JT Stenglein had a career night Friday, netting four goals and adding an assist, as the Youngstown Phantoms captured an impressive road win over the Waterloo Black Hawks. Monday, the United States Hockey League rewarded the third-year winger by being naming him the league’s CCM Offensive Player of the Week.

Youngstown State senior women’s basketball player Brandi Brown is one of five players voted Preseason All-Horizon League for the 2012-13 season, the conference office announced at its media day near Chicago on Monday.

Brown, a forward from Pomona, Calif., averaged 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds last season for the Penguins as a second-team all-conference pick. She ranked seventh in the league in scoring and was sixth in rebounding while shooting 40.3 percent from the field. If she duplicates the numbers from her junior year, Brown will finish second in YSU history in career points and rebounds.

Brown was a Horizon League All-Newcomer Team selection as a freshman as she averaged 11.4 points and 10.6 rebounds. She was a second-team all-conference honoree as a sophomore when she led the Horizon League with 19.9 points per game and ranked fourth in rebounding with 9.2 per contest. That led to her being named the Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year prior to the 2011-12 campaign.

The four players joining Brown in earning preseason first-team all-league mentioning are preseason player of the year Kim Demmings (Wright State), Shareta Brown (Detroit), Shalonda Winton (Cleveland State) and Adrian Ritchie (Green Bay). Simone Law (Loyola) Lydia Bauer (Green Bay), Tabitha Gerardot (Valparaiso), Sami Tucker (Milwaukee) and Patrice King (Loyola) were named to the preseason second team.

In the preseason team poll, Youngstown State was picked to finish eighth. Green Bay received 25 of a possible 27 first-place votes and was picked to finish first with 241 total points. Detroit received two first-place votes and finished second in the poll with 210 total points. Wright State was a close third with 191 points, and a sizeable gap separated the Raiders from Loyola (152) and Cleveland State (123).

The 2011-12 Youngstown State Penguins basketball team exceeded expectations to some degree.  Coming off of a winning season with a 16-15 record, the nucleus remains.  Head Coach Jerry Slocum has survived some tough times and is now able to reap the benefits of his hard work.

Kendrick Perry, Damian Eargle, and Blake Allen all return for Slocum this season. Ashen Ward and DuShawn Brooks have finished their careers.  Perhaps the biggest role to fill this year will be the leader role vacated by Ward.

“Kendrick, Blake, and Damian have all stepped up into leadership roles”, said Slocum.  “They have really raised the bar as to where they want this team to be.”

Slocum often complimented the way Ward was a leader both on and off of the court.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, like last year, the schedule is a mess.  Last season YSU only hosted 13 of their 30 games and got to host a playoff game.  The fact that they had a winning season, going 10-4 at home, shows how good that team really was.

This year, the schedule was finalized in September.  September, 2012.  Some of the scheduling problems had a lot to do with Butler leaving the Horizon League.

“We start with five of six on the road this year”, said Slocum.  “I have continually been upset that our kids are put into that situation, and it is going to be an equally tough task this year.”

The season starts on November 10th at George Washington and two nights later in Georgia to face the SEC Bulldogs.  After a home game, the Penguins play three games in three days (November 19-21) against North Dakota State, James Madison, and Duquesne.  Three of those five teams have been in the NCAA Tournament in the past three years.

In January, the Penguins get to repeat the touring as four of their first five conference games are on the road.

Coach Eric Wolford and some of his football players have been quoted as saying that they have to do things one week at a time, one game at a time.  Don’t dwell, don’t gaze forward, just focus on the task at hand.

When asked, Slocum agreed with the theory, and then some.

“We don’t look past our next practice”, said Slocum.  “Whether it is conditioning, shooting, or understanding things, we cannot look a day past or forward.  When we work hard, everything takes care of itself, but it is a daily thing for us.”

Kamren Belin, Larry Johnson Jr., Bobby Hain, Ryan Weber, and Ronnye Beamon are all new players in the system.  Allen, Perry, and Eargle are joined by Shawn Amiker, DJ Cole, Josh Chojnacki, Danny Reese, Fletcher Larson, and Mike Podolsky to round out the roster.

“We went from 6’6″ and 6’6″ to 6’7″ and 6’10” at the four sport”, exclaimed Slocum.  “By adding some length, I think we are taking care of rebounding, which was a concern.  We are just bigger.”

Bigger expectations too.  I will predict the Penguins win 20 games this season.  For an exact call, let’s say 20-13, meaning they would play into the third round of their playoffs.

