www.the-review.com/news/article/3684281 -
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Published on: 4/24/2008
Last Visited: 4/24/2008
Guest speaker Joel Penton, right, a former Ohio State football standout, shares a light moment with Mount Union College junior football player Isaac Fields, a Michigan Wolverines fan, Wednesdsay night on campus.
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Joel Penton, a Van Wert native who played Division I football at a Columbus university, reached out to students and adults at an outreach program held at an Alliance college.
Penton, who became infatuated with football when he was 9, addressed a crowd during the "Praise God in the Quad" event, sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ, in the Mount Union College crowd on Wednesday night.
Penton, 24, a member of the Ohio State football team from 2002-06, bypassed a shot for a professional football career and accepted a job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
"I remember playing in the Hula Bowl after my senior year at Ohio State and I heard there was a chance I might get a shot, but I accepted a job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and haven't regretted it," Penton said.
While at Ohio State, the 6-5, 290-pound Penton earned playing time on the defensive line coached by West Branch graduate Jim Heacock his last two years.
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"One thing I learned while I was at Ohio State was the power of faith," Penton stated.
His indoctrination came after he reported to camp for his first summer workout in August 2002.
"I was fresh meat coming out of Van Wert," Penton recalled.
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"Over half of those seniors said we needed to have faith in our teammates, faith in our coaches and faith in ourselves in order to be successful in 2002," Penton reminisced.
One senior's message impacted Penton the most.
"We had a walk-on defensive back named Chris Conwell get up and say, 'Guys, we're going to win the National championship,'" Penton confided."As a freshman, I was shocked to hear that."
Penton, who was red-shirted in 2002, watched the script play out for the Buckeyes.
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"Everybody said we were going to get killed by 50 points, except our seniors," Penton said."I remember how hard they prepared for the game.They looked at the films and said, 'Look at this mismatch', or they said, 'We can beat them, because they're overrated.'"
Two overtimes, a Maurice Clarett touchdown run and a Cie Grant hurry on a fourth-down pass and those seniors' faith was rewarded with a win over Miami and a national championship.
"I remember two things after that game," Penton said."I remember what Chris Conwell had predicted and I realized how the power of faith enabled the seniors to lead us to win that championship."
Penton was a 6-4, 235-pound junior left guard and defensive left end at Van Wert in 2000.That was the year when it made the Division III state championship game in Canton, meeting Canton Central Catholic in its own environment.
Van Wert entered the playoffs 6-4. losing 41-7 to Defiance in a regular-season game.It regrouped to beat Big Walnut, Bellevue, Columbus Watterson and Portsmouth in the playoffs, advancing to meet once-beaten Central Catholic.
"We didn't have any great players, but we all came together once the playoffs started and played together as a team, and beat some good teams to get to that championship game," Penton reflected.
Penton, who recorded 138 tackles in his junior season to earn All-Ohio honors, helped underdog Van Wert take a 26-20 lead in the second overtime.
The Cougars, who missed the extra-point kick, needed one defensive stop to capture the state title.
"The thing I remember most about that Central Catholic game was I had broken my chin strap and was out," Penton rehashed.
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"That's the way it goes," Penton smiled, a smile which ensured his inner-peace he developed through his faith."It was still a great high school game."
While Penton emphasized the importance of faith, he stressed it was worthless without a trustworthy object -- Jesus Christ.
"I learned that my third year (red-shirt sophomore year) at Ohio State," Penton grimaced.
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"We got killed," Penton said."The reason we got killed was we were young and weren't trustworthy in an object."
Penton connected that thought to Christian trust in Jesus Christ.
"I loved football, because of the violence, but I'm not filled by football the way I am with Jesus Christ," Penton noted.
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