Westminster happy QB decided to stay
When Cole Konieczka completed his senior season at Moon High School, he considered several colleges to continue his athletic and academic career.
After narrowing his choices to Westminster and Washington & Jefferson, two of the top programs in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, he chose Westminster.
A few months later, Konieczka wasn’t so sure of his decision.
“My freshman season was a shocker and an eye-opener for me,” said Konieczka, referring to the 2018 season. “I was starting to have some doubts at the end of the season.”
Westminster coach Scott Benzel had a senior and a junior splitting time at quarterback and Konieczka wondered where he fit into the picture.
“I considered transferring,” Konieczka admitted. “I even considered quitting. I was starting to doubt whether I had what it takes to play at the collegiate level.”
Fortunately, Konieczka received some surprising news prior to the Titans final regular-season game against Geneva.
“Coach Benzel called me into his office and told me I would be starting against Geneva,” said Konieczka, who made the most of his opportunity.
Konieczka threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, then threw for 293 yards and three more touchdowns against Wesley in the Clayton Chapman Bowl.
“We recruited Cole with the goal of finding a replacement for our four- year starter Paul Columbo,” Benzel said. “We had a couple of unproven guys and wanted to find a young player who could possibly start all four years. At the end of his freshman year, we gave Cole a chance and he made the most of it.”
Benzel knew he had found his quarterback after watching Konieczka perform in the 42-34 loss to Wesley, one of the top programs in NCAA Division III.
“Cole is an old school gunslinger for those who are familiar with that term,” Benzel said. “A good example of that was our bowl game against Wesley in his freshman year. Cole threw for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted four times. Cole didn’t let that affect his play. He learned from those mistakes and became a better quarterback.”
Konieczka became one of the top quarterbacks in the PAC his sophomore year while leading the Titans to an 8-3 record. He completed 171 of 273 passes for 2,273 yards and 21 touchdowns, while throwing only seven interceptions. His fine performance earned Konieczka honorable mention on the PAC all-conference team.
With Westminster’s campus only 45-50 minutes away from Coraopolis, Konieczka had friends and family attending all of the Titans home games in 2019. That changed in 2020, as COVID19 shutdowns threatened a cancellation of the football season.
“I was so disappointed when they canceled sports in the fall,” Konieczka said. “I was surprised when they decided to have a shortened season in the spring. I was grateful to be able to play again.”
Westminster played a five-game schedule, which included four regular-season games in which the Titans won all four, and the PAC’s championship game against Washington & Jefferson, the other school Konieczka considered during the recruiting process.
Konieczka threw two touchdowns to lead the Titans to a 27-20 win and their first PAC title.
“It was great to get back on the football field after such a long layoff,” Konieczka said. “Winning the title was a bonus.”
The PAC title was a bit of a surprise since Westminster had such a young lineup.
“Two of my top receivers and our top running back were freshmen,” Konieczka said. “So it was a bit surprising. I look at the spring season as a preseason for the 2021 fall season.”
With 18 starters returning, it’s no surprise that Westminster was voted No. 1 in the PAC’s preseason poll.
“Being the defending champion puts a bull’seye on our backs,” Konieczka said. “Every school will have it out for us. Repeating as conference champs will not be easy, but I think we are up for the challenge.”
Konieczka is one of 10 starters returning on offense.
“Three of my top four receivers and our top two running backs are back,” Konieczka said. “And four of our five linemen are back.”
Westminster opens the season Sept. 4 with a nonconference game at home against Mount Union. The Titans begin their PAC schedule two weeks later at Case Western Reserve.
“Mount Union has one of the best programs in Division III,” Benzel said. “And Case Western Reserve won the PAC title in 2019. We will find out how good we are in those two games.”
Konieczka is majoring in biology with the goal of going into physical therapy and will graduate in May, but may stay at Westminster for another season.
“The NCAA is allowing us to play an additional season due to the COVID-19 shutdowns,” Konieczka said. “So I have the option of coming back for a fifth season. I will more than likely take advantage of that option.”
Konieczka was a twoyear starter at Moon. He owns most of the program’s passing records, including career passing yards (3,700) and career touchdown passes (31).