Hempfield graduate Justin Sliwoski relishes chance to start at St. Francis

Hempfield graduate Justin Sliwoski hopes to take care of patients someday as a physician’s assistant.

He is good with a different kind of patience, as well.

Sliwoski made his first collegiate start Oct. 2 for St. Francis (Pa.), the first time he started a game since his senior year of high school in 2017.

He went 13 of 20 for 166 yards and threw two touchdowns in a 27-14 victory over Morgan State, adding 57 rushing yards on four carries. He started again Saturday and went 15 of 22 for 202 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-10 rout of Long Island as the Red Flash evened their record at 3-3.

“I knew that as long as I prepared the way I prepared for the last few years, I knew the time would come,” Sliwoski said.

Sliwoski’s preparation included a year at Pitt in 2018, when he often ran the scout team. He then transferred to St. Francis — which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision — and redshirted in 2019. The 2020 season was canceled because of the covid pandemic.

He entered this season in a battle for the top job and saw time in two of the Red Flash’s first four games before taking over as the starter last week.

“What’s really set him apart is making smart decisions, making smart checks,” said St. Francis coach Chris Villarrial, an IUP product and two-time All-Pro offensive lineman with the Chicago Bears.

“His leadership is something that’s, obviously, been really impressive with the whole staff, getting guys lined up and knowing where the ball has to go. His knowledge and IQ of the game has really grown. We’re really happy with where his development is right now.”

Sliwoski, Hempfield’s all-time leader in passing yards (4,004) and touchdowns (40), threw his first collegiate TD on a 23-yard pass to Kahtero Summers midway through the second quarter against Morgan State.

“We had single coverage on one of our best receivers,” Sliwoski said. “I threw it over the corner, and it was definitely one of the coolest experiences I ever had to throw my first college touchdown in my first start.”

Sliwoski’s road to that start began on a Pitt team that reached the ACC championship game before losing to Clemson. As the scout team QB, he got to face a loaded Panthers defense that featured future NFL players Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver, Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson and Jaylen Twyman.

“I had to learn very quickly how to put balls in tight windows and make quick decisions,” Sliwoski said. “It benefited me tremendously from a player-development standpoint mentally and physically. … Just to learn the process of college football at the highest level possible was such a unique experience and gave me things I use now and will use through the rest of my life because there were some invaluable experiences. Learning how to watch film, learning how to eat properly and staying hydrated and get better on the practice field.”

With Kenny Pickett entrenched as Pitt’s starting QB, Sliwoski explored transfer opportunities, and St. Francis offered him a scholarship as well as his dream major of healthcare studies.

It certainly didn’t hurt that a former NFL All-Pro was in charge of the program.

Villarrial appreciates Sliwoski’s long road.

“He’s a fighter and a natural leader, and it’s very fun to watch a young man who put so much time into it and worked so hard on and off the field, achieve success,” Villarrial said. “It’s an awesome, awesome feeling.”

Sliwoski already is taking graduate-level courses and plans to pursue his master’s in physician assistant sciences at St. Francis. But he has two more years of athletic eligibility left, and he’s going to use them. After all, he has waited long enough for another chance to start.

“I want to play football as long as I can,” he said. “It’s the best game ever.”