“I don’t sit around wondering which games we will win”, said Slocum.  “Our goal is to be playing the last week of our conference tournament this season.  If we play the way I know we can – unselfishly, and do the right things, there is no reason why we can’t be playing that far into the tournament.”

Youngstown State University never got going in Fargo.  The Penguins dropped out of the undefeated ranks as #1 North Dakota State was able to capitalize on three YSU turnovers and win the special teams battles.  The Bison (5-0, 2-0) never trailed and won every facet of the game on their way to a 48-7 win.

Jamiane Cook had trouble handling an exchange from Kurt Hess on the first play from scrimmage.  North Dakota State came out of the pile with the ball and took over on a very short field at the YSU 31.  The Bison used six plays to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Backup running back John Crockett, filling in for suspended teammate Sam Ojuri, finished the drive with a one-yard burst.

Youngstown State seemed to recover from the early mistake as they used their second drive to march 74 yards for a game-tying score.  Hess found Carson Sharbaugh in a small crowd just over the goal line for the score.

Before the first quarter would end, Bison QB Brock Jensen found Zach Vraa for a 46-yard scoring hookup.  Things would get worse on the ensuing possession for the Penguins when Marcus Williams returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown making the score 21-7.

North Dakota State would add two more touchdowns, a Crockett one-yard scamper and a Jensen to Ryan Smith 16-yard strike, to take a commanding 35-7 lead into halftime.

The Bison seemed just fine with Crockett filling in for Ojuri.  The 5’11” sophomore from Minneapolis finished the game with 25 carries for 103 yards.

Ryan Smith was the big-play guy that YSU could not stop.  Smith had seven catches for 82 yards, one rush for nine yards and a 76-yard punt return that would increase the Bison advantage to 45-7.

Adam Keller kicked a pair of field goals for North Dakota State (49, 34) to close the scoring at 48-7.

The things that YSU coach Eric Wolford always says can’t happen, did happen.  The Penguins lost the time of possession battle (33:12 – 26:48), committed three turnovers compared to ND State’s 0, and were badly outplayed on special teams.

Part of the reason Hess was unable to have much success today was because of the pressure the Bison defense continually provided.  Many blitzes, especially off of the edge, proved very harmful to the Penguins offensive efforts.

Hess finished the game 11-20 for 117 yards.  Cook had 43 yards on nine carries and Kintrell Disher caught three passes for 34 yards to lead the Penguins.

Don’t rule out the possibility of these two teams meeting again in the playoffs.

YSU has little time to fix everything as Illinois State waits in the wings for a game that kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Youngstown State redshirt freshman Andre Stubbs (Maple Heights, Ohio) is among a group of the top FCS freshmen in the running for the Jerry Rice Award, The Sports Network announced on Wednesday.

Stubbs is averaging 120.0 all-purpose yards per game after four contests. On three occasions he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark.

Stubbs opened the season with an electrifying performance in the 31-17 victory at Pittsburgh. Against the Panthers, he caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before adding a 13-yard run in the fourth period. He had 71 yards rushing on six carries and caught four passes for 61 yards. He finished the game with 172 all-purpose yards.

Last time out, he had 155 all-purpose yards in the come-from-behind win over UNI. He caught three passes in the game for 31 yards, all of which came on third downs.

Stubbs also had 124 all-purpose yards in the hard-fought win over Albany.

Entering this Saturday’s showdown at top-ranked North Dakota State, he is the only player on the roster with a rushing and receiving touchdown.

Stubbs has been junior quarterback Kurt Hess’s go-to receiver on third-down so far this season. Of his 10 receptions, seven have been for first downs on a third-down situation. Of his other three receptions, one was a 27-yard catch at Pittsburgh, another was on a third down and one was a short gain.

If you were to ask Kurt Hess or Jamaine Cook why the Youngstown State offense has been so successful over the past couple of seasons, I would bet they could give you at least five big reasons.  One of those five reasons is DJ Main.  Coach Eric Wolford knows that big games between two good teams are won in the trenches.  Main and company have owned the trenches so far this season.

DJ Main is a fifth year senior from Strongsville, Ohio.  He was recruited by Jon Heacock to play football here and is one of the few to survive, and prosper, under a new coaching staff.  Main is finishing up his requirements before departing with a degree in Exercise Science, but he has the size and the work ethic to keep doing something he has loved doing since third grade – playing football.

