Every incoming college student goes through a bit of culture shock when they go to college. For Sean Bedevelsky, it was more than that.

As a starting quarterback for Brunswick, Bedevelsky piloted a program that year-in, year-out was one of the best in the area, culminat­ing with a state semifinals berth in 2007.

Bedevelsky

That’s why Lake Erie College — a program that was in its first year as a varsity team — picked him to be their leader.

Bedevelsky will enter his third year as starter and lead the Division II Storm tonight as they open the season at Gannon University.

“It’s been a huge change coming from Brunswick, where you’re expected to win,” the 20-year-old said. “Obviously, to start out it, was rough. But we’re coming along and going into the Great Lakes Intercol­legiate Athletic Conference is going to be a tough challenge, but we’ll come to play every night.”

Bedevelsky is the only quarter­back the program has known, start­ing all 22 games and helping the Painesville school to a 7-4 record last fall.

The 6-foot, 190-pounder threw for over 2,200 yards for the second con­secutive season in 2009 and had 15 touchdown strikes to go with nine TDs coming on the ground.

To be exact, “Beda” led the team in both passing and rushing, recording 2,081 yards passing in the air, which included five games with at least 200 yards passing, and 640 on the ground. His best game a season ago came in a game against Ohio Dominican when he tossed for a career-high 337 yards and three TDs. “I’ve ran out of ways to positively describe Sean. He continues to get better and better,” Storm coach Mark McNellie said in a press release. “His arm is as live as ever, his feet are quicker than ever. Those things aside what makes him go is his decision making and leadership. “He is a natural leader and has the uncanny ability to make decisions on the move that I’ve never encoun­tered before. He is what makes us go.”

An All-Ohio selection as a Blue Devil, Bedevelsky led the school to a regional championship and is one of the top quarterbacks in several sta­tistical categories all-time in Medina County history.

“We’ve done a great job so far, but there is a lot of work to do,” he said. “I just try to go out and lead as because I can.”

Bedevelsky is one of a host of juniors that are ready to lead Lake Erie into the GLIAC and the next phase of building the program.

Fellow Medina Countians Derrick Clement, Cody Furr and Dave Grabowski — all for­mer Cloverleaf standouts — are also poised to help the youthful Storm take that next step.

Clement returns after mak­ing 35 stops last season as a nose tackle, while Furr is expected to see time on the offensive line.

“Almost all of our team is juniors, so we have some expe­rience,” Bedevelsky said. “We have some young guys that I think can help out this year.

“Camp went great and with us being a third-year program, everything is still a little new, but they’re all doing a good job. That’s a positive sign.”

Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com.