mike Bacorn, a 6-3, 305-pound defensive tackle at McKinley, said his size is natural. The junior,
who said he benches 300, wants to play Division I football. He typically starts his day with a big
bowl of Cocoa Puffs, eats a couple of chicken sandwiches at lunch, then fills up on chicken and

potatoes at dinner.
Im trying to cut a little bit for speed, but at the same time you dont want to get too light,
Bacorn said.
Doctors and nutritionists say most teens dont need supplements. They get all the protein they
need with a balanced diet.
Lake head coach Jeff Durbin said hes particularly opposed to those with caffeine. These are 15, 16-, 17-year-old kids; they dont need a stimulant, he said. The mistake high school kids make
is they equate getting bigger as getting better. We want them to be strong and fast. If adding
weight slows you down, dont do it.
*****
With a 42-inch waist and a mere large-size T-shirt, Matt Bushong doesnt look much larger than
his Canton South teammates on the field until you take a close look at the girth of his thighs and
calves.
The 6-2 junior nose guard started the season at 351 pounds and is down to 335. After the
season, he plans to run as well as hit the weights. By next season, he said hed like to be down to
280 pounds.
You need speed, and I dont have it, Bushong said.
The slimming, he hopes, will help his aching ankles. He gets them taped before every game. One
hurts from a football injury, the other from a roller-skating accident. His doctor, he said, told him
his ideal weight is 185 pounds.
Dr. James Goff, Massillons team physician and sports medicine director at Mercy Medical Center,
said socio-economic issues affect diet and weight. Can a family afford healthy food? Is a parent at
home preparing healthy meals, or is it quick high-calorie fare, or even worse, fast food? How
educated are parents about what is healthy?
I probably see problems more in the inner city, he said.
Massillons Stacy, whos also coached at Ashland University and the University of Akron, said he
preferred his college linemen in the 270-pound range as freshmen. Then, they could add weight
under careful tutelage.

One of the biggest problems, he said, is coaches cant keep track of what players eat at home. If
its Taco Bell, washed down with McDonalds, thats a problem.
They struggle with our conditioning, he said.
But he said 300 pounds may not be bad, considering.
To me, the big thing is percentage of body fat, he said.
Weight tables that measure body mass index, for instance, are quite generic. They dont take
into account the frame of the subject or how much of the weight actually is muscle. Its simply
height, sex and age.
Goff said hes leveled with players. He tells them to see a family doctor.
I flat out told our tackle Youre going to be dead in 15 years, and he slimmed down to 290
pounds, he said. Theres a difference between an NFL player who weighs 340 and a high school
player at 340. You sort of have to say whats best in the long run ... not whether he can help us
out on Friday night.
Weight can contribute to hip and knee injuries.
Im seeing more and more of them in midget football too, 5-foot and 200 pounds, Goff said.
Theyre sitting there playing Madden football video games instead of outside playing football
after school.
A 1990 Massillon graduate, Goff started on the offensive line at 5-10, 175. He marveled at the
size and speed of Mentors line, at about 220 pounds, when the Cardinals topped Massillon in a
wild 56-52 game this season.
High school football is all about speed; its not about power, he said.
*****
Kelly Laurson, then a graduate student at Iowa State University, co-authored a study released
this year on the size of that states high school linemen. It was a follow-up to a 2005 University of
North Carolina study that found 56 percent of NFL players would be obese by some medical
standards that measure body mass index.
Laursons study found 9 percent of the prep players were obese.

I didnt expect the numbers to be that high, Laurson said. If you were to repeat this study in a
place where (high school football is even more intense), like Ohio, the numbers would probably be
higher.
Seven of the 21 top high school offensive guards in Ohio weigh 300 or more, according to
Scout.com, a Web site devoted to recruiting. The top-rated defensive tackle in Ohio is Shawntel
Rowell, a 6-2, 350-pounder from Cleveland Glenville High. Ohio State and Michigan are among
colleges interested in him.
Nationally, 10 of the top 25 offensive tackles and nine of the top 25 offensive guards weigh at
least 300. They include Vaughn Dotsy, a 6-4, 367-pounder from Ventura, Calif., recruited by
UCLA, LSU, Florida, and Michigan.
Its ... needed if you want to play at the next level, said McKinley coach Brian Cross.
High school sports are more serious than ever, said Dr. Jack J. Lesyk, a psychologist and director
of the Ohio Center for Sports Psychology in Beachwood. He works with athletes in their teens to
college, as well as Olympians and professionals, guiding them through techniques to relieve stress
and increase mental strength. He suspects parents and coaches sometimes encourage weight
gain.
However, he said only 4 percent will play college sports.
The big negative is the push for success, Lesyk said. Their main job in high school is to
develop character.
Besides joint injuries, overweight children and teens are at an increased risk for heart disease,
high blood pressure and diabetes. These are things we used to see only in adults, said Aultman
Hospital physician Dr. Timothy Kilkenny, pediatrics chair. Were seeing them younger and
younger.
At least, he said, football players are active, not sedentary.
But I still dont think its good, he said.
After high school, he said the key is to change eating patterns, consume less calories and remain
active.
These kids, unless they continue to excel at a high level, they are going to put themselves at

