At 5 feet 7, 140 pounds, Darryl Daniels is often times the smallest player on the field.
“Yeah, almost every time,” Daniels said, laughing.
Daniels, though, will be joining a giant of a college soccer program.
When it comes to success over the past two decades, no college at any level rivals that of Messiah College, a private Christian school in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Since 2000, Messiah has won 11 NCAA Division III championships, the latest coming this past fall.
Daniels, a senior at Seton LaSalle, was one of the WPIAL’s top goal scorers the past two seasons. A speedy forward, Daniels led the WPIAL with 41 goals his junior season and had 27 goals and 11 assists as a senior. He was named all-state both seasons. Daniels, who attended Brashear his first two years of high school, finished his career with 80 goals.
It’s a surprise that Daniels is headed to play at Messiah considering up until two weeks ago he was committed to Robert Morris. But Daniels had a change of heart.
“When I went for the visit, it felt so welcoming,” said Daniels, who lives in Brookline. “The team chemistry was great. My faith is important to me. I feel like that’s where God wanted me to be.”
You might be asking why Daniels would choose Division III over Division I considering Division III schools do not give out athletic scholarships. Division I soccer programs give partial scholarships. But Daniels said his financial aid package at Messiah will actually be a little better than it would be if he were to attend Robert Morris, and that also played a factor in his decision, he said.
That’s not to say turning down a Division I program wasn’t difficult.
“Honestly, it was tough giving that up. The status of being able to play Division I soccer and all of that,” Daniels said.
Seton LaSalle coach Ryan Kelly said Daniels should fit in nicely at Messiah.
“It’s a high-quality program and he will be challenged a lot,” Kelly said. “Any flaws in his game he will need to improve to be a big contributor. It’s probably a better starting position from an early contributions standpoint. They’re getting a good player, but he’s going to have to work his butt off.”
Saxton picks a school
One of the top passers in WPIAL football history has made his college choice.
South Fayette quarterback Drew Saxton will continue his career at Case Western Reserve, a Division III school in Cleveland. Saxton also considered Washington & Jefferson and John Carroll, among others.
Saxton, who is 5-11, had a very productive career at South Fayette and finished as the WPIAL’s sixth all-time leading passer with 7,452 yards and 94 touchdowns. As a senior, Saxton completed 157 of 248 passes for 2,749 and 33 touchdowns. South Fayette went 33-3 in his three years as a starter.
Football commitments
Charleroi’s Ryan Workman (California), Knoch’s Gregory Sico (Geneva), Penn-Trafford’s Matt Wilkie (Geneva), Upper St. Clair’s Jack Burton (John Carroll), Pine-Richland’s Vittorio Orsino (Marietta), Latrobe’s Zach Yeshio (Seton Hill), Neshannock’s Mario Manos (Westminster).
Basketball commitments
Blackhawk’s Tailyn Silver (Waynesburg), Chartiers-Houston’s Zach Ford (Waynesburg).
Baseball commitments
Knoch’s Alex Altmire (Gannon), Monessen’s Antonio Rhome (Penn State New Kensington), Monessen’s Cory Fleming (Westminster).
First Published: March 7, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
