jtuscano@observer-reporter.com

When Waynesburg College football players walked off the field after last season's finale, head coach Rick Shepas knew what had to take priority in recruiting.

The Yellow Jackets would need to replace their two talented running backs: Ryan Abels and Eric Daniels.

Shepas believes that mission has been accomplished with the addition of Ringgold's Robert Heller, a former Observer-Reporter Player of the Year; and Trinity's Troy Garove.

Heller, who spent the last year at a prep school, enrolled at Waynesburg and should be the favorite to win the starting tailback job.

"We stayed after him even after he went to prep school," said Shepas. "He told us he was thinking about walking on at Pitt. He considered that but at the same time, he could really identify with Abels. He knew Abels a little bit from high school."

Abels left Waynesburg as the school's career rushing leader with 3,985 yards and has his name on just about every rushing record at the college. He had 45 career touchdowns and 270 career points, both records.

Daniels was a multi-threat, running the ball and returning punts and kickoffs. He rushed for 674 yards in his senior season and was 14th in the country with 153.6-all-purpose yards per game.

"It was a process," Shepas said. "We courted Heller long and hard. He'll wear his old No. 3 and Garove will wear his old No. 5. That was Daniels' number."

At Ringgold, the 5-9, 190-pound Heller was a multi-sport athlete, gaining a school-record 3,442 yards, including 1,586 as a senior. He was named to the Associated Press' Class AAA all-state team as a defensive back.

The 5-8, 170-pound Garove had an outstanding senior season, rushing for 1,689 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns. He averaged 7.7 yard per carry and ran for more than 200 yards in three consecutive games. He also returned kicks.

"Troy is a great zone runner," Shepas said. "He's a little smaller than Heller but you can't measure his toughness. He's really durable. We watched him a lot at Trinity."

Dylan Davis, a defensive back and wide receiver for Canon-McMillan, also will attend Waynesburg.

In February, Waynesburg landed Fort Cherry running back Jordan Clemons, who was the Observer-Reporter's Player of the Year last season. Clemons rushed for 1,888 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior.

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