Windber Area High School student-athletes announce college commitments

WINDBER — Five Windber Area High School student-athletes made their collegiate plans for the fall official on Monday afternoon.

John Shuster is set to play NCAA Division I football at Saint Francis University, while Blake Klosky will head to Slippery Rock University for football and Jake Hostetler will join the football program at Saint Vincent College.

Anna Steinbeck intends to play soccer at Penn State Behrend, while Veronica Crum will attend Saint Francis for Esports.

Shuster made his presence felt in the backfield as an every-down running back who totaled 6,720 yards rushing and 100 touchdowns over a record-setting four-year career. He accumulated 2,669 yards rushing to pair with 38 touchdowns in his senior season to earn Pennsylvania Football Writers Class 1A honors.

But Red Flash coach Chris Villarrial and his staff, who won their second Northeast Conference Championship in program history last season, are interested in Shuster switching sides and letting him hunt opposing quarterbacks off the edge as an outside linebacker.

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“It’s exciting for sure,” said Shuster of his decision. “I’m just excited for a change of scenery and a great opportunity to go up there and play Division I football. It’ll be nice to just play a different position and get to do the hitting instead of always running.”

Shuster, the son of Jessica and Jeff Shuster, plans to major in environmental engineering.

Whether it was carrying the ball himself, blocking in front of Shuster or stuffing the run defensively, Klosky was a versatile chess piece for coach Matt Grohal.

His college choice was heavily swayed by what the Division II university provides academically.

“I want to get into safety management. Their degree for safety is probably the best in the state so that’s why I chose to go there,” Klosky said. “Football is second.”

The chance to be physical and play downhill as a linebacker in Slippery Rock coach Shawn Lutz’s system aligned harmoniously with what he experienced from a team standpoint as a Rambler.

“It’s a brotherhood up there,” said Klosky. “I’d like to fit in right away because that’s how we are here (at Windber).”

Klosky, who also played basketball and competed in track and field while at Windber, is the son of Jessica and Nate Klosky.

Similarly, Hostetler will battle for reps at both inside and outside linebacker when he steps on campus in August.

“I just felt like it was a good fit for me,” said Hostetler. “I liked their program they have for physical therapy. It’s close to home. I talked to Coach (Aaron) Smetanka. I liked the football program.”

Hostetler found himself around the ball more often than not last season, racking up a team-high 88 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Now he’ll have a chance to build on what was by far his most productive campaign as a member of the Ramblers.

“Being dedicated and being a hard worker pays off,” said Hostetler on what he can take away from his high school experiences. “Just keep working hard.”

Hostetler, the son of Lisa and Barry Hostetler, will pursue a degree in physical therapy.

Steinbeck, a two-time Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association all-state team member, was a major reason why the Ramblers laid claim to back-to-back District 5 championships.

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She made it a goal to pursue soccer after high school even before the onset of her accomplished varsity career that included 104 goals and 68 assists.

“Both of my siblings went and played college soccer so I’ve kind of always looked up at them,” said Steinbeck. “I just knew starting in eighth grade that I wanted to start looking.”

The prospect of being a midfielder for a school that matched a lot of what she was looking for in a new home was too good to pass up.

“Erie is a beautiful area. The scenery is nice up there,” she said of Penn State’s northernmost branch campus. “I’m just really excited to head up there. The school is great. It just kind of has mirrored my hometown.”

Steinbeck, the daughter of James and Cheryl Steinbeck, plans to major in biology.

For Crum, the decision to join an esports program like the one at Saint Francis was a relatively easy choice.

“As soon as I visited Saint Francis for the first time, I instantly felt like I was home,” Crum said. “Being the only girl on our esports team (at Windber), I realized that it’s hard being a girl in this industry. Places like St. Francis foster that community. That was something I just couldn’t pass up. Their communications program is one-of-a-kind.”

Crum, the daughter of Dave and Misti Bowen, will mainly play the game “Overwatch” while working toward a degree in digital media.

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This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Windber Area High School student-athletes commit to colleges