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Huskies’ Forcellini headed for Bucknell
When Paul Forcellini shows up for the first Bucknell football practice next season, he should see some familiar faces, even if they weren’t always friendly ones.
The Bishop Carroll running back, who signed a letter-of-intent on Friday to play for the Division I-AA team in Lewisburg, will be joining some of the same Southern Columbia players who beat the Huskies 49-20 in the PIAA title game two years ago.
“I actually met a couple of the guys that I played against in the state championship,” Forcellini said. “It was kind of weird at first, considering they put a whooping on us, but they were really good guys.”
Forcellini, who was named The Tribune-Democrat’s Offensive Player of the Year in December, was plenty good himself. He rushed for 5,056 yards and had 831 receiving yards in his career while scoring 73 touchdowns. A two-time all-state pick by The Associated Press, he had opportunities to walk on as a defender at Division I-A schools such as Temple and Akron, but Forcellini wanted to play offense.
“Paul played very, very well defensively, but his comfort level is on the other side of the ball,” Bishop Carroll coach Craig Sponsky said.
“He likes contact and tackling people, but he loves running the ball.”
Forcellini joins a Bison team that struggled through a 1-10 season under coach Tim Landis a year ago but he sees reasons for optimism.
“It’s definitely a place that can be a winner,” he said. “It’s going to be tough getting back into the swing of things, but I plan on training really hard and hope to step in and make a difference right away.”
Landis can only hope that the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder from Nanty Glo can have as much of an impact at Bucknell as he did at Bishop Carroll.
“We truly appreciate everything he has done for our program,” Sponsky said. “Even though he’ll be gone, he’ll never be forgotten.”
Forcellini also credited those associated with the Bishop Carroll program for helping him excel.
“I’d like to say thanks to all of my teammates and my coaches for all the hard work and all that we were able to accomplish at the school,” he said.
Bucknell’s academic reputation played a key role in getting Forcellini, who was one of the state’s top 50 prospects in a preseason ranking by rivals.com.
“It’s a really great school,” he said. “That was one of the main reasons I chose Bucknell. I’m going to school for business management. Hopefully after four years, it will pay off in the long run.”
Eric Knopsnyder can be reached at 532-5080 or eknopsnyder@tribdem.com.
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