Sports

TOM ROBINSON For the Times Leader

Eric Shrive spent many of his Friday nights last fall playing in the line on both sides of the ball for the West Scranton Invaders.

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West Scranton’s Eric Shrive has been recruited by Penn State football.

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The Saturdays were often reserved for drives to Penn State where, after making an early decision to commit to accepting a football scholarship, he attended all but one Nittany Lions home game. Shrive enjoyed the view a front-row, 50-yard line seat provides, but he looks forward to the day when he sees Penn State football games from a different perspective.

“Running out the tunnel behind coach (Joe) Paterno,” Shrive said when asked what he is looking forward to most. “It gives me the chills just to think about it.”

Shrive, one of Pennsylvania’s most highly regarded recruits and one of the top offensive line prospects in the nation, graduates from West Scranton Thursday. Ten days later, he will be off to State College again, this time to begin the process of trying to land playing time in the storied football program.

“Summer classes start July 1,” Shrive said, “but I have to be there June 28 to start lifting and running.”

Preseason practices begin later in the summer.

“Camp is going to be hard,” Shrive said. “It will be a tough couple of weeks getting ready.”

Shrive, a 6-foot-7, 300-pounder, was a first-team Associated Press Class AAA all-state lineman as a senior. He helped the Invaders to the state playoff as a junior when he played alongside Hubie Graham, another top recruit who received playing time at Illinois as a freshman tight end.

West Scranton graduate Matt McGloin, who is climbing the Penn State depth charts as a walk-on quarterback, combines with Graham to give Shrive feedback on what to expect as a major college football player.

“Matt’s and mine are two totally different perspectives in terms of contact in practice, but he still helps me out a lot with what to expect,” Shrive said. “Hubie helps me out a lot with the mental phase and what to watch out for.”

The anticipation has been building for more than a year after Shrive made the early decision. With help from his former teammates, Shrive is about to embark on his quest to fulfill the potential that so many see in him.