Captain Kangaroo

Faust.

A player to watch: Monessen's Williams creating a name for himself Friday, August 20, 2004 By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Like many teenagers, Ernest "Mick" Williams spends a great deal of time playing video games. When he plays football games, he goes to the "create a player" section and creates himself. He makes his video version big, strong and dominating. Players to Watch Last in a series on top high school football players in the WPIAL and City League. So there you have it. Video games can imitate life. On the "real" football field at Monessen High School, Williams is every bit of big, strong and dominating. That's why he is expected to have a big senior season and why he has a handful of Division I scholarship offers. "There are times when he does things you can't teach," Monessen coach Andy Pacak said. "His natural strength and his natural nose for the ball is impressive, and he's a very aggressive kid. Then when you flip it around offensively, he is a very good running back." Williams is a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker and running back who became a varsity starter near the end of his freshman season. He scored two touchdowns in his first varsity start. On offense, Williams will play fullback and team with halfback Quinton Martin to make one of the most formidable running combinations in Class A. Last season, Martin rushed for 923 yards on 105 carries (8.8 average) and Williams 866 on 101 attempts (8.6 average). But Williams is being recruited by colleges to play linebacker. He has offers from Pitt, West Virginia, (his sister, Latitia, played basketball at West Virginia), Iowa, Indiana and Akron. "I've always been a linebacker," Williams said. "Except when I was little and they tried to put my hand in the dirt and make me a lineman. I didn't like that." Williams wants to be known as a linebacker. What he doesn't want to be known as is "Ernest." "It's just a funny name," he said. He got the nickname "Mick" as a youngster because his father, Ernest, was known as "Mickey." "People said he had big ears," the younger Williams said. Like Mickey Mouse? "Yeah. But I don't have big ears," he said. "Mine are nice." As a football player, Williams has done a lot of nice things for Monessen. One thing he wants to do is prove he has his old quickness. He ballooned to 250 pounds in the spring. He attended Pitt's camp and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds. He ran it again and dropped it to 4.7. "I almost cried when I ran it the first time," Williams said. "When I was smaller, the worst I had run it was 4.55 or 4.6. When I ran that 4.9, [Pitt coach] Walt Harris was there watching. But then I did better the second time." Williams said he has gotten into better shape with the help of Monessen assistant coach Jamie Reader, a former Greyhounds running back who had a brief stint a few years ago with the Philadelphia Eagles. Pacak would like Williams to keep his weight between 235 and 240 pounds. "We're really pushing these kids in practices," Pacak said. "We run them every morning with different distances and sprints. And we do it before we start practicing." Williams said, "We're running so much, I should gain 1,000 yards this season."

