WPIAL Alum Q&A – Jon Girvin

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 23, 2017 | 8:04 PM

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Some of the best stories in sports are teams that go from basement-dwellers to championship contenders in a short period of time. For Jon Girvin, he was a part of two teams’ turnarounds in high school, and one in college, too. Girvin, a two-sport standout at Northgate High School, has also been a two-sport athlete at Edinboro University. He is the feature for this week’s edition of the WPIAL Alum Q&A.

Girvin played quarterback on the gridiron, and center on the hardwood for the Flames in high school. In football, his team sputtered to just a 1-8 mark in his sophomore campaign in 2009-10, while the basketball team finished just 3-17. Despite the team’s woes, Girvin earned First-Team All-Conference honors for basketball.

The next year saw both teams improve, although just slightly in football. The Flames won two games on the gridiron, while the basketball team made notable strides, qualifying for the playoffs, a preliminary round loss to Steel Valley. Northgate hoops concluded its season with a mark of 10-13. Girvin was a First-Team All-Conference performer in both sports.

His senior campaign was a special one, as Girvin and his teammates achieved unparalleled success in both sports. First in football, Girvin passed for more than 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns, and rushed for nearly 600 more yards and three scores. The Flames, meanwhile, finished 4-4 in conference play, and made the WPIAL playoffs, losing to Rochester in the first round. In addition to again making First-Team All-Conference, Girvin was named an All-State performer. He concluded his football career with more than 4,300 passing yards and 45 scores, as well as nearly 1,300 rushing yards.

In basketball, Northgate again qualified for the postseason and defeated Freeport and Summit Academy. The playoff run came to an end with a loss to Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals, as the Flames finished 14-11. Just like he did in football, Girvin garnered All-Conference and All-State accolades in basketball.

From there, Girvin joined Edinboro University, and redshirted in 2012. The following campaign, he played nine games at QB, including eight starts. In his action, Girvin passed for 1,448 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, and also rushed for five scores. The Fighting Scots finished 5-6, including 3-4 in Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference play.

That season marked the last time Girvin played quarterback full-time, though, as he did not play in 2014, and returned in 2015, initially as a tight end. Although Girvin still saw limited snaps at QB, he transitioned to defensive end during the campaign. He played in eight games total, passing for 42 yards, rushing for 22 yards and three scores, and recording eight tackles. Edinboro struggled mightily, however, going winless in 11 contests.

The next season, the Fighting Scots enjoyed a revival for the ages, as they compiled a mark of 9-2, including a 5-2 record in PSAC play. Girvin, playing defensive end on a full-time basis, started all 11 contests. He recorded 29 tackles, five sacks, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Additionally, Girvin made a return to the hardwood last winter, as he joined the Edinboro basketball team. He played in 18 games, including 15 starts. Although Girvin averaged just 3.7 points per contest, he led the team with a 5.8 rebound average. Edinboro concluded with a record of 8-18.

Shifting back to football for his redshirt senior year, Girvin has played in five games, notching 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. The Fighting Scots, meanwhile, sit at 5-3 overall, and 3-2 in PSAC tilts.

Jon took time from his schedule to talk about changing positions multiple times at Edinboro, the physical demands of playing basketball, and his favorite high-school rivalry.

Q: What has been the biggest challenge of changing positions multiple times in college?

A: You know, believe it or not, there wasn’t any. I feel if you’re an athlete, you can make adaptions.

Q: Which skills have translated from QB to tight end to defensive end?

A: Knowing what’s coming; I kind of know what is going to happen before the play starts. Red zone is easy for me to read.

Q: How much different is your training and diet as a defensive end as opposed to when you were a QB?

A: It is not different at all. I wasn’t your typical quarterback. I would workout with our offensive linemen.

Q: Edinboro went from a winless team to a nine-win team from 2015 to 2016. What was the biggest key to that turnaround?

A: Energy was huge. Everyone was bought in.

Q: What are the team expectations in 2017, and how have the Fighting Scots preformed thus far?

A: PSAC Championship. We are not where we want to be right now. However, if we win out, we have a chance for playoffs.

Q: What individual goals did you set for your senior year?

 A: All-PSAC

 Q: You also played on the basketball team last year. How did you handle the physical and mental toll of playing two sports?

 A: It was hard to get in shape for sure, but coach (Jack) Corey and coach (Chris) Bess helped me a lot. They are great coaches.

Q: What is your greatest strength as a basketball player?

 A: Being able to jump helps me, since I’m 6-foot-6 and playing against guys who are 6-foot-10 and 7-foot. Also, being strong.

 Q: What factors led to your decision to attend Edinboro?

 A: Coach Kim Niedbala – he is the man. He was a big reason. He coaches at West Allegheny.

 
Q: What is your major and ideal future profession?

 A: Something high-impact. I want to become an Army Ranger, Green Beret, or be on a SWAT team. I need something with a rush.

Q: What has been the most difficult class you’ve taken in college?

 A: All the higher-up human performance classes.

Q: What was your fondest high-school memory at Northgate?

 A: Having coach T.J. Wiley coming to Northgate, and he and I breaking every record ever at the school. There’s also my senior year of basketball, as we almost made it to the championship game with coach Perry Harrop. Two great coaches.

Q: With which team was your favorite high-school rivalry?

 A: Basketball with Sto-Rox, because they are right across the bridge, or Beaver Falls because my cousin, Nick Pettigrew, went there and we would talk trash to each other.

Q: What is your favorite movie, currently or all-time?

 A: American Gangster, or any Denzel Washington film.

Q: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you take with?

 A: A bow and arrows, because it takes after my apache blood, shoes so I could run faster and not cut my feet, and Bear Grylls, because I would easily survive with that dude.

Tags: Edinboro