Feb. 5, 2003
Football: Penguins Ink 17 On Signing Day
    Youngstown -- Youngstown State Head Football Coach Jon Heacock announced on Wednesday that 17 student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the YSU football program.
    Of the group, 13 are freshman and four are junior-college transfers including defensive lineman Matt Porter and punter/place kicker Nick Terracina who enrolled at YSU during the semester break and will participate in spring drills. Also, 14 of the 17 will play on the defensive side of the ball while two are on offense and Terracina is a specialist.
    On offense, quarterback Tom Zetts out of nearby Boardman High School and wide receiver Rory Berry from Beaver Falls, Pa., are the two signees. Zetts was a second-team All-Ohio selection in Division I, the state's largest classification.
    On defense, YSU signed seven defensive lineman/defensive ends, five defensive backs and two linebackers. Three of the four junior college players will play defense. Porter (American River College) and Coby Hayslett (Pasadena City College) will be part of the defensive line while Justin Martin (College of DuPage) is a linebacker.
    Two local players will join the YSU defense as well. Defensive backs Tim Dewberry (Canfield, Ohio) and Rob Massucci (Warren, Ohio) both signed with Youngstown State on Wednesday.
    The Penguins, who finished 7-4 last year and were third in the Gateway Football Conference, were especially thin on the defensive line following last season losing four of their top six lineman -- including all three starters -- from last year's squad.
    Seven of the members of the signing class are from Ohio while four are from Florida. Other states represented include Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, California and Louisiana.
    The Penguins begin Spring practice on Friday, March 21 with the Annual Spring Game set for Wednesday, April 16.

The Class Breakdown
By Year
Freshmen: 13 (Rory Berry, Peter Berthold, Dorian Chenault, Tim Dewberry, Leon Edwards, John Foster, Blake Halverson, Tony Lawrence, Rob Massucci, Durell Preston, Curtis Shelton, DeVaughn Wilkins, Tom Zetts) Junior College Transfers: 4 (Coby Hayslett, Justin Martin, Matt Porter, Nick Terracina)