RooDude, you seem like a "glass-half-empty" kind of guy. I will offer a reply that lies somewhere between "middle-to-half-full glass." Where is all of the talent at running back? I have watched about 5 practices so far and here are my observations. Dan Basch is out for a month. He has also been hurt in 2001, missed all of 2002, and limped around for most of 2003. He cannot be counted on. REPLY: True. Luckily, this isn't his knee (like before)...it is his ankle. When he's healthy he's a punishing runner/blocker. Hope he gets healthy...we need him. Jerrell Ringer has never had a good game except against 1-AA opponents and the dregs of the MAC. REPLY: That's only because Owens never played him! Jerrell can tote the ball. He looked great in the few opportunities he got against Wisconsin. He cannot pick up any blitzes from the opposition and as a result is a major safety risk. REPLY: Hendry was needed to pick off all those defenders last season because everyone in the stadium knew what the Zips were running! If JD mixes thing up an keep the opposing DL's guessing, Ringer's blocking deficincies will not be a problem. The Zips gave up 32+ sacks last season, due in large part to no depth on the OL which has not gotten any better in the off-season. REPLY: Too early to say this. But at least 10 of those sacks belonged to Ringer and the running backs (other than Hendry) who could not block to save their lives. REPLY: Not true. The sacks were primarily due to the obscene predictability of Owens/Winters play-calling. It makes the DL and LB's jobs a hell of a lot easier when they know exactly what's coming. Mark Tetzel was little more than a special teams guy last year. He is slow and is a 50/50 blocker. REPLY: You're probably right. We'll see. All others are brand new to the program. Biggs is a JUCO transfer and Kennedy is a true feshman. If you see Kennedy on the field as a true freshman the Zips are in MAJOR TROUBLE. REPLY: If we see Kennedy on the field that means he's better than Biggs and Ringer, and I'm happy as hell if that's the case. The offense will be mostly a one back set because there a no runningbacks on the roster who are proven reliable. REPLY: Yes, the one-back set is going to be the majority, but that's what the "west coast offense" calls for. It doesn't bug me if we run a lot of 1-back sets. There are no receivers of note who are proven reliable. REPLY: Somewhat true. Hixson can do the job. He was by far our best athlete in the secondary last season and he looked great in the spring. Goodwin is fast, can jump, and has great hands. He's a solid #2 guy. Montgomery had 4 TD's last season if I recall correctly? He's fine. Between Ellington and the new guys, someone will step up as the #4...or maybe even the #3 guy. Jabari will be awesome. Mark my words. I like our WR's. The offensive line is pourous and terribly thin. If one guy goes down it's a CODE ORANGE alert. If two starters go down in any combination Frye's parents should take out extra insurance. REPLY: I can't speak for "pourous" until I see them play. But, you are correct in saying we're really thin at OL. I couldn't imagine what would happen if 2 of the seniors went down. 5 games in the win column this season would be a success. To be honest I cannot see Akron winning any of its first 5 games against Penn State, Middle Tennessee, Virginia, Can't, or NIU. REPLY: If you "can't see Akron winning against Can't or Middle Tennesse" you've lost some major credibility. The other games will obviously be much tougher. Maybe the team will be better the second half of the year, if Frye is not in a body cast by then. The worst part of this team is the OL - they may be veteran but they are overweight and are getting whipped by a bunch of mites on the defensive side of the ball on almost every drill in practice. REPLY: Everything I've heard is that the OL's are in great shape? Body fat #'s are much improved from 2003? Akron's DL is tiny compared to the Penn States, Virginias, and Marshalls of the world. REPLY: True. But if we run some better schemes we'll be able to stop people. The talent of the defense is no worse than in Owens' tenure. We'll see what JD can do with it. It's amazing that there is no depth at all on this team. REPLY: Not if you've tracked Owens recruiting classes. The retention rate under Owens was very high the first 5 years of his tenure...then it began to drop. Seems like he felt the need to take a lot of risks to "take the program to the next level" and many of those backfired. We have depth at LB. Other than that, we're pretty top-heavy. This is not a very good team, Akron is a mediocre team with a great quarterback and a series of awful recruiting classes the last three years. If this program can string together 12 wins over the next 3 combined seasons I would be surprised. REPLY: A mediocre team with a great QB can fare pretty well in the MAC. I don't expect any miracles, but I expect better schemes on both sides of the ball. I expect a minimum 6 wins too. I'll bet Brookhart is wishing he would have stayed at Pitt. The folks who sold him on Akron being a sleeping giant as a football program hoodwinked him something wicked. REPLY: I bet you're wrong. This guy is 100% dedicated to making the Zips a contender. He inherited a "good" team. He's assembled a GREAT staff. The kids love the staff. The new facilities will reap HUGE benefits...but probably 3 or 4 years down the road. He's smack-dab in one of the best HS recruiting areas in the nation. Hell...he's got 2 nationally televised games this season, a monster Marketing machine that actually got a budget to work with in 2004...Marshall and Miami @ home this season, and he's got a Heisman trophy candidate QB! Compare that to what Owens had....a 1-10 Faust team and crap facilities. I think JD is thinking he's pretty damn lucky to have the Zips' HC job.

That sucks. Hope Tetzel or the kid from Woodland Hills can pick up the slack.

