JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com

He is a high-energy kid with a big ticker and an even bigger heart.

He is a prototypical fullback/linebacker type – a hit machine who likes to drag would-be tacklers on offense, and punish opposing ball-carriers on defense.

He was a Section 1 First-Team All-Star selection at linebacker and a Section 1 Honorable Mention All-Star pick at running back last year, when he enjoyed plenty of success on both sides of the ball for Hempfield, which went 4-6 overall, but did some really nice things in coach Bob Forgrave’s first season on the job in Landisville – like those back-to-back shutout victories over McCaskey and Penn Manor at midseason, for instance.

He will again be a key cog in the Black Knights’ attack this season – as the grind-it-out fullback, getting the tough yards between the tackles, and as the football-finding, tackle-making linebacker parked in the middle of Hempfield’s 4-3 scheme.

He is Eric Macik. And he’s a player.

In this audio interview Podcast, hear Eric talk about the success of Hempfield’s defense last fall and why he likes playing linebacker so much; about how some new assistant coaches helped Coach Forgrave tweak some things this summer; about his recruiting trail (Penn State and Pitt have inquired, by the way); and about why the Knights are antsy and anxious to get back in the lead pack in Section 1.

To listen, kindly click on the ‘play’ button above.

And if you’d like to download this Podcast to listen on your favorite mp3 player, you can click here.

Enjoy, and stay tuned for more audio interview Podcasts.

I’m planning on doing more at L-L League football Media Day on Friday. I’ll get those posted as soon as I can.