Article published October 19, 2007
MEALER IS LIGHT . . . ON HIS FEET
Basketball helps big Wauseon lineman impress Michigan
Tight end Elliott Mealer (6-6, 301 pounds) is a bigger target than teammate Collin Price, a 5-9, 167-pound split end.
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THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER
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By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
WAUSEON - From the time he was a little boy - if Elliott Mealer could have ever been considered little - the Wauseon senior football standout dreamed of one day becoming an Ohio State Buckeye.
So, when Ohio State's rival - the University of Michigan - first showed recruiting interest in him, Mealer had to rethink his aspirations.
The 6-foot-6 Mealer, who began his final high school season weighing in at 301 pounds, rethought things and verbally committed to the Wolverines last spring.
"Last December I was called into the office at school and coach [Mark] Emans introduced me to a coach [Mike DeBord]," Mealer said. "After he left, I asked coach, 'Did he say Michigan?' I thought maybe there was a Central or an Eastern he sneaked in there somewhere. That was a very exciting moment for me."
Some may ask Mealer, Why Michigan? Others might ask Michigan, Why Elliott Mealer?
With size a given, what convinced UM and other Division I programs that the Indians' tight end/defensive end was scholarship-worthy was Mealer's mobility at that size. He owes his agility and relative quickness to his other sport, basketball, which he has played since fourth grade."Basketball has kind of been a blessing in disguise for me," Mealer said. "It was always something I loved as much as football, and it has helped me. People don't realize how quick you can get playing basketball and moving up and down the court. That helped me a lot."
A third-year football starter, Mealer has started on the Wauseon varsity basketball team since his freshman year, last year averaging 13.1 points and 9.8 rebounds for the 16-7 Indians.
"He moves well for his size, he's got solid footwork, and his overall athleticism for that size is probably what impressed them," said veteran Wauseon basketball coach Ken Burgei. "Elliott has worked real hard on his footwork and done some special training to improve. It's paid off for him.
"Another thing is he's very coachable, and he's interested in the details of the game and working on the little things that will help him get better."
Emans - Wauseon's 18th- year coach and a former football standout at both Eastwood High School and Bowling Green State University - returned to his prep alma mater for an impromptu visit last Jan. 25 to meet DeBord. UM's offensive coordinator was there to watch a Wauseon-Eastwood basketball game to see how well Mealer moved. Mealer obviously passed that test.
"A lot of kids have good talent," Emans said, "but you can't coach 6-6 and 300 pounds. That's just something he has, and that's the most important thing [college] people are looking for.
"He should do well at that level. He's got so much untapped ability. What we do in our offense is not what he's going to be doing the next four years. What's best for us at Wauseon is not necessarily what's best for Elliott. Michigan will bring that out of him."
Mealer had 13 other Division I scholarship offers, including Big Ten invites from Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue and Northwestern. Despite attending camps at Ohio State every summer from 2003 through 2006, there was no offer from Mealer's once beloved Buckeyes.
"It took me a while to adjust my thinking to Michigan," Mealer said. "But when I went there [Ann Arbor] for an unofficial visit, I loved the campus from the first time I saw it. I started to think that maybe it won't seem so hard to sing Hail to the Victors."
An AAU basketball participant since seventh grade, one of Mealer's longtime teammates on his Perrysburg-based Great Lakes team has been another Michigan recruit, Whitmer's Kevin Koger.
Like Mealer, Koger is a tight end/defensive end. Koger is projected to play tight end for the Wolverines while Mealer is slotted for offensive tackle.
As for now, Mealer is focused on Wauseon's chance at earning a share of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League title. The Indians (5-3, 5-1) must beat visiting Archbold tonight to set up a possible co-title opportunity next Friday at Patrick Henry (8-0, 7-0), which is ranked No. 3 in the Division V state poll and has already secured at least a share of its sixth straight NWOAL crown.
"I've got two games left in my high school career and I guess we couldn't be in a better position than we are right now," Mealer said. "We can still win the league if we win out. It's been fun. I'm going to enjoy these last two games with my teammates and my coaches."
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