risk, he said. Unfortunately for most of them (playing football) is not what they are going to do
for the rest of their lives.
Kilkenny said its possible a so-called fat gene is emerging. But screen time and fast food is
probably where most of the blame is.
The culprits, he said, are video games, TV, computers, and high-calorie food and sodas.
As McKinley athletic director, Jeff Lab said for-credit weightlifting courses are tailored to an
athletes sport and usually coaches run the program. His opinion, though, is: Sports in high school
has become a year-round thing, and I have a hard time with that.
The 50-year-old administrator said he misses the days when students could play all three sports
for the fun of it.
Reach Repository staff writer Tim Botos at (330) 580-8333 or e-mail: tim.botos@cantonrep.com
Obesity in America
A study released in 2004 by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for
Health Statistics compared statistics from 1960 to 2002. It found:
Obese adults have increased from 15 percent to 32.9 percent of the population.
Obesity in adolescents ages 12 to 19 increased from 5 percent to 18.8 percent.
Average weight of a 10-year-old boy increased from 74 to 85 pounds.
Average weight of a 10-year-old girl increased from 77 to 88 pounds.
Average weight of an adult male increased from 166 to 191 pounds.
Average weight of an adult woman increased from 140 to 164 pounds.
THE BREAKDOWN
Stark County high school football rosters list 46 players who weigh 270 pounds or more.
400+1

300s13
290s9
280s12
270s11
DID YOU KNOW
The largest player on the 1987 Cleveland Browns was tackle Jim Meyer, 6-5, 295.
The largest player on the 1997 Massillon Tigers was guard Chris Smith, 6-3, 274.
The largest player on the 1982 Ohio State Buckeyes was tackle Mark Krerowicz, 6-4, 278.
The largest player on the Canton McKinley 1981 state championship team was Carlos McClain,
6-3, 247.
Burton Berkshire, a state qualifier in Division IV in 1981, had only one player more than 200
pounds (205).
Only nine players on the 1977 McKinley team weighed 200 pounds or more.
CHILDHOOD OBESITY RISKS
Obese children can develop serious health problems, which carry into obese adulthood.
Overweight children are at higher risk of developing:
Type 2 diabetes
Metabolic syndrome
High blood pressure
Asthma and other respiratory problems
Sleep disorders
Liver disease

 Early puberty or menarche

Eating disorders
Skin infections
Source: Mayo Clinic
HOW TO EAT HEALTHY
Choose fruits and vegetables over convenience foods high in sugar and fat. Always have
healthy snacks available. Never use food as a reward or punishment.
Limit sweetened beverages, including those containing fruit juice. They provide little nutritional
value in exchange for high calories. They also can make your child feel too full to eat healthier
foods.
Select recipes and methods of cooking lower in fat. For example, bake chicken instead of frying
it.
Put colorful food on the table: Green and yellow vegetables, fruits of various colors, and brown
(whole-grain) breads. Limit white carbohydrates: Rice, pasta, bleached bread and sugar (desserts).
Sit down together for family meals. Make it an event - a time to share news and tell stories.
Don't eat in front of the television or computer, which fosters munching.
Limit the number of times you eat out, especially at fast-food restaurants. Many menu options
are high in fat and calories.
Source: Mayo Clinic
FAST FOODS
An average, moderately active teen should consume about 2,200 calories per day. Calories in
some popular fast foods:
KFC chicken pot pie770
Arby's large Jamocha shake647

Arby's 5 piece chicken tenders630

McDonald's Big Mac550
McDonald's large fries570
Wendy's classic double940
Taco Bell beef stuft burrito720
Taco Bell nachos supreme460
Burger King Whopper670
Pizza Hut personal/cheese620
Players weighing at least 270 pounds on rosters of high school football teams in Stark County.
Five schools - Central Catholic, Hoover, Marlington, Sandy Valley and Tuslaw - list no players who
weigh that much:
Alliance
Ht.Wt.Yr.
Lamar Miller 5-7290 jr.
Canton South
Matt Bushong6-3353jr.
Montel Bush6-4282jr.
East Canton
Chris Campbell6-2285sr.
Fairless

Brandon McDaniel6-1290jr.
Glenoak
Adam Jasionowski6-2290sr.
Robert Allen5-10303sr.
Cody Harracks5-11311sr.
Nichoas Drescher5-10270sr.
Jackson
Ht.Wt.Yr.
Nick Zajkovski6-6287sr.
Lake
Ryan Enlow6-1284so.
Patrick Mortier6-3282sr.
Louisville
Nick Case5-10270so.
Bob Marquardt5-10275so.
Massillon
Tyler Relford5-10342jr.
Richard Klinzing6-2395sr.
Averill Draper6-4356so.
DelVaughn Brown5-10400so.

Reggie Comeaux6-3341sr.
Steephen Johnson6-1359sr.
Tonio Pettis5-8294jr.
Ben Peters6-1270sr.
Steve Yoder6-3273sr.
McKinley
Ht.Wt.Yr.
Tyler Seery6-2292jr.
Mike Bacorn6-2305jr.
Cedric Walker5-8286jr.
Chris Davis6-0281jr.
Vince Hunter5-9272jr.
Minerva
Matt Miller6-1275jr.
Jacob Dourm6-0280jr..
Northwest
Mike Law5-10290jr.
Corey Fuller6-3300sr.
Tony Barkey6-5300sr.
Nate Klatt6-4280jr.

Perry
Ht.Wt.Yr.
Zach Rohr6-0283sr.
Ryan Thompson6-3270so.
Denver Reidenbach5-9275so.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Anthony Keaton6-0290jr.
Justin Ray6-5290sr.
Matt Foss6-3270sr.
Dillon Lindsey6-2285so.
Timken
Correy Griffin5-9290jr.
Dylan Ault6-3305so.
Kelvin Richardson6-4310jr.
Anthony Manghese5-10280so.
Corey Rue6-0271jr.
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