Paneech:  Sometimes when a coach leaves, recruits may follow him.  In this case, you had nowhere to follow Coach Heacock to, so were you ever contacted to transfer to Kent or anywhere else after the coaching change?

Main:  No, I never really thought of coming here as dedication to a coach.  I saw it more as dedication to the program that I signed to be a part of.  When I signed to come to Youngstown State, I knew I would fulfill my four or five years here.  I haven’t had any contact with Coach Heacock since he left.  Youngstown stayed in contact with me since I was a junior in high school, so there is loyalty on my end.

Paneech:  The edge for a player in a program this competitive is that they have an understanding of the playbook and system.  You lost that edge with the coaching change.

Main:  We did have to learn a whole new system but the coaches were really willing to work with us because they knew it was unfamiliar to the players.  They took time during individuals to work on form and technique.  Truthfully, the coaches have been the building blocks of this system.

Paneech:  Talk about Coach Bricilo and how he has been to work with.

Main:  Coach Bricilo is in ‘in your face’ guy, but I think those are the best coaches.  Those coaches will not let you slack or just settle on being average.  They want the best for us, and sometimes that means they are not our best friends.  Off the field, things are totally different.  We are laughing and hanging out, but we know when we are on the field that it is business.

Paneech:  What do you see yourself doing after this whole experience is over?

Main:  Everyone always has NFL aspirations.  I have got it set up so when I finish up my degree in the Spring, regardless of what happens, I will leave here looking for a job.  As an Exercise Science Major, I would love to be a strength coach for a college or high school.  I am going to enjoy the rest of what is left because the potential of this year’s team is off the charts.

Paneech:  When you got here, there was no WATTS, just a bunch of weeds and a gravel track.

Main:  I don’t know if you could even call what was here a track when I got here.  There was weeds growing inside of the track and it wasn’t even a flat surface.  The programs that this institution have changed are unbelievable, like night and day.  It has all been for the better.

Paneech:  What have you done to make yourself a better player since you got here?

Main:  Improvement comes a lot with the strength staff.  When you get here as a freshman, you are on top of the world because you got recruited.  You get a rude awakening when you get to the first practice and see guys that are bigger than you.  They take you under their wing and teach, it is great to learn from veterans.

Paneech:  I have heard wild tales about you lineman and your ability to do some damage on the dining facilities in the Mahoning Valley.  Share some of the horror with me.

Main:  We are a very close group of guys.  We have done some damage at Chipotle.  You get more bang for the buck there and you get a lot of food.  Chris Elkins can eat two double wrapped burritos in less than ten minutes, it is disturbing.  I get a double wrap burrito too, but only one.  I am done doing weight gain.  We did the Quaker Steak And Lube all-you-can-eat wing night last year.  It wasn’t just linemen either, there was a large group of us that went.  Elkins only ate about twenty, but my man Radak [Andrew Radakovich] with a plate of wings in front of him is pretty gross to watch.

Paneech:  Do you like amusement parks?

Main:  I used to when I was younger, but the last time I went, I got on a ride where the floor drops out from under your feet.  My feet were still touching after the floor fell, so they made me get off of the ride.  The rides don’t work out real well for me anymore.

Paneech:  Do you have to deal with the stereotype that linemen aren’t very smart?

Main:  Everyone knows that is a complete lie.  Any program that you go to, if that team is having any type of success you look at their offensive line and I can guarantee that they are mentally strong enough to take care of their business up front.

One Word Answers

Favorite NFL Player:  Joe Thomas

Favorite Breakfast Food:  Pancakes

Favorite Drink After Practice:  Gatorade

Best Football Movie Ever Made:  Remember The Titans

Favorite NFL Team:  Bengals

Other Sports You Watch:  Basketball – I Love March Madness

Worst Habit:  Going To Bed Too Early

TV Show:  Everybody Loves Raymond

Dream Destination:  Anywhere There Is A Beach

Steve Gillespie is as meat-and-potatoes as it gets.  He is all about turning programs around and winning.  He makes no bones about the fact that the rest of the stuff that goes on (who gets tickets to what, how many extra people can we take, etc.) is not a high priority for him.  Making sure the second baseman rotates to cover first base on a bunt seems a bigger concern.

“We will assess what we have coming back and I have seen a lot of positive things to build on from last season.  There are also things that will need addressed immediately”, said Gillespie.

