Bears' Defensive Lineman Melicharek Feels Right at Home in Trenches
By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- He had never been to Massachusetts prior to making a recruiting visit to Bridgewater State University in 2009.
Paul Melicharek, of Glen Rock, N.J., may not have known much about the area, but he was certainly familiar with the Bears’ football program.
His head coach at Glen Rock High, Alan Deaett, had sent his son, Bill, to Bridgewater State more than a decade earlier and figured the school might be the right place for Melicharek as well.
“He told me his son had good success here and thought I’d do the same,’’ said Melicharek.
Bill Deaett was a defensive end on the first two Bridgewater State teams to reach the NCAA Div. 3 tournament in 1999 and 2000. Melicharek followed the advice of his coach, a native of Rhode Island, and checked out the school in southeastern Massachusetts.
“I came here for one visit with Coach Deaett, met with Coach (Joe) Verria, (the associate head coach) for a long while,’’ said Melicharek. “After that, I just didn’t want to go anywhere else.’’
The Bears are thankful that Melicharek made the decision to leave New Jersey for BSU, just like Bill Deaett had done in the late 1990s.
The senior is one of the best defensive lineman the Bears have ever had, and he recently became only the 11th player in program history to earn all-conference or all-division honors three times.
Melicharek has recorded 101/2 sacks and 45 tackles for a loss while starting all 40 games since arriving in 2009.
Now, Melicharek is capping his career with a trip to the NCAA Div. 3 tournament as the Bears face ninth-ranked Widener University in Chester, Pa., at noon on Saturday.
One of just 11 non-New England players on the BSU roster, Melicharek has made himself at home in Massachusetts.
“It’s become my new home,’’ said Melicharek, a captain who has 168 tackles in his career.
“My mom makes fun of me and says, ‘Now you’re from Jersey, but you live in Massachusetts.’ It’s been a really great time here, meeting all my friends that I’m probably going to have for a long time. I feel like a Massachusetts resident.
“I’m trying to become a Red Sox fan now. Besides that, I’m getting used to it. I love it here and I love how everyone loves football just as much as Jersey. It’s become home to me. The guys I play with and coaches I have, they make me feel like just another guy here.’’
Melicharek has made the New England Football Conference All-Bogan Division first team three straight years. He had 111/2 tackles for loss as a sophomore, 10 as a junior and 18 for 75 yards (including 6 sacks for 47 yards) this season.
At 5-foot-10, 255 pounds, Melicharek uses his speed to make things difficult in opposing backfields.
“Even when he’s not making a tackle, he’s creating problems for opposing offenses,’’ said Bears head coach Chuck Denune. “You look at his stats, his tackles, his tackles for loss, his sacks, they’re all impressive.
“But they hide what he actually does well beyond that, which is he disrupt things in the backfield, and where he may not be the one who actually gets credit for the sack or something like that, anytime you can disrupt and change the angle of the attack of an offense, it creates problems back there.’’
Melicharek, who hopes to continue his football career somewhere next year, credits hard work and help from the coaching staff for his production over four seasons.
“It has all been a dream,’’ he said. “I really didn’t know what to expect when I was coming here. But just the coaches and players have really showed me if you just keep working hard and do the best you can, amazing things can happen.
“It’s great being here. A lot of kids had no idea where my town is (in northern New Jersey). They knew the reputation of Jersey football. They knew what we bring to the table. They definitely let me fit in pretty quickly just because of how much I love football.’’