Captain Kangaroo Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Ed Collington, Penn Hills / Ali Bode, Upper St. Clair Thursday, September 02, 2004 By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ED COLLINGTON SCHOOL: Penn Hills WHO IS HE: A 6-foot, 205-pound senior running back who started the season in a big way. LAST WEEK: Penn Hills' season opener against North Allegheny was stopped early in the third quarter because of lightning. But Collington still ran for 197 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 28-7 win. IMPACT PLAYER: Collington has been on Penn Hills' varsity since his sophomore year and has become a bigger part of the offense each season. As a sophomore, he rushed for 316 yards on 62 attempts while fellow sophomore Ken Lewis had 895 on 134 attempts. Last year, Collington led Penn Hills with 959 yards on 109 carries and Lewis had 884 on 158. Lewis has not practiced this season because of a hamstring injury, so Collington is the featured back. "There haven't been too many years when we haven't had a great running back here," Penn Hills coach Neil Gordon said. "I think [Collington] is a great high school running back. The thing he has that the others didn't have is size. He's a big kid. A number of other ones we've had in the past were 5-7 or 5-8." SHOULDERING THE LOAD: Collington missed some of preseason practice with a dislocated left shoulder. He missed two games last year with the same injury. Collington needs surgery on the shoulder. But, if he has surgery now, he will miss the rest of the season. He has decided to play and postpone the surgery. "I wear a brace on it," Collington said. "I know I'm taking a big risk. I'm just praying it doesn't come out." ON THE MOVE: Collington attended Steel Valley High School as a freshman, but transferred to Penn Hills as a sophomore, when he and his mother, Jessie, moved into the Penn Hills district. A MAN CALLED HORSE: Collington's teammates call him "Horse." "They say they have the speed and power of a horse," Collington said. Gordon said, "I'm hoping to ride this 'Horse' this year." THE FUTURE: Collington has a scholarship offer from Akron, but is hoping more colleges become interested. "I think he's a Division I college tailback," Gordon said. --By Mike White Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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