Click Me

Can't State, Akron Boost Marketing to Keep Top Football Status Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Can't State University football players plan to help classmates move into their dormitory rooms this September as part of an effort to encourage attendance at their games. The school is among 11 that stand to lose almost $1 million each in payments from playing football powerhouses if average attendance falls below 15,000 and the National Collegiate Athletic Association kicks them out of its premier division, said University of Idaho Athletic Director Rob Speer. ``We need more support from our student body, and the problem is that they don't know who we are,'' Can't State coach Doug Martin said from his office in Can't, Ohio. ``So we're going to have our players standing outside the dorm rooms in uniform, offering to help carry the heavy stuff when the students move onto campus. That should make an impact.'' Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Idaho, Ball State and Utah State are running promotions including a tuition give-away, postgame rock concerts and autograph sessions with celebrities to boost attendance. Buffalo, which averaged a Division I-A-low attendance of 9,414 last season, will have former 1976 Olympic decathlon winner Bruce Jenner sign autographs and country singer Lee Ann Womack perform the national anthem at its Sept. 11 game against Syracuse University. The other four schools that averaged fewer than 15,000 fans last season were Central Michigan, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of Louisiana at Monroe and Middle Tennessee State. Three Requirements The NCAA's executive committee will meet Thursday to decide on penalties for schools that don't meet the governing body's requirements to remain in football's top level. In addition to the 15,000 attendance average, schools are also required to offer 200 athletic scholarships and participate in 16 sports. Some fans and alumni say the NCAA went too far when it set the attendance requirement. John Loffredo, managing director of the municipal product group at Merrill Lynch & Co., and a Utah State graduate, said the attendance requirement is an unfair way to measure a Division I-A school -- especially one in rural Logan, Utah. ``It's a silly reason to drop a team,'' Loffredo said in an e- mail message from his office in Plainsboro, New Jersey. ``Utah State is a large school in a very small town. I would hate to see them dropped.'' Bowl Game Draw The NCAA set the minimum because Division I-A schools are eligible to play in postseason bowl games and need to be able to draw fans to those games. NCAA members thought a 15,000 average was a reasonable expectation for college football's premier division, said NCAA Division I Vice President David Berst, who is based in Indianapolis. Especially when schools like Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and Ohio State each averaged more than 100,000 fans for home games last season. While Buffalo tries to woo fans with celebrities such as Womack and Jenner, Can't State will give away free tuition valued at $12,000 to one student who regularly attends home games. Akron, which averaged 13,812 fans for Zips games in 2003, hired the Leffler Agency in Baltimore to create an advertising campaign. The result includes the slogan, ``It's Akron's big- league team.'' Nascar Night Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, averaged 11,260 fans last season. The school, which hired the San Diego Chicken mascot to appear at one game, is bringing in Christian music group ``Out of Eden'' for a concert and will have a Nascar Night with racecar driver Bobby Allison signing autographs. The school also planned a rare doubleheader at Detroit's Ford Field on Nov. 6. Local Division II rivals Wayne State University and Hillsdale College kick off at noon, followed by Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan at 4:30 p.m. One ticket gets admission to both games. ``That's our gem this year,'' said Doug Kose, assistant athletic director for marketing and promotion. ``We could get 25,000 combined.'' Getting knocked back to the second tier would hurt more than school pride. The universities would lose the opportunity for payouts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for scheduling games against nationally ranked teams. Cannon Fodder Traditional football powerhouses such as Penn State routinely schedule smaller opponents early in the season to help them prepare for tougher games later in the year. By remaining in Division I-A, the borderline schools are more appealing to top football schools. Penn State will pay Akron $350,000 for a non-conference game to start the season, said Mike Rodriguez, Akron associate athletic director for business. That money helps the smaller schools keep their intercollegiate sports programs afloat. ``These guarantees balance our budget,'' Speer said from his office in Moscow, Idaho. ``If we dropped (down a level), it would cut our budget by about $600,000 to $800,000 a year, and we suspect that corporate sponsorship and alumni donations would suffer, too.'' Speer said guarantees will account for about $850,000 of his $9.5 million budget this season. Can't State President Carol Cartwright, the chairwoman of the NCAA's executive committee, said she is pushing to have the attendance requirement reconsidered. ``While it's good to have fans in the stands, it's not the only measure of a successful program,'' Cartwright said. Can't State's football team continues to gear up for the school's move-in weekend Aug. 28 and 29. ``I want the students of this university to take ownership of this team,'' Can't State coach Martin said. ``Ideally, someone will say to her friend, I know the guy who just made that tackle. He carried my TV to my dorm room this summer.'' To contact the reporter of this story: Curtis Eichelberger in Princeton at ceichelberge@bloomberg.net

It appears to be an ESPN+ game. It should be available on cable, satellite or your local sports bar.

or Cupcake or cream puff? What a joke of a non-conference schedule. Yeah we won't be "loaded" next season, but do you have to pad the schedule like that? It is the equivalent of the 2003 football schedule. BTW: Where the Howard and Cal Poly games considered "exhibitions?" They should have been... Can't wait for our "bracket buster ESPN game"...probably against Robert Morris...and I guarantee it won't be on ESPN.

