This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
In addition to Nate Byham at Pitt and Ben Koyack at Notre Dame (see Cradle of Tight ends page), Franklin's J.J. Horne was playing at Pitt and Oil City's Adam Lehnortt and Ben Lynch were starring at West Virginia. Another Oiler, Ryan Hutchinson, was at Yale. This was all about the same time -- the early oughts. Hutchinson played on Oil City's 1998 D-10 championship team and lettered the next two seasons at Yale, graduating in 2003.
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J.J. Horne, Pitt (Franklin)
J.J. Horne pl ayed mostly linebacker for Pitt from 2002-05, and afterward signed as a free agent for the Dallas Cowboys before being released before training camp.
The 6-3, 235-pounder was the Panthers' third-leading tackler his senior season with 52, including 35 solos as Pitt finished with an 8-5 record.
Horne finished his career with 120 tackles, including 81 solo. He made 4.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He intercepted two passes and broke up seven others. Horne also forced three fumbles and recovered one.
The Panthers were 8-4 Horne's junior year and played in the Fiesta Bowl, falling to unbeaten Utah, 36-7. Horne blocked a field goal in Pitt's 16-13 upset of No. 21 West Virginia on Thanksgiving night. It was the Panthers' first blocked FG since 2000. At the time, Horne had the last blocked extra point for the Panthers, that coming in 2003 against Rutgers.
Horne had started the last three games of his junior year at "Will" linebacker, where he had been battling fifth-year senior Malcom Postell, a two-year lettermen who was the starter most of the 2003 campaign.
Horne, a former star quarter-miler in high school, began his sophomore year as a strong safety.
Horne registered his first sack of the 2003 season in Pitt's 23-16 loss to Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl. The Panthers were 8-5 that season. Horne made his first career start Nov. 22 in a 30-16 victory over Temple. He had four tackles, defelcted a pass and returned an interception 13 yards in that game. He followed that up with eight tackles, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in a 52-31 loss to West Virginia.
Horne saw action in seven of the Panthers' 13 games as a freshman in 2002. Pitt was 9-4, beating Oregon State in the Insight Bowl.
Adam Lehnortt and Ben Lynch, West Virginia (Oil City)
Adam Lehnortt and Ben Lynch played and starred for some pretty good West Virginia teams from 2001-04.
Lehnortt was a 6-4, 230-pound linebacker who was second on the team in tackles in 2003 and 2004.
Lynch was a 6-4, 280-pound nose guard/defensive end who started for the Mountaineers for two years.
Both were All-Big East performers in 2004 when the Mountaineers finished 8-4 after losing to Florida State, 30-18, in the Gator Bowl.
Lynch was named to the first team in the voting by the coaches, and Lehnortt was picked to the second team.
Both were voted season team captains after their senior year, joining quarterback Rasheed Marshall and defensive back Jerry White.
Both landed tryouts with NFL teams after the draft, but neither "made it" as of this writing.
Lynch had tryouts with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants before training camp opened in 2005, and eventually landed a deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, but was waived by the team June 12.
Meanwhile, Lehnortt attended a San Diego Chargers minicamp.
Here is a recap of their collegiate careers:
Adam Lehnortt
Lehnortt played in 546 games for the Mountaineers, making 24 straight starts.
He finished his career with 303
tackles, and was the 19th Mountaineer player to top 300 tackles. He also ended his career in fifth place on WVU's all-time list with 29 tackles for loss.
Lehnortt recovered five fumbles, one of which he returned 21 yards for a touchdown against James Madison, and intercepted a pass.
His career high was 15 tackles against both Cincinnati and Temple in 2003. He also registered 14 tackles against both Pitt and Virginia Tech his junior year.
Other notes on Lehnortt -- received one of four Coaches Contribution Awards after his senior season...invited to played in the Florida Villages Gridiron Classic...named to the Big East All-Academic team...had eight tackles and a fumble recovery in the Gator Bowl game against Florida State...served as co-captain for the UConn game his senior year...named Big East Defensive Player of the Week after the James Madison game in which he made eight tackles and returned an interception 21 yards for a TD...made 139 tackles as a junior when his 11.25 tackles per game ranked 20th nationally...shared the team Defensive Champion Award with Grant Wiley after making 14 tackles against Pitt -- including a sack of Rod Rutherford -- in 2003...he also shared the Defensive Champion Award with DB Brian King and Lynch after the Mountaineers' 28-7 upset of No. 3 Virginia Tech in 2003...Lehnortt had 14 tackles and recovered a fumble that game...had nine tackles in the 22-20 near-upset of Miami that season...WVU shared the Big East title with Miami that season...The Mountaineers lost to Maryland, 41-7, as they finished with an 8-5 record..Lehnortt was part of a goal-line stand in WVU's 21-18 upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech in 2002...He and Wiley teamed to stop Lee Suggs on the 1 on fourth down...Lehnortt played behind MLB Ben Collins, but saw action in all 13 games for the Mountaineers who were 9-4 and lost to Virginia, 48-22, in the Continental Tire Bowl...Lehnortt saw limited action in 2001, and served as a sophomore tri-captain with Marshall and OT Jess Berk...
Ben Lynch
Lynch played in 44 games for the Mountaineers and registered 123
tackles, including a career-high 12 against Temple in 2003 -- to go with four sacks and 22 tackles for loss.
He received one of two John Russell Awards for line play after his senior season.
After he made five tackles against Rutgers his senior year, Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano had this to say about Lynch:
"That nose guard is a legitimate big-time player; he's not easy to move and we've got a 255-pound center (Ray Pilcher) on him. We really had to work to get some movement in the middle of the line."
Other notes on Lynch -- also had five tackles and received the team's Defensive Champion Award for the Syracuse game his senior year...served as co-captain four times his senior year...added 20 pounds from his junior to senior season, but did not lose any of his speed...On one play of the Virginia Tech upset his junior year Lynch tackled Kevin Jones for a 2-yard loss on a third-and-less-than-a yard...after that play one of the ESPN announcers raved about Lynch's play all night against Hokies center Jake Grove, a 6-3, 300-pound All-America candidate...VPI was averaging 249.3 yards per game rushing, but got only 65 against WVU; Jones was held to 57 yards on 11 carries...Lynch, Lehnortt and DB Brian King shared the Defensive Champion Award for their play against Virginia Tech...Lynch also was named Defensive Champion for his play against Cincinnati in 2003...Lynch saw action in nine games in 2002 when he played behind DE Kevin Freeman...he also lettered as a red-shirt freshman in 2001...