PARKERSBURG - First-team Parkersburg Catholic all-state defensive lineman Pete Walters has decided to head south - but not very far - to attend the University of Charleston and play college football for the Golden Eagles.
''I really picked the school, and then I can play football there too,'' said the 6-foot, 230-pound Walters, who will be in the pre-med program at UC.
''Academics is why I chose to go there,'' said Walters. ''I really liked the campus, and I decided I wanted a small school. I was about to go to WVU until I really decided I wanted a small school and to be able to play.
''So since I really liked Charleston and had been looking at it seriously in the past,'' he revisited UC and that reaffirmed his final choice for college.
In football, UC is ''looking at me as a defensive tackle or end, something in that area,'' said Walters. ''It's really a pretty good program. They do a good job.''
Walters was a first-team Class A all-state defensive lineman selection as a Crusader senior this past fall. He was a special-mention all-state choice his sophomore season before breaking his leg in the fourth game of his junior year to miss the rest of that season.
At PCHS, Walters also wrestled for the last three years, and even he thought he ''did decently well for not having any experience at it.''
''I was really glad to be at this school (Catholic), and be able to play here with all the good coaches that we have,'' said Walters. ''They're a special group here - they really care about the kids and teach a lot. I like our coaches.''
Walters' older brother Sam preceded him at Catholic as a two-time all-state lineman - a second-team defensive end in 2008, followed by first-team offensive-lineman status as a senior in 2009.
Two years ahead of Pete in school, Sam Walters went to St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. that serves as the pre-season training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He plays defensive end on the football team and will be a junior there this fall.
How much playing time Pete gets this year for the Golden Eagles as just a mere a freshman ''depends on practice they said,'' he indicated. ''So we'll see about that in August,'' when he reports to UC for the start of pre-season drills.