Hmmmm....perusing the AP Pre-season Top 25 I see: Toledo with 33 votes Northern Illinois with 7 votes Marshall with 6 votes Miami OH with 4 votes Bowling Green with 2 votes ...and last but not least...Penn State did manage to scrounge-up 1 vote!! I guess Penn State would be picked to finish 6th in the MAC, huh? I think we're capable of running with the 6th place team in the MAC!! Guess it's tough to get any "love" when you're following up a campaign where your only wins were against Can't State, Temple and Indiana. Countdown until someone cut-n-pastes this on the PSU Playbook site....10....9...8...7...6...oooop...there it went!

My kid was more than a handfull for the 90 minutes I attended, so I got to do about 15% of what I'd have liked. That said: The complex is awesome. Weight room is awesome. Locker rooms are awesome. First class joint all the way. Jackson Field complex seems to be shaping up very nice too, but there is a fair amout of construction remaining. Whole campus is looking great...even the areas around the renovated route 8 ramps are great. Talked to Anthony Showers for a bit. He's a quiet kid. He found out Saturday morning that he's being moved from FS to TE? Spoke to JD briefly. He seems pretty personable. He posed for my beer bottle label, so I gotta love the guy! I spoke to Bobby Gardner. He was going to get a doctor's opinion this week regarding his playing status (he had that nasty injury in the spring game). I thought he was done for the season, but there's a chance he might be cleared to play. I'd never met him before. He's a super-nice kid. Too bad he's a senior! Dan Basch said he's healthy and feeling good. His brother Dennis is a big dude too...I look for him to fill Brake's shoes pretty admirably. I asked one senior if he liked the new staff. He said: "Oh man, they're GREAT. I love them. The change was really needed and was for the best. All the guys are psyched for a championship run this year." Best answer I could have asked for! John Ferguson was as puzzled as anyone regarding why he's listed as a punter on the gozips.com roster. Jabari will be a major contributor on offense this year. Holding a clip board and wearing a ball cap is not in the offing for this back up QB. Great event. Very well attended. Keeps getting better every year. Nice job by the Marketing crew!

Click for "Big Rig"

Versatile Harvey might have to do it all for Penn Hills Friday, August 13, 2004 By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette David Harvey is slated to be Penn Hills' best punter. But in practice earlier this week, coaches looked at players for the long snapper job. Harvey tried it, and the coaches agreed he was the best by far. This presents a problem for Penn Hills because Harvey obviously can't play two positions at the same time. Or can he? Harvey is so fast, maybe he could snap the ball and be the punter. Go ahead and laugh. But Harvey's speed and quickness is no joke. A 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior, Harvey runs the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds. "The kid is a gifted athlete," coach Neil Gordon said. "He does so many things. [Assistant coach John] Fischetti was wondering if he knows how to bake, too." The best thing Harvey does is play receiver. Some scouting services rank him among the best in the country. He is ranked No. 18 by theinsiders.com and rivals100.com has him at No. 23. "He's a great holder, for extra points, too," Gordon said. "I have no problem with him being a long snapper for us this year except that I'd like to get him off the field every once in a while in a game." Harvey also returns punts and kickoffs and plays cornerback on defense. "He has a great up-the-field burst of speed," said Joe Butler of Metro Index Scouting. "Plus, he can play so many places in the future -- receiver, cornerback, even safety." Gordon said, "He can play anywhere, but he sure looks like a receiver in the future to me." Harvey moved from Homewood to Penn Hills as a freshman and was a starting receiver as a sophomore. He was the favorite receiver of quarterback Anthony Morelli -- and the two were big-play masters. Last season, Harvey caught 35 passes and averaged 18.7 yards per reception. As a sophomore, he had 25 receptions and averaged 34.7 yards. But Morelli graduated and is at Penn State. The main question now is will Harvey see the ball? Even with Morelli, Penn Hills didn't throw much. This season, the Indians aren't sure of a starting quarterback -- and the first game is only two weeks away. Chad Parker, a 6-4 junior, and Brian Moore, a 5-10 senior, are vying for the quarterback job. Parker virtually has no experience. Moore played some at Central Catholic before transferring to Penn Hills after his sophomore season. "Neither one is a centimeter ahead of the other one," Gordon said. "I hope we can get Harvey the ball. I'm sure we have to have somebody who can at least throw it up in the air and let him go get it." Harvey seems to understand why a plethora of passes might not come his way this season. Besides the inexperience at quarterback, Penn Hills has two excellent running backs in Ed Collington and Ken Lewis, although Collington is out indefinitely with a dislocated shoulder and Lewis has been slowed with a hamstring injury. "I guess people think I should get the ball more, but coach knows what he's doing. We made the semifinals the last two years," said Harvey, who also was a starting guard on Penn Hills' PIAA championship basketball team. Harvey apparently doesn't have to prove himself to college football recruiters. He has scholarship offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin and Akron. Harvey was expecting a scholarship offer from Michigan, but two other receivers made verbal commitments to the Wolverines and they are no longer recruiting him. "Michigan was my favorite team. I liked them since I was little," Harvey said. "Probably Penn State and West Virginia are my top two schools now." Gordon said, "There can still be great receivers on teams that don't throw the ball that much." Count David Harvey among them.

