Blue White Illustrated

T here were receptions and kick returns, deep passes and catch-and-runs. But the most remarkable play of Troy Apke's senior season at Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) High may have been one in which he didn't even have the ball in his hands. In a game last October, Apke's Blue Devils were driving deep into Penn Hills territory. But on an option right, their quarterback was dragged down while trying to pitch the ball and fumbled a few yards shy of the goal line. In an instant, a Penn Hills defensive back scooped up the ball and began to race down the sideline toward the end zone. With only daylight in front of him, it seemed like a definite six points for Penn Hills. Apke thought otherwise. Even though the ball carrier had a head start of nearly 10 yards, Apke outpaced six guys over the course of 60 yards and brought the de- fensive back down on the opposite 20, preventing a touchdown. "Everybody still talks about that play, even his teammates," Mt. Lebanon head coach Mike Melnyk said. "[Apke] wasn't even in the picture and it looked like that kid was going to score. Then all of a sudden somebody comes out of nowhere, and it's like, Oh my gosh. Who was that?" Penn State fans might find themselves asking a similar question this fall. With few experienced receivers returning, there is an opportunity for at least two incoming freshmen to make an early impact. Listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Apke "has the tools" to be one of them, Melnyk said. "There's no doubt about it." But as a member of an incoming fresh- man class that includes three other wide receiver prospects, all of whom were rated higher than he was by Rivals.com, the Pittsburgh native's potential can some- times be overlooked. Furthermore, he never goes out of his way to seek the spot- light, nor does he concern himself much with the ranking by his name. He certainly didn't go to many national camps simply for the exposure. "For as many accolades as he has gotten and as much attention as he has gotten, he is still sort of a quiet, humble kid," Melnyk said. "He doesn't walk around with that star aura around himself. He doesn't get too big for himself. Sometimes I would have a hard time getting him to return calls for interviews and things like that. He's just humble and he doesn't like talking about himself." Apke's disdain for self-promotion might make him an under-publicized prospect, but it certainly doesn't mean he's an un- dervalued one. And Melnyk says Penn State fans may begin to see glimpses of his value during his first year. "I think he's ready to play in college," he said. "Obviously, picking up on the offense and being able to absorb what's going on [are important factors]. You can't play in the game if you don't have all the concepts down. But Troy is a smart kid. I don't think he'll have too much trouble with the playbook. He's got the body. He's tall enough. I'm sure they'll work on his strength, and he's got the flat-out speed. "Nowadays in college football, a lot of it is about the speed that you can run with. Troy has that ability, so I think he can certainly go out there and make an impact – if not at wide receiver then def- initely on special teams." Apke demonstrated his speed while tracking down that Penn Hills defensive back in October, but he also displayed it at high school track and field events, despite only competing during his last two years. As a senior competing in the 100-meter dash, Apke won multiple invitationals and placed fifth at the Class AAA state meet in May. His best time, recorded at the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Ath- letic League championships, was 10.81 seconds. His football coach is thankful that the speed translated to the gridiron. "I've been coaching for 26 years, and he is by far the fastest player that I've ever coached," Melnyk said. "He's one of the fastest that I've ever seen on the football field. He has sort of a long stride, so he covers a lot of ground. So sometimes I think it looks like he's moving slower be- cause he's covering so much ground with each stride." ■ QUICK FIX Speedy Troy Apke looks to bolster Penn State's revamped wideout corps THE APKE FILE S T A T I S T I C S Caught 40 passes for 728 yards (18.2 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns as a senior. H O N O R S Was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and was the 73rd-ranked wide receiver in the nation and the 12th- ranked player in Pennsylvania. ... Made the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Fabulous 22 team. | CLICK HERE to see video of Apke in action.

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