Shrewsbury's Young plans to be a Bulldog at Yale
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Shrewsbury - Watching Joe Young earn five varsity letters on the gridiron and diamond at St. John's, the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder seemed fearless, bouncing up from every bone-jarring hit and brushback pitch so fast it was if he were challenging the author of each hit or pitch to try it again.

Because of that, it was surprising to hear the hint of trepidation in Young's voice as he talked about what lay ahead of him as he makes the move from high school to college.

"I'm a little nervous about the transition, to be honest," Young said. "I mean, I'm really looking forward to the challenge it will be, but when I think about it, all the great players who have gone there, all the brilliant people over the years in all fields who were students there, it can be a little overwhelming if you let it."

Welcome to Yale University.

The 18-year-old Young may be nervous about heading to the Ivy League school in New Haven, Conn., but his high school coach isn't worried a bit.

"Yale is a great fit for Joe and Joe's a great fit for Yale," Pioneers coach John Andreoli said. "He has so much potential at the Division 1-AA level. Just watching the things he did for us, I have no doubt that he's going to have great success at the college level and a great career at Yale."

Last fall Young helped guide St. John's to its third consecutive Division 1 Super Bowl victory, playing several positions, including fullback on off ense, as well as his more traditional position as an end on defense.

"The way Joe played defensive end for us, especially the last three games, was amazing," Andreoli said. "The plays he made - redirecting a very aggressive pass rush, making tackles in the flat, containing plays and forcing them back inside, chasing down ball carriers from the back side - you just can't teach the position the way he played it."

Andreoli believes Young's physical attributes, his intelligence and his football IQ will pay great dividends for the player, his coach and teammates down the stretch.

"Joe is a physical guy that can run real well," Andreoli said. "He worked on his strength all summer up at Holy Cross with Jeff Oliver, the Crusaders' strength and conditioning coach. I think he'll enjoy some great years at Yale."

The Bulldogs are coached by Jack Siedlecki, the former WPI football coach who also has served as head football coach at Amherst College.

"We're excited about having Joe in the program here at Yale," Siedlecki said. "I expect him to compete for a job along the defensive front, either at end or tackle. He has a big frame, plays hard and comes from a great high school program, all pluses for us."

At St. John's, Young was a two-time Division 1 football all-star, won the Corsac Award - given to the Pioneers' Most Valuable Player in the annual Thanksgiving Day game with arch-rival St. Peter-Marian - and was the 2006 Central/Western Mass. Division 1 Super Bowl game MVP.

Academically he was named a Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation, was an Advanced Placement scholar while at St. John's, received the P.J. Collins Award for Academic Excellence and was a member of the National Honor Society.