I ain't an authority on BG football, but I'll offer the following overview: BG was the "flagship" MAC program in the early 90's. Played OSU 17-6 in the era before it was fashionable for MAC teams to do so. Participated in the Las Vegas/California Bowls in an era when only MAC champs got a bowl bid. I have no clue why Blackney went into the crapper...but...he (& BG) did. The second-to-the-last-time we met Blackney's BG team we killed them something like 56-21. The following year we needed 3 straight stops by Rich Reliford on late in the 4th quarter to eek out a narrow victory. In that season BG played everyone a lot tougher than they did the previous season, even if their record wasn't all that great. The ship seemed to be on it's way to being "righted" when Blackney was dismissed. I don't think there's a "parallel" to our situation here. I'm in Big Zips camp as far as expectations go for the 2004 Zips. I look forward to watching Frye light it up. I look forward to watching the OL "roll" opponents because the offensive shemes will be more complex than "Frye in the shotgun" for passes and "Draw play out of the shotgun" for our runs. I look forward to watching Hixson blossom at WR...I watched him track down some phenomenal athletes that had Zipped through our pourous defense the oast 2 seasons while he played safety...Hixson will be awesome. Goodwin, Montgomery and Arthur are fine, as is Ellington. If a Fr. like Johnny Long steps up, people will soon cease bemoaning the Big 4 we lost last year. I look forward to Ringer getting 15+ carries every game...not 15 one game...then we don't see him for a month. And don't give me any hooey about Ringer not being able to block...if the blocking schemes are better his blocking won't be relied upon so heavily (like Hendry last season). Our DB's will be improved. Vital and Elie are solid safeties, and Agyeman, Corner and Henry are, combined, the best/deepest 3 CB's we've ever had. I look forward to watching our LB's...seriously deep with Rohr, Yeow, Smith, Earl, Fuller + all the newcomers. The DL scares me...Chase is solid...LeFall is allegedly motivated...after that, who knows. I expect a winning season...whether that's 6 wins or 8 wins...I have no clue. But, with the talent we have...if JD is a solid coach...and we stay injury-free...6 is very reasonable to expect.

Paul Winters must have mentioned it to him during some "pillow talk" last night?

Penn Hills tailback Collington separates shoulder By The Associated Press Wednesday, August 11, 2004 Penn Hills will most likely open the season without senior running back Ed Collington, who separated his left shoulder in practice Monday. Indians coach Neil Gordon said he did not know how long Collington would be out of the lineup. Collington separated the same shoulder early last season, but returned for the final five games and finished with 1,059 yards. He already has a Division I scholarship offer from Akron.

David Leigh Ann Morgan and Ellen Alexander couldn't hold that guy's jock strap. An outstanding series of questions.

For what it's worth, I think the best way to beat PSU is to jump on them early with Frye, then start the second quarter with Jabari or Ferguson. I'm telling you...rotating the qb's is a CAN'T MISS proposition vs. PSU! (that's one head bang for every year since Owens tried that one...still one of the Top 3 dumbest things I ever saw a college football coach do.)

By the way...no mention of Kennedy in the RB overview either? I thought he was elegible? Another deception...or is he expected to redshirt?

Yet Another PA Prospect - Click Me

Offensive Preview Seriously...can someone explain this one? As of the golf outing Pry was gushing over the guy's progress at WR? He's not inelligible, because he's listed at QB. Is someone trying to be sneaky? It wouldn't surprise me, since all the practices and scrimmages are closed to the public. Someone tell me what's the dillio!

