Justin Scholes | 2005-06 Male Athlete of the Year

Justin Scholes
Football
2005-06

Defensive end Justin Scholes was never the biggest or fastest Youngstown State football player, but he gave everything he could to the program and in his final year was honored as a first-team All-Gateway Football Conference performer.

At just 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Scholes often gave up more than 40 pounds and a couple of inches to an opposing offensive lineman, but his drive and determination never stopped him from having a productive YSU career.

He started his last 22 games at defensive end for the Penguins. Prior to his last two campaigns, he battled through injuries to play in 13 games as a member of special teams and a defensive reserve.

As a senior, he was a first-team All-Gateway selection and a second-team academic all-conference performer. He was also a second-team Academic All-District pick.

A team captain, he was a key part of the Penguins' first-ever Gateway Football Championship in 2005. In starting all 11 games, he led the team with 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles while tying for the lead with 10.5 tackles for losses.

For the campaign, he had 41 total tackles, including 24 solo stops. He stepped up his play during the conference slate to record 30 of his tackles.

Entering his final year, he had recorded five tackles for losses, one sack and one forced fumble in three seasons.

The Penguin defense saw drastic improvement between his junior and senior years. In 2005, YSU ranked seventh in Division I-AA allowing just 16 points per game. The Penguins allowed just 133.5 yards rushing per contest and on five occasions limited the opposition to under 100 yards rushing. The defense forced 26 turnovers, ranking 12th in the country in turnover margin.

As a junior, he was once again a second-team all-conference and second-team Academic All-District selection. He started all 11 games finishing with 46 total tackles, including 20 solo stops. He led the team with nine quarterback pressures and finished with four tackles for losses.

Scholes' sophomore season was one he would probably like to forget. After playing in the first two games of the year, he missed all but one contest the remainder of the year with various injuries.

As a redshirt freshman in 2002, he appeared in 10 games on special teams and as a defensive reserve.

In 2001, Scholes was a member of Coach Jon Heacock's first signing class. Scholes was one of seven members of the group that signed with the Penguins after Heacock had assumed his head-coaching duties in late January.

For his career, Scholes played in 35 games. He recorded 92 total tackles, including 46 solo stops, had 15.5 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks.

He owns a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average in Mechanical Engineering and will graduate from YSU in a couple of weeks. He is the son of Bill and Laura Scholes.