Tom Zetts joins Thunder
July 6, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Mahoning Valley Thunder News Release
Youngstown, OH. - The Mahoning Valley Thunder is pleased to announce that Quarterback Tom Zetts (6'0, 200) has been assigned to the team by the af2 League Offices. Zetts is an af2 rookie and joins Mahoning Valley with three games remaining in the season.
A graduate of Boardman High School and Youngstown State University, Zetts is one of the most prolific passers in the history of the Mahoning Valley. Zetts started 47 games at Quarterback for Youngstown State setting numerous school records. As a member of the Penguins, Zetts recorded school bests for pass attempts (1,094), completions (654), touchdowns (51), yardage (7,643), 200-yard games (13) and completion percentage (59.8). His 8,277 total offensive yards are also tops in Penguins history. In his career, Zetts averaged 161 passing yards per contest and was responsible for 57 touchdowns-third most in school history. In his final three years under center Youngstown State won a total of 26 games.
Zetts earned a number of awards as a member of the Penguins. In 2004 he was named to the Gateway All-Newcomer Team. In the 2005, '06 and '07 seasons he was named a First-Team Academic All-Gateway. Following 2006 he was select Honorable Mention All-Gateway and earned Second-Team All-Gateway honors the following season as a senior. Zetts was one of just eight quarterbacks in school history to throw for at least 300 yards in a game.
Prior to his time with Youngstown State, Zetts was a standout signal caller for nearby Boardman High School. As a Spartan, Zetts was an All-Ohio pick as a senior and earned All-Steel Valley Conference and All-Northeastern Ohio honors as both a junior and senior. As a senior he passed for 1,450 yards with 13 touchdowns and another three rushing scores. Zetts finished his high school career as the fifth all-time leading passer in Boardman history.
In the summer of 2008 Zetts quarterbacked the Parma Panthers of the Italian American Football League in Italy. In his lone season Zetts helped guide the Panthers to an EFAF Cup Championship.
Thunder Head Coach Chris MacKeown:
"Tommy was really impressive when we brought him in for a tryout. He has excellent arm strength and one of his greatest assets is his quick release. He's picked the game up quicker than expected and has shown a good presence in the pocket. As a coaching staff we're excited about what he can do in this league and look forward to having him be a part of our roster."
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