SPORTS STORIES:
SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
CHECKAN COULD WRESTLE HIS WAY THROUGH WOOSTER...
CLEVELAND, OH (October 8, 2009) - Corey Checkan’s freshman year, the Case Western Reserve University football team finished 5-5, including a 21-7 loss at The College of Wooster. The Spartans began that season 3-0 like they had two of the previous three, before eventually falling to Wooster and finishing no better than .500.
“A lot of us came in that year [2006] from winning high school programs,” Checkan explained. “We started the season 3-0 just like they had done in the past and then we hit that slide [the Wooster game]. It was unfamiliar for a lot of us, but we turned it around and it has been great.”
That slide turned into a powerful roller coaster Checkan’s sophomore year. Case Western Reserve has road to an 11-1 record in 2007, a 10-1 mark in 2008 and a 4-0 record to date in 2009. In the previous two seasons, the No. 10-ranked Spartans defeated Wooster 30-17 and 28-7, respectively.
“We turned it around by working hard in the off season,” Checkan explained. “Our class [this year’s seniors] pushed the team hard to get in the weight room and to begin conditioning programs. It paid off in changing our winning ways.”
Case Western Reserve has won 25 consecutive regular season games and made back-to-back NCAA postseason appearances. In order to keep both streaks going they need to get by Wooster this weekend. The Spartans enter the game ranked ninth in the nation (Div. III) in total offense [488.75].
“[The win streak] doesn’t add any pressure,” Checkan explained. “Every week we expect to win. That’s just our attitude. We want to have a swagger out there; we don’t want to be over confident. We just go out there and play a great game.”
This Saturday, Case Western Reserve travels to Wooster for the first time since 2006. They lost that game 38-21 and actually have not won at Papp Stadium in over 20 years [since 1987, 20-13]. There is also another milestone on the line; Checkan will be running towards his 1,000-career yard [976, needs 24].
“I had no idea to be honest with you that I was approaching 1,000 yards,” said the fullback. “It’s nice to get the yards and to get touchdowns, but overall it's not what I am playing for out there. I want to, along with my fellow backs, help the team win.”
A more impressive stat for a man Head Coach Greg Debeljak calls “the best short yardage back I have ever seen at Division III level” is his 24-career touchdowns. Checkan has got it done over the last four years and his 1,000 career yards may not seem big, but it is in the Spartans’ offense.
“It’s not a selfish thing,” Checkan explained. “It can’t be when you are rotating five guys in. We have a great relationship, whenever Greg [Meyer], Derek [Bush] or Billy [Deitman] are on the field I am rooting for them to do well and vice versa. We are also a pass oriented team, so when we get our touches, we want to make the most of them.”
Checkan has certainly made the most of his collegiate football career, but interestingly enough he didn’t start it with a pigskin, rather a singlet. He received a Division I wrestling scholarship from Ohio University out of South Side Area High School in Georgetown, Penn. in 2005.
“One of the biggest things about wrestling is that it improves your balance and strengthens your leverage,” Checkan explained in regards to now being a running back. “I know where I want to be. For as short as I am [5’8] I definitely don’t want to be above anyone. The two [balance & leverage] have played hand-in-hand in my football success.”
Checkan, who began wrestling and playing football at age seven, felt he was asked to cut too much weight at Ohio. He played football in high school at between 195-200 pounds, but wrestled at 160. So he already was cutting a significant amount of weight. Ohio wanted him to wrestle at 149.
“It was out of the question,” Checkan said. “But as soon as I knew I was done with wrestling I also knew I wasn’t done with sports. I wanted to go right back to football and fell into a great situation at Case. I am really glad I pursued it.”
One more thing Case Western Reserve will be pursuing this weekend at Wooster is the coveted Baird Brothers Trophy [click here to read more about]. The Fighting Scotts are hoping the return of the Spartans to their campus and the hype surrounding the school’s first ever night game will help them.
“We know how jacked up they are going to be for us and this night game,” Checkan said. “But I don’t think they are going to exceed our level of intensity.”
Speaking of dominating, that’s exactly what the Spartans have done during Checkan’s time in University Circle. This year’s seniors needs two more wins [2006-2009: 30-6] to become the all-time winningest class in school history [1983-86: 31-4-1]. But the road to that and much more is through Wooster.
“Everyone says “take it one game at a time,” Checkan explained. “I know for a fact, especially with our upperclassmen, this game has been circled on our schedule since day one.”
OFF THE FIELD … Checkan is a chemical engineering major at Case Western Reserve and has already prepared himself for life after football. He has spent the last seven months doing a co-op at General Electric’s (GE) lighting division in Cleveland. Checkan will continue to work for them on a part-time basis second semester after his football career is finished. GE has a good post graduate plan, which the Pennsylvania native hopes to also take advantage of. Due to the fact he is involved in the MEM [The Master of Engineering and Management Degree] program and the fact he did a co-op, Checkan is not scheduled to graduate until the Spring of 2011.
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.