Gillespie had success at Jacksonville (Ala.) State and later South Carolina, where he spent his last eleven years.  Call him the Bill Parcells of baseball coaches.  It seemed Parcells always turned a struggling team into a contender.

Now that Gillespie is cooking the meal, like Parcells, he will surely want to buy the groceries too.

“Some of the guys had better Summers than they had Springs”, remarked Gillespie.  “We were able to sign a few guys that will be able to contribute immediately.”

The Penguins baseball program has been kind of like the redheaded stepchild of YSU sports the last few seasons.  Last season, the Guins finished 11-44 and in 2011, not much better, at 14-41.  In fact, YSU has not had a winning baseball season since going 29-27 in 2005.  So Gillespie and his staff have their work cut out.

The staff is diverse and the only returning member from past seasons in Craig Antush.  Antush will serve as the director of operations.

“Craig has more than two decades of Division I experience as a player and a coach,” Gillispie said. “His 13 years here at YSU will provide great stability for our program as we make this transition, and I know our student-athletes are happy to see him on staff.”

The Penguins have also added Jason Neal as the recruiting coordinator, Kevin Smallcomb as the associate head coach, and former Cleveland Indians pitcher Jason Stanford will serve as the pitching coach.

“My interview experience here was absolutely phenomenal”, remarked Gillespie.  “I knew how accommodating people were here at that point.  It is a great family atmosphere and I couldn’t be happier to be here.  The Watts is a great tool.  We would have lost ground on the Southern schools without a place like that to practice in when the weather does not cooperate.”

The Penguins are currently assessing on-field personnel and have added seven players to the 2013 roster.  The group of seven includes junior college transfers Mike Accardi, Devin Higgins, Kris Moules, and Josh White; freshmen from the western part of the country Jonas Wellan and Jared Wight; and Boardman High graduate Dan Popio. Accardi and Higgins are outfielders, Popio, Wellan and White are catchers, Moules is a first baseman and Wight is a left-handed pitcher. Accardi, Moules and White all played at Lackawanna College last season and helped lead the Falcons to the NJCAA Division II World Series.

Giving the Youngstown Phantoms some production from the blue line in two dramatic wins, Dan Renouf was named the United States Hockey League’s CCM Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday afternoon.

Renouf, 18, scored a pair of game-winning goals and accumulated a plus-5 rating as the Phantoms defeated the Omaha Lancers Friday and Des Moines Buccaneers Saturday to go to 2-0-0 on the young season. This is the first time that Renouf, a Maine commit, has collected the USHL’s weekly honor.

“It’s an honor, not just for Dan, but for the team and all of our defensemen,” head coach Anthony Noreen said. “Danny came back with the expectation from both sides of being in a much bigger role – still being responsible defensively, but also contributing and being productive offensively – and he was rewarded with a good first weekend.”

The two goals over the weekend eclipsed Renouf’s rookie campaign total in 2011-12. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensemen recorded 1-14-15 in 58 games last season, with 10 of his points coming over his final 20 games.

The Phantoms hit the road this week, facing the defending Western Conference campion Waterloo Black Hawks on Friday and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Saturday.

The Youngstown Phantoms kicked off their 2012-13 season Friday night against the Omaha Lancers.  Coming off of their first playoff appearance in franchise history, the Phantoms looked flat to start the game.  However, by the time the third period ended, they seemed unstoppable in posting a dramatic 5-3 come-from-behind win.  Daniel Renouf scored the game-winning goal with 2:21 left to boost the Phantoms into the win column.

“The puck just came loose and I just found a way to put it in”, said Renouf.  “I kind of really fanned on it, I just got lucky.  Being tied for the lead in goals for the team will probably be the first time I will have bragging rights over those guys”

The outpouring of goals by defensemen in this game (three) is almost half of last years season total.

“The number one emphasis we made in the offseason was to get our defensemen involved more offensively”, said Phantoms Coach Anthony Noreen.  “Last year, we may have had better defensive guys, but this year, our defensemen have have been scoring goals in the preseason and tonight.”

Omaha took an early 1-0 lead when Drew Melanson beat Phantoms goaltender Sean Romeo from close range.  The goal came 6:02 into the first period and Jake Randolph was credited with an assist.

In the second period, the Phantoms would tie the game.  With 10:57 left in the stanza, Luke Stork sucked the defense into the goal crease and flipped the puck back to Alfred Larsson who hit the twine for his first goal.  Lancer goalee Alex Lyon was too far out of the way to make the stop as a result of Stork’s charge.

