Mounties' Benzinger Talks About Commitment to Wake

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- The world of 65,000-seat stadiums and nationally televised Saturday afternoon games seems very distant from the practice fields of Mount Greylock Regional School.

 

And that is just where Jake Benzinger wants to keep it -- for now.

 

"This year, we definitely have some goals at Mount Greylock, and that means me being a big part on both offense and defense," Benzinger said during a break between practice sessions on Monday afternoon. "We have a great team this year, and I think we can do come great things if all of us stay focused on both sides of the ball."

 

This time next year, Benzinger will be spending a lot more time focusing on the offensive side of the ball.

 

Last week, he announced that he would attend college and play offensive line at Wake Forest University.

 

Benzinger was recruited by first-year Demon Deacons coach Dave Clawson, who played his college ball at Williams under Dick Farley, a Williamstown resident who helped connect Clawson with the 6-foot-8 three-sport standout.

 

Benzinger said he has had a couple of opportunities to visit Wake Forest's Winston-Salem, N.C., campus and liked what he saw.

 

"I went down there for a camp, and then I went down for a second visit," he said. "I committed a week after.

 

"That's when it really happened -- at the camp. They were really interested, and I really liked what they were doing there. ... The way coach Clawsonr runs his team, he has some great rules and brings a lot of intensity to his team."

 

And a lot of wins to the programs he has coached.

 

Clawson has a career record of 90-80 with stops at Division I-AA (FCS) Fordham and Richmond and last year at Bowling Green.

 

At every stop so far, he has taken a program in the right direction.

 

At Fordham, the Rams were 0-11 his first year but 10-3 and 9-3 with an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals his last two years. At Richmond, the Spiders were 3-8 his first year but then went 26-12 the last three years, going as far as the FCS semi-finals his last season.

 

His Bowling Green teams went to three bowl games, including last year, when BG knocked off then No. 14 Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship game to go to the Little Caesers Bowl.

 

Now, Clawson takes the helm at Wake Forest, which has not finished with a winning record since 2008, when it went 8-5 and beat Navy in a bowl game. Last year, the Deacons lost their last five to finish 4-8.

 

Playing in Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest plays the likes of Clemson, Miami and defending national champion Florida State. The Deacons also face conference foes Boston College and Syracuse and have a non-conference series against West Point, which means that Benzinger's family and fans will have a few relatively short road trips.

 

Although Wake Forest may not have cracked the top 25 in the AP football poll in recent years, it ranked 23rd on U.S. News and World Report's most recent ranks of national universities.

 

And while he earns his degree, Benzinger will have a chance to compete on some of college football's biggest stages.

 

"That's very exciting," he said. "That was definitely one of the appeals. I was looking for a great academic school and great football. That was the most appealing part. It was a great fit for me and my family.

 

"I was just really happy. That's why I committed."