Last week revisited Individual and team highlights in district colleges last week: Washington & Jefferson offensive lineman Chris Teter has been selected to play for an American Football Coaches Association Division III all-star team that will represent the United States against the Mexican National Team in the 2006 Aztec Bowl, Dec. 16, in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The United States defeated Mexico last year, 53-15, to lead the series, 8-1. Edinboro (5-1) is ranked 14th in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Top 25 wrestling poll. The Fighting Scots are led by Gregor Gillespie, a 149-pounder who is 11-0 and ranked third in the country by InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News. Pitt redshirt junior Drew Headlee, who won the Cornell Body Bar tournament title at 133 pounds, is wrestler of the week in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Duquesne men's swimming team is ranked 20th in the initial College Swim Coaches Association of America Mid-Major poll. Waynesburg's Jeff Nero is the leading men's basketball scorer in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with a 23.7 average. Washington & Jefferson defender Ryan McDonald, a sophomore from Fox Chapel, was named to the 2006 D3kicks.com Mid-Atlantic All-Region Men's Soccer Team. Robert Morris tight end Jarvis Powers, defensive linemen Matt Brunck (Fox Chapel) and Ray Gensler (Keystone Oaks) and defensive back Mike Niklos were named first-team All-Northeast Conference.

Youngstown State's Jon Heacock was there during the glory days in the 1990s, standing on the sidelines as an assistant next to Jim Tressel, sitting in the darkened room breaking down film and walking in the parade celebrations.

Since he replaced Tressel as the head coach in 2001, Heacock has been telling his players stories about the good times, about the electricity for a playoff game in Stambaugh Stadium, about the excitement generated by the community and about the tradition of the Youngstown State football program.

Now he has a team in the playoffs for the first time as a head coach.

"They [the players] are getting to enjoy what I've had the opportunity to experience," said Heacock, an assistant from 1990-96 when the Penguins won NCAA Division I-AA national championships in 1991, '93 and '94. They also won in 1997 and were runners-up in '92 and '99 under Tressel, who currently is the coach of the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. "The legacy here is determined once you get in the playoffs."

Fourth-seeded Youngstown State (10-2), champion of the Gateway Football Conference and in the playoffs for the first time since 2000, will play host to unseeded Illinois State (9-3) in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Youngstown State defeated then-third ranked Illinois State, 27-13, in a league game during the regular season at Normal, Ill. On a windy afternoon that hampered Illinois State's passing attack, Youngstown State's defense dominated by holding the Redbirds to nine first downs and 161 yards. The Penguins had 24 first downs and 438 yards.

"You're talking about five weeks ago. You can't live on that game. We have not even looked at films of that game for 10 seconds," Heacock said. "The stakes are much higher, and both teams are playing better football. This is a one-and-done deal. The players know that. Last time, you knew there were going to be other games to be played."

Youngstown State advanced with a 35-31 victory against James Madison in the opening round on Marcus Mason's 1-yard touchdown run with 1:12 remaining to rally from an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Mason, a senior tailback who is the Gateway Football Conference offensive player of the year, finished fourth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in Division I-AA.

Mason has rushed for 1,497 yards and 19 touchdowns.

But it wasn't Mason's running that carried Youngstown State to victory against James Madison, which stacked the line to force the Penguins to throw the ball. The JMU strategy backfired because quarterback Tom Zetts passed for a career-high 314 yards and a touchdown.

"We're a run football team first, but they had everybody in the box so we took what they gave us," Heacock said. "We can do more things than we could a month ago. There's no question we're getting better individually and as a team."

Zetts has completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 1,790 yards and 11 touchdowns and is the team's third-leading rusher with 299 yards (4.4 average per carry) and three touchdowns.

Illinois State was a 24-13 winner against Eastern Illinois in the first round. The Redbirds' victory featured interception returns for touchdowns of 45 yards by Jesse Caesar and 41 yards by Jason Tate.

"At this time of year, it doesn't matter how you win," Heacock said, "All that counts is you're still one of the eight teams playing Saturday. Four will still be alive Sunday."

It has been a while since Youngstown State has been in this position.

"Too long for me," Heacock said. "You expect to be playing a football game in December when you come to Youngstown State. You can feel there's a renewed sense of enthusiasm and excitement around here."