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Sports

Dave Bowen Shines At The Prestigious Big 33 Game

The Radnor offensive tackle looked college-ready Saturday night.

HERSHEY, PA—He looked different in so many ways. Not that long ago High School's Dave Bowen wore the “project” tag. All 6-foot-7 of him. Boston College extended a football scholarship to Bowen in the hopes he would develop into something that could help the Eagles win some football games in the brutal Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He was thought to be a few years away, possibly three from seeing the field.

Guess what?

The Boston College coaching staff may have to reconsider those plans, because the Radnor left offensive tackle looked college-ready Saturday night against the Ohio all-stars in the prestigious Big 33 Game at Hershey Park Stadium. Ohio won the 54th annual game, 50-14, in the biggest loss in Pennsylvania history. But it was absolutely no fault of Bowen’s.

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He was dominating at times, pass protected very well, with the exception of one sack he permitted. Otherwise, Bowen held his own against the best players from Ohio. Bowen’s parents were there, as was Radnor head football coach Tom Ryan and Red Raiders’ offensive line coach Mick Bonner, who’s played a major role in Bowen’s development.

“It was a great honor to play in a game like this, it really has helped my confidence,”
Bowen said.

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Ryan and Bonner had Bowen under a microscope, watching his every move. And the two would have been more than forthright in breaking down Bowen’s mistakes. They didn’t see any.

“I don’t even know where to start, emotionally when they announced his name, ‘Dave Bowen, Radnor High School, going to Boston College,’ Mick and I got goose bumps, literally,” Ryan said. “We’re a small school and Dave and Johnathan Coleman [a Radnor graduate playing for Boston College] have helped put Radnor back on the state map. We know how much Dave’s worked for this. That’s the thing, where Dave was and where he is. What you don’t see is how much work Dave put into this. Dave and Coach Bonner put time into Dave’s speed and his footwork. You can have size alone, that’s one thing, but he has really worked his tail off. Everyone I spoke to said Dave’s footwork is the best footwork they’ve seen from an athletic offensive lineman of his size.”

Bowen was easily one of the few bright spots on what was otherwise a dismal night for the Pennsylvania all-stars. What stood out was as other Pennsylvania players seemed to have already flicked the surrender switch, Bowen still had his helmet on, buckled up and ready to keep fighting. He even got into a few shoving episodes, not easily swayed by the Ohio defensive linemen. Bowen has come a long way from the somewhat lanky 14-year-old that appeared in Ryan’s office a few years back wanting to give football a shot.

“Dave went from 265 to 295 pounds since November, and that came from eating right and listening to coach Bonner, training and doing everything the right way,” Ryan said.

“Dave was sweating and squatting on Friday afternoons and closing the place when everyone left. It’s why I’m so proud of him. He’s done everything Coach Bonner and Boston College have asked him to do. I saw it every day. I think it’s going to come. One of the highlights of my 20-plus years of coaching is when Dave Bowen and Johnathan Coleman break a Boston College huddle together, two small-school Radnor graduates at a major Division-I program.”

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