Gravinese stuck with it at Widener
CHESTER — Chad Gravinese did not want to go through a coaching change following his freshman year at Widener. No player wants their world turned upside down like that, especially after one season.
But when Dave Wood stepped down for health reasons after the 2009 season and was replaced by Isaac Collins, Gravinese knew he had two choices: He could transfer and start all over again or he could stick it out and see what Collins brought to the table.
“We chose Widener for a reason so we decided to stick with it,” Gravinese said.
The senior defensive end is glad he stayed and so is Collins.
Three years later Widener is ranked ninth and in the NCAA Division III playoffs for the 13th time and the first since 2007. The Pride ( 9- 0) begin the national championship quest at home Saturday ( noon) against Bridgewater State ( 9- 1), the second- place team out of the Bogan Division in the New England Football Conference.
For all the seniors, making the playoffs was the culmination of a dream three years in the making. The Pride went 5- 5 in Collins’ first year and 9- 2 last season. Widener had a chance to win a share of the MAC title and earn a spot in the playoffs, but Delaware Valley rallied for a 56- 28 victory in the regular- season finale to spoil that dream. The Pride was determined not to go through that disappointment two years in a row, beating the Aggies, 42- 23, to snap Del Val’s four- year reign as conference champion.
“It was very satisfying,” Gravinese said. “This makes all the hard work worth it.”
Gravinese had to do more than learn a new system that comes with a coaching change. He had to learn a new position. Gravinese played tight end and wingback as a freshman, but was moved to defensive end as a sophomore.
“It was easy for me,” Gravinese said. “I was just switching from one side of the ball to the other. I played defense in high school ( Clearview in New Jeresey). I was a standup defensive end so this defense has fit me well. You have to have the mentality that you just want to play football. I don’t care where I play as long as I’m on the field.”
The 6- 3, 238- pound senior has developed into one of the top defensive linemen in the league. He is third on the team in tackles ( 44) and leads the Pride in quarterback sacks ( six). Wednesday, Gravinese found out he was one of eight Widener players to earn first- team AllMAC honors.
“He’s our hard- hat guy,” Collins said. “Coming from where he came from, his first year he backed up Shane Shumski and we weren’t sure how good he was going to be — and to watch him develop over the last three years into a heck of a football player, I’m happy with all the accolades he receives. I’m certainly happy to have him on defense because he’s the heart and soul of what we do.”
Gravinese is glad he stayed, too.
“It was tough at first because we weren’t recruited by these coaches,” Gravinese said. “We came in with Coach Wood, and with Coach Collins, we had to buy into his system. It’s a little easier for a freshman or a sophomore because you’re young, you really don’t know what to expect, but it’s still learning a new system and getting used to a new coach. Once Coach Collins came in and set his guidelines and rules, we decided that if we’re in, we’re going to be all in.”