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Davis will play for Purdue; Swartzentruber headed to MVNU
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - February 04, 2010)
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 Messenger photo by Kristy Zurbrick
Danny and Cindy Davis flank their son, Josh Davis, as he signs his commitment letter to play football for Purdue University. Also on hand for the signing were: (back row, from left) Jonathan Alder head football coach Steve Coate, former Alder head coach Barry Blackstone, and Alder positions coach John Snively.
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He came from Indiana and to Indiana he will return, this time as a lineman for the Boilermakers of West Lafayette.
On Feb. 3, national signing day, Jonathan Alder High School senior Josh Davis signed his letter of commitment to play football for Purdue University. The 6-6, 285-pound All-Ohio defensive tackle gives much of the credit for his dream-come-true to his time at Alder.
“The move was one of the most important things to happen in my life so far. Everyone accepted me so well,” said Davis, who transferred to Jonathan Alder his sophomore year. He thanked his coaches, teammates and parents for pushing him to be his best.
“Josh absorbed our coaching from Day 1. He did everything he could do to be a better player every day,” said Alder head coach Steve Coate. “He came here with a dream and a goal to play Division I football…To accomplish that is a great credit to Josh.”
When recruiters started calling last year, Coate said he told every one of them they’d have no problems with Davis.
“He gets good grades, he’s great in the community and he’s a great football player,” he said.
Barry Blackstone, Alder’s head coach when Davis joined the team, put Davis in the same company as Drew Brees, the Purdue graduate who quarterbacks the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. Years ago, Blackstone met Brees and was impressed with him not only as an athlete but as a person. He feels the same about Davis.
“That’s what Purdue University recruits—great people who can play football,” he said.
Danny Davis said his son set his sights on playing big-time football back when he was in middle school.
“I know how hard you worked for it. The hours put into it were countless, and it has paid off,” he said.
Davis considered the University of Illinois, Indiana University and Vanderbilt University before choosing Purdue for its strong mix of academics and football. He holds a 3.8 GPA and is a member of National Honor Society at Jonathan Alder. He plans to study aeronautical engineering at Purdue.
Come this fall, his Jonathan Alder support system will be rooting for him to tackle challenges both on the field and in the classroom at Purdue.
“Wherever our players are, we are fans (of that school),” Coate said. “We are now fans of the Boilermakers.”
Davis is the fifth Jonathan Alder football player to advance to Div. I play in the last decade. Donnie Nickey was a member of Ohio State University’s 2002 National Championship team and plays for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Ben Bates and Zach Hennis signed in 2005 to play for the University of Kentucky. Pete Saxon is a senior at Indiana University.
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Swartzentruber will play goalkeeper for MVNU
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 Messenger photo by Jeff Pfeil
Ryan Swartzentruber (second from left) signs his commitment letter to play soccer for Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Joining him are MVNU Head Coach Paul Furey, Ryan’s parents Krista and Matt Swartzentruber, and Jonathan Alder Head Coach Ivan Mast.
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Josh Davis wasn’t the only Jonathan Alder Pioneer to take part in national signing day on Feb. 3. Ryan Swartzentruber, a transfer this year from Grove City High School, also signed on to play collegiate athletics. He’ll be a goalkeeper for Ohio’s Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU).
“I visited (the campus) and fell in love with it. The whole team was welcoming,” Swartzentruber said, adding that other factors also pointed him to MVNU. His parents, Krista and Matt, are MVNU graduates. The team’s goalkeeper trainer was the same trainer he had at Grove City, and his best friend signed to play there, too.
“It just seemed to be the way the Lord wanted me to go,” said Swartzentruber, who started playing soccer at 3 years old and continues to be very involved in club soccer. This past season as a Pioneer, he earned first-team all-district, all-county and scholar-athlete honors.
“He is a very talented player and, more importantly, a great student,” said Alder head soccer coach, Ivan Mast.
The 3.8 GPA student earned both athletic and academic scholarships. He plans to major in education with the hopes of becoming a high school math or English teacher.
“It’s rewarding to see kids be able to play at the next level, especially when they get some money for it, both athletically and academically,” Mast said.
The MVNU Cougars made the final four in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national championships in 2008 and were 17-7-2 this year. Head Coach Paul Furey is 240-158-30 over the last 20 seasons.
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