The Lancers would reclaim the lead later in the second frame.  With 5:18 left in the period, Tyler Hynes charged in with the puck from the left wing toward the crease.  Romeo could not see Hynes clearly because a defenseman was skating backwards, obstructing his line of sight.  When Hynes released the shot, it was too late for Romeo to react as he was beaten on the stick side.  Connor Chatham earned an assist on the goal that would give Omaha a 2-1 lead.

Through two periods, the Phantoms seemed to be getting stronger.  The big difference between the first and second periods seemed to be speed and spacing.  Too many times in the first period when the Phantoms had the puck in the Lancers zone, they seemed to be clustered up and in each others way.  After two periods, the Phantoms held a 26-21 advantage for shots on goal, but the Lancers held a 2-1 lead on the ones that went in.

“We had 20 shots in the second period”, noted Noreen.  “It was more our style.  We thrive off of our physical play.  We were standing around a lot in the first period and with any home opener, you get nervous.  Even our older guys are young this year.”

In the third period, the Phantoms wasted little time scoring a game-tying goal.  Austin Cangelosi, who was recently named a team co-captain, scored his first goal of the season.  The goal came just 17 seconds into the final period.  Cangelosi had a strong inaugural campaign for the Phantoms last season as he finished with 59 points (29 goals and 30 assists).  Todd Koritzinsky set Cangelosi up with a nice pass on Lyons glove side before Cangelosi unloaded.

“In the first half of the game, we came out flat”, expressed Cangelosi.  “Our energy was  low.  We had energy in the second half of the game.  On the goal I scored, Todd [Kortizinsky] made a nice backhanded pass.  I think it went between two defenders legs and I was just sitting in front with nobody on me and I just whacked it home.”

With 7:45 left in the game, Phantoms defenseman Eric Sweetman made a pretty move to give the Phantoms the lead.  Sweetman had the puck on the right side at the blue line.  He proceeded to skate around a Lancer defender and beelined toward Lyons.  He unloaded a nice shot that got by Lyons and gave the Phantoms their first lead of the season.  Renouf and Cangelosi got assists on the goal.

Omaha swung back with 6:21 left to tie the game at three goals apiece.  Alex Rauter snuck one by Romeo to deflate the momentum of the Youngstown Phantoms.

With time running out, the Phantoms took the lead, 4-3, for good with 2:21 left in the game.  Renouf hit the post on the side that would let it deflect into the net.  Renouf took a pass from Cangelosi to beat Lyons from 15 feet.  Sam Anas also picked up an assist on the play.

The Phantoms would add an empty net goal.  Cangelosi took a lead pass toward an empty net and unselfishly fed Phantom teammate Ryan Lowney to close the scoring out.

The San Francisco 49ers made ,what is becoming, an annual stop to Youngstown State University.  The Niners use YSU’s facilities as a go-between rather than fly back to the West Coast and then to New York the very next week.

The 49ers were upset by Minnesota last week, 24-13.  They will now travel to New York for this weekends matchup with the Jets.  Coach Harbaugh and QB Alex Smith (below) lead the charge on a 2012 season that has many predicting the 49ers to win the Super Bowl.  Off-season acquisition Randy Moss (above) is proving he still has a little gas left in the tank for the Niners.

Smith (above) has spread the ball out this season to talented receivers like Moss, Tim Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Warren’s Mario Manningham, and Ted Ginn Jr.  So far, the Niners quarterback is 64-92 for 641 yards and 5 TDs.

Heckled and criticized as not being ‘the man’ to lead San Francisco to another championship, Smith likes having some weapons he can look for this season.  In the recent past, choices were very limited.  This offense will put up a big number more than once this season with a wider array of weapons for Smith to use.

Youngstown State, off to a 4-0 start and ranked third in the latest FCS Polls, has a bye week, making the arrangements easier on everyone.  The Penguins practiced in the WATTS while the 49ers did most of their work on the turf of Stambaugh Stadium.

David Akers has gotten addicted to Handel’s Ice Cream.  In fact, several Niners have been spotted multiple days in line at the local homemade ice cream chain.  The charity work these folks do is above and beyond each time they visit the Mahoning Valley with trips to children’s hospitals and various other good deeds.

The road to winning the NFC West may be a bit harder than last season for San Francisco.  Arizona has not lost yet and Seattle has the best defensive backs in the NFL.  Overall, San Francisco has the best team talent in the division and a return to the postseason is probable.