The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/157974
wolfpack Football about me, there's a bigger picture." The safety sees the same sense of urgency that Doeren has noted in his classmates, and Byrd added a phrase to the coaching staff's motto to make it: "One Pack, one goal, one shot," for the seniors. "For the guys like Dontae and I, this is our last year," he explained. "We're going to put it all on the line this year, try to the best of our ability and play like we know we can. We want to go out and win an ACC championship and we want to prove to the nation we're one of the best groups of defensive backs." — Ryan Tice Ryan Cheek Flips To Fullback To Honor Injured Friend When head coach Dave Doeren and company took over at NC State, they switched the practice jersey colors of the offense and defense. Previously, the offense wore white while the defense wore red. Starting this spring, it flip-flopped and fifth-year senior Ryan Cheek opened camp in a white jersey while trying to work his way onto the depth chart at linebacker. After teammate and close friend Logan Winkles, who was in a battle for the starting fullback spot with fellow redshirt junior Tyler Purvis, went down for the season with an ACL tear, Cheek felt the urge to do something to honor one of his best friends, whom he calls, "the closest thing to being a brother without the blood. "Somebody went down, so somebody else needed to step up and I wanted to be that guy," he remembered. "It all happened in about 30 seconds. [Winkles] went down, I looked over and saw they needed help. I walked over and asked Coach Doeren if I could go over there to step in." Cheek immediately changed positions and a red jersey was found for him to complete the switch. He found himself back in a familiar color, but he was playing a completely new position just weeks before the final year of his eligibility kicks off. "I thought that said a lot about a senior on our football team doing something for the rest of the guys," Doeren noted. "The next man in philosophy will take place there." The native of Lancaster, Ohio, was one of three linebackers elected to the Wolfpack's Leadership Council in the spring, so it's no surprise that he was willing to make the unselfish sacrifice. He was re-elected to the Leadership Council as one of the two fullback/tight ends in the fall and the 6-0, 235-pounder who has appeared in 34 games during his career and totaled 14 tackles said it was an easy choice to switch sides. Vogedes InsuranceAgency, Inc. 403 S. Broad Street, Edenton, NC 866 360 5222 6385 Croatan Highway #200 Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 488 3041 6345 NorthN. Croatan Hwy, Suite 105, Kitty Hawk, NC 800 800•488•3041 www.vogedesinsurance.com Dry Clean Your Carpets! commercial residential Since 1987 www.bmsdry.com • Environmentally safe "green" system • No soapy residue common to steam cleaning systems • Fully bonded and insured • Safe for children and pets • No waiting on carpets to dry • Proven system – millions of square feet cleaned in the Triangle since 1987 • Wolfpack family owned and operated Ask about our Sure Step non-slip floor treatment! Phone: 919-834-1990 • Fax: 919-834-1998 bms12@nc.rr.com – Commercial jed.barbour@bmsdry.com – Residential September 2013 ■ 51 50-56.Wolfpack Football.indd 51 8/23/13 3:23 PM