On Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, Pennridge seniors Zack Hockman and Austin Regan were recognized for committing to play football at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/02615_signings_9_dl..jpg)
Zack Hockman – West Chester University (Football)
Major: Communicative Disorders as a prerequisite to obtaining master’s degree to become a speech therapist.
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Millersville
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “Everything just clicked. I had officials at Millersville and West Chester, and before that, I had pretty much narrowed it down. I went down to West Chester, and Shane Kraynik, John Dubyk and Mike Class went down there. It was the distance, it was the coaches, it was their winning tradition – just everything seemed right. That’s why I picked West Chester.
“Another big thing was Dan Connor is the linebacker coach. He’s the all-time leading tackler at Penn State, and I talked to him a lot. The night before I committed I had a long talk on the phone with him, and after that, I pretty much knew I wanted to go to West Chester and play linebacker for him. I think he’s going to really improve my game.”
What was the progression that led you to playing football at the collegiate level? “I always wanted to play football in college. My dad didn’t get to finish his (career) because he blew out his knee in college, so it’s going to be kind of cool to finish what he couldn’t.”
Coach Jeff Hollenbach says: “I know that West Chester loved him because of his intensity on the field. He’s a hitter, but he’s also a very well spoken, sensitive, kind guy except when he’s on the football field. He’s real intense and just has an incredible drive to win. He’s a real competitor. What he did defensively at the middle linebacker position just reading offenses, getting a real good feel for what the offense is going to do – he did a lot of film study, and he was another coach on the field. He just did a great job for us.
“He was first team all-league offensive guard, and our league is a pretty good league. He had an outstanding year on offense. We do a lot of sweep things where he’s pulling. People see him run and see just how athletic he is in the open field. He’s laying people out, so Joe Unangst scores a bunch of touchdowns because he’s pretty good.”
About Zack:
Favorite food: Cheesesteak
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite music: Country.
Austin Regan – Shippensburg University (Football)
Major: Early Childhood Education
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, Misericordia, Widener, Lycoming, Albright, Delaware Valley
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “I was being recruited for football, but the biggest part for Shippensburg was because of the major I wanted. They have an elementary school on campus, and I just felt like that would be a great thing to do, and they have a great internship on campus.”
What was the progression that led you to playing football at the collegiate level? “I came into this year not thinking I was going to play college football. Last year I was a tight end and weighed 180, and now I’m a tackle weighing 260. A lot of things changed. I just thank coach for making that decision to switch me because I wouldn’t be playing college football (if he hadn’t). I had a good year, I sent my tape out to some schools. Shippensburg came to me and started recruiting me. I loved it ever since.”
Coach Jeff Hollenbach says: “This was Austin’s first year of playing offensive tackle. It was amazing the comments of the college coaches when they came in. They just said, ‘That kid has so much potential.’ His upside is huge because he hasn’t played much before, and he’s probably going to get a lot bigger when he gets in the weight room. I think he could easily project as a 6-6, 280-pound tackle. Both Zach and Austin are playing at really good schools. They know there’s going to be a lot of competition, they know they’re going to have to work hard to eventually make the field. It will probably take some time, but I think both of them will do well.”
About Austin:
Favorite food: Cheesesteak
Favorite movie: American Sniper
Favorite music: Country
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