Thursday, August 14, 2003

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

One in a series on top high school football players in the WPIAL and City League.

Craig Bokor figured he could become a superstar in only one sport, so, as an eighth-grader, he quit football to concentrate on basketball.

It seemed as if he made the correct choice when he was named an AAU all-star for his performance during the summer basketball circuit that year.

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But there was one problem -- he weighed 330 pounds.

"And it wasn't just that I was that big, I was a terrible, sloppy 330 pounds," said Bokor, now a 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior two-way lineman for Hopewell and a Pitt recruit.

"I thought about it and realized that maybe I was built more for football than basketball, so my priorities changed again and I decided to join the freshman football team and see if I couldn't make football my primary sport.

"Now, I just play basketball just to keep in shape for football."

Bokor's decision to return to football was a good one. He blossomed into one of the top football players in the state last season when he dominated along the Vikings' lines.

Hopewell Coach Dave Vestal said that, although Bokor's breakout season didn't come until last year, his talent always has been evident and his star has been rising since his freshman season.

"You don't see too many 300-pound freshman to begin with, so his size is what caught our eyes first," Vestal said. "After we saw him move around, we realized how athletic he was, and that's when it was evident he was capable of becoming an excellent player. He's big, but he is fast and has great feet."

Bokor's size was an asset for an offensive lineman in freshman football, but Vestal and the other coaches worried he was too big and that the extra weight would hurt him when he reached the varsity.

Bokor said he knew he wasn't able to move as well as he needed. He went on a mission to lose the weight and regain it the right way. He went from 330 pounds as a freshman to 215 as a sophomore, then changed his diet and workout regimen and focused on adding muscle and improving his strength.

"It was almost like I had to start over because when I got down under 220 pounds I lost most of my strength," he said. "I had to learn how to play at a lighter weight until I got stronger, but my attitude toward eating junk food and carbohydrates changed along with my attitude towards conditioning. Slowly, I worked my way back to about 260 pounds by my junior season, but it was a good 260, and I was in great shape."

Vestal said: "If you see him now, it is impressive. He filled out in all the right places. That's why he had so many schools after him. You don't find many guys who move as well as he does at his weight."

Bokor plays left guard and defensive end for the Vikings, but he will play defense at Pitt. His strength and speed make him a formidable pass-rusher and run-stopper.

Last season, the Vikings won the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA championships, largely because their lines overwhelmed opponents. Several other linemen were honored as all-section and all-state players, but Bokor was the one college scouts coveted. Soon after the season, he began to receive scholarship offers.

"Sometimes, those all-star things are political, but he was all-conference and all-state in our book," said Vestal.

"I know that throughout the playoffs and especially vs. Perry and Strath Haven, we ran over the left side of the line almost every play because he and our left tackle were just moving people out."

Bokor knows that his status as a top prospect will make him a marked man this year, but he said he is ready for the challenge. He also said that even though the Vikings lost many of their top players from last year, they aren't ready to relinquish their titles.

"I play rush end, so I get double-teamed anyway," he said. "But, if teams go away from me, I'll do what it takes to make plays. I'm up for the challenge. I know a lot of people are talking about Moon and Blackhawk, but we're still the champs until someone beats us. And we're not going anywhere."

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