JOE MONTE Beaver Local (Morning Journal photo)

GREENFORD — Beaver Local graduate Joe Monte didn’t see much athletic action in the back half of his senior year, but he wasn’t about to sit out the capstone of his career.

Weeks after the close of the track and field season in which he missed most of due to injuries, Monte is going to press his luck as a wide receiver in the 2022 Penn-Ohio Stateline Classic slated for 7 p.m. June 23 at Geneva College’s Reeves Field.

“I tore my quad at the beginning of (track season) and that put me out just about the whole season,” Monte said. “As soon as I was able to come back, we had a meet at East Liverpool and I tore every ligament in my right ankle doing the long jump. That ended my season and it was a bummer, but there is nothing you can do.”

Monte had high hopes heading into track and field season as he qualified for the state track meet in the long jump as a junior and was a member of two sprint relay teams that placed at state in 2021.

“It was disappointing for my senior season to go down the drain, but there is nothing you can do but try to get past it,” Monte said.

The two sprint relay teams he was a part of in 2021 did place in 2022, so it may have been even higher finishes if he had been healthy.

On the Beaver Local football team that went 7-3 and qualified for the Div. IV playoffs, Monte was a key contributor with 104 carries for 610 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 115 yards.

The Youngstown State University track and field recruit is planning to play wide receiver for the Buckeyes in his last football game if he’s healthy enough.

“I never really went to the doctors for it,” Monte admitted. “I just kind of gave it its time. I know it’s too hurt to run track, but I knew if I gave it some time I could play in this game. It still gives me some problems here and there but I just have to get through it.”

He said for the first practice on Monday, he slapped a brace on it and just “went and did my thing.”

Other than feeling a little out of shape, he said he felt fine after the first practice.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Monte said.

• Ohio’s roster included 30 players on Tuesday. There was a lot of scrambling to fill out a roster which had some glaring omissions.

Salem and East Liverpool did not send any representatives to the game. Game organizer Larry Baughman said the Potters couldn’t find anyone who wanted to play and the two Quaker representatives had orientation on the day of the game.

Leetonia’s Mike Miller and Toronto’s Shane Keenan, a Youngstown State recruit, dropped out on Tuesday.

Eddie Clancy of Columbiana was able to fill one of the vacancies.

The maximum roster size is 37 and there are not expected to be any more additions.

“The challenge wasn’t putting it together,” Springfield and Ohio head coach Sean Guerriero said. “The coaches in the Quad County Coaches Association do a great job of putting names up and trying to give us the best available players.

“Coming down we had to make adjustments like you do at all All-Star games. You get kids who decide not to play or they have something scheduled or have something else that deters them from playing. But we had a good backup list and we were able to pick up a few kids late and I think we have a pretty good team overall.”

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