You were 3-9 last year. 1.) Toledo didn't really care about all that crap when they bitch-slapped you 24-6. I doubt Shane Conlan will be of much help on Sept 4th either. 2.) You guys were down 10-3 to Can't when Cribbs got hurt. Beating Can't by 22 w/o Cribbs is nothing to pound your chest about. That's why we fired our coach. And..."you would have gone 2-10 against out 2003 schedule? That's pretty laughable from a guy who's team went THREE and NINE!! Your joking to say 5 OL's will be drafted in the 1st roud, right? No one could be that stupid...right?...Right? About your man Austin...we had a similar guy....#6 Rusher in the storied history of Ohio HS Football. He's delivering pizza now. What he did in HS really meant nothing in college. Last I checked, Austin's HS numbers account for 0 points on Sept. 4th. Victor Green just capped a 12 year NFL career. Dwight Smith returned two int's for TD's in the 2002 Super Bowl. How many future NFL stars were on the Toledo roster when they waxed you a few years ago? All of that gets you Z-E-R-O points on Sept. 4th. After going someting like 20-24 with 1 bowl appearance since the 2000 season...I'm glad you have something to hang your hat on. See the "We fired our Coach" quote listed above. "Penn State better be God damned scared of the Zips on September 4th. If you thought losing to Toledo was bad...wait till you see the Sportscenter highlights of Joe/Gram Pa crapping his Depends when he looks at the final score." Blue Roo Brew Crew President Captain Kangaroo 3-9 and talking smack. Give me a break...

I appreciate the info. To be honest, I couldn't know less about this year's PSU team. Other than Mills, there's really no marquee names? Last time we played (1999), Lavar Arrington and Courtney Brown we houshold names. BTW: If any PSU "lurkers" stop by...if you could give some advice on a good public lot to tailgate in, I'd appreciate it.

150 lbs? Must be a pretty fast kid? I couldn't find much about him on the web either (as opposed to Tuzze, who is plastered everywhere). Maybe it's because he plays in the metro DC area and doesn't have a "local" paper (Washington Post only devotes so much space to HS football).? Who knows...two early verbals is 2 more than we've ever had, so I'll take it.

Memo to Existing University of Akron students: Pay no attention to this quote! If sneaking kegs and grills on Zips Express busses is a problem, please consult me. I did my Masters thesis on this very topic!

Does The University dare pursue another off-campus stadium after the Rubber Bowl dies? Would it change your mind if it were a first-class, 25,000 seat stadium? Hey....people drove to The Colesium to see the Cavs, and this would be the exact same distance from downtown Akron? Things that make you go hmmmm.... Group has goal: Soccer in Summit Public financing needed for stadium Wednesday, August 04, 2004 Steve Luttner Plain Dealer Reporter More than 100 acres have been assembled in Summit County as the potential site of an outdoor soccer stadium, officials said Tuesday. Paul Garofolo, president and general manager of the Cleveland Force indoor soccer team, said he and others who support bringing an outdoor soccer team to Northeast Ohio will meet with Summit County officials next week to discuss financing the stadium. "We're making progress," Garofolo said. "We need to zero in on commitments on the public side of the funding so we know where we are, what kind of project we could afford to build." Bert Wolstein, a longtime associate of Garofolo's, had been leading the drive to bring an outdoor soccer franchise to the Cleveland area until he died earlier this year. It is unclear who now is spearheading the effort, but representatives of Wolstein's family are expected to attend next week's meeting, said Joe Migliorini, director of the county's community and economic development department. Garofolo said there is an option to buy the land that has been targeted, meaning the purchase would not happen if the stadium doesn't materialize. He would say only that the land is in northern Summit County. Migliorini said the land lies between the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 271. Wolstein was pushing for a 25,000-seat open-air stadium that could be used for soccer as well as concerts and high school and college football games. Wolstein had a letter of intent from Major League Soccer to establish a team in Northeast Ohio. He estimated the stadium would cost $110 million, and pledged to contribute $20 million. The remainder would have to come from the public. Garofolo said he does not envision needing a ballot issue to raise public money. A possible source of financing includes boosting the countywide real estate conveyance tax - a one-time fee incurred when real estate is sold. Officials also are examining tax-increment financing Migliorini said the stadium could provide an economic boost to Summit County, particularly if there is adjacent development such as an upscale shopping center.