Freeport’s Ben Lane and Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock were two of the best high school athletes in the area during the early part of this decade. But while their high school careers overlapped, they faced each other only once.

It was in the 2022 WPIAL Class 4A basketball quarterfinals, and Whitlock’s Leopards got the better of Lane’s Yellowjackets, 62-42. Whitlock had 15 points in the victory.

“On the court, he was hard to guard,” Lane said.

When they met on the football field two weeks ago in a critical PSAC West matchup, Lane and Slippery Rock got the better of Whitlock and IUP, 30-27. Whitlock entered the game leading IUP with 31 receptions, and Lane held him to four receptions for 30 yards. One of his two pass break-ups occurred when he was guarding Whitlock.

“I say, personally, I think I won the battle,” Lane said. “I gave up a play early, first or second drive I gave it up. And it was a settle-in play. My feet were moving too fast, my eyes weren’t where they needed to be. But after that play, I felt like I won that battle.”

Lane added four assisted tackles, and his other pass break-up was in the end zone.

The effort was typical of what is becoming his best collegiate season. Heading into The Rock’s Nov. 1 game against Clarion — SRU (5-2, 2-2 PSAC West) had a bye this weekend — Lane is at 28 total tackles, already tying his career high with three games to go. He also has personal-best four pass breakups.

Deployed mostly as a safety during his first two seasons, Lane has shifted to playing more nickel corner, often guarding one of the opponent’s best receivers, hence his matchup against Whitlock.

Rock coach Shawn Lutz, in his 10th season, said Lane’s athleticism and adaptability enable him to be used in multiple ways.

“He’s had some ups and downs here with some injuries and some things like that,” Lutz said. “But I think that adversity has helped him become a really good player. His athleticism speaks for itself.

“But the best thing he does, he’s really good at covering guys man-to-man. … We can slot him on a guy, and we feel pretty comfortable with him.”

At the end of his freshman season, Lane fractured his shoulder blade and was out until spring practice opened. But though he was able to get back on the field, he had missed much of the offseason conditioning and lifting, and his production took a step back in his sophomore season.

But he took those setbacks, he said, and grew from them.

“I feel I’m a very experienced player,” he said. “I know the system very well. I was playing safety, and now I’m playing a completely different position, nickel. But playing safety, you’re the quarterback of the defense, so you understand where all the pieces fit, you know what everyone’s supposed to do.

“I just kind of feel like all those little battles I have gone through have built me into the player I am today to be able to go out there and play to the best of my ability.”

Down the stretch, Lane and The Rock will be in for plenty of battles. Heading into this past weekend, five PSAC West teams, including Slippery Rock, had two wins in conference play.

Some of the traditional heavyweights have knocked off one another, and upstarts such as Clarion and Seton Hill have pulled a few surprises to put themselves in the mix.

“It’s the wild, wild West,” Lutz said. “It is crazy. … But we like where we’re at right now.”

Lane also likes the direction the team is headed, particularly the defense. He made it a point to single out a number of his defensive teammates who made big plays against IUP.

He is optimistic about his own trajectory as well, though he would like to make a few more splash plays to help SRU get back to the national playoffs.

He is without an interception in his two-plus seasons and hasn’t had a fumble recovery since his freshman season. Once he gets that first big play on defense, he said, others will follow and he will get a chance to show off the athleticism that first caught Lutz’s eye.

“I need some interceptions, I need some fumble recoveries, some forced fumbles,” he said. “… Once I get the ball in my hand, it’s all going to come from there. I told everyone, if I get that ball in my hand I’m taking it to the end zone.”

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