The Case Western Reserve football team edged Waynesburg on Saturday to clinch the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Throughout the matchup with the Yellow Jackets, Patrick Crossey was making a difference for the Spartans defense.

The Plum graduate and senior strong safety had 12 tackles to help Case improve to 9-0 ahead of Saturday’s regular-season finale against Carnegie Mellon.

Crossey, a team captain for the second straight season, has been a stalwart in the defensive game plan in all four of his seasons with the Spartans, and, he said, he’s happy his physical and versatile play in the secondary has helped lift the team to the top.

“I want to do anything to help this team win,” said Crossey, who has a team-leading 67 tackles to go with a pair of interceptions.

“Being 9-0 is a great feeling. That’s right where we want to be. One of our goals was to win the conference and finish (the regular season) undefeated. Whoever we get matched up with (in the playoffs), we’ll deal with them then. But right now, our main focus is on CMU Saturday.”

With at least two games remaining, Crossey could surpass his season-best mark for total tackles. He had 82 last year over 10 games and picked up All-PAC and All-University Athletic Association first-team recognition as Case finished 8-2.

“Patrick is just such a dependable player,” Spartans defensive coordinator Warren Miller said. “We always know what we are going to get from him. That’s basically been the case ever since he stepped onto the campus in 2016. He’s always played with a tremendous football IQ. You are not going to throw too much at him that he hasn’t seen.”

Crossey made an impact right away as a freshman. He played in all 10 games as the team’s strong safety, starting the final nine.

He earned All-UAA first-team honors and finished the season with 64 tackles, third most on the team.

Crossey delivered 68 tackles and picked off a team-best four passes as a sophomore in 2017 as the Spartans went 11-1, captured their first PAC championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

His efforts earned him honorable-mention selection to the All-PAC team.

Miller credits Crossey’s versatility and effectiveness in being able play the run like a linebacker and the pass like a cornerback. He manned an outside linebacker spot for an entire game this season.

“Pat continues to do a great job at being more and more physical,” Miller said. “He’s put in positions where he has to make one-on-one open-field tackles and get off blocks before doing that. He’s usually all over the field making plays.”

Miller points to the example Crossey sets for the younger players, both on and off the field.

“Being a two-time captain speaks volumes about what his peers think of him and his leadership,” Miller said. “He’s his biggest critic, and he’s always working to get better. That goes into how he conducts himself as a leader. The other guys on the team really take notice of what he does every day.

“Leadership is not just being vocal. Patrick is that vocal leader, but he also leads by example, whether it’s been in the offseason program, volunteering to help during the recruiting season, his work in the weight room, in film study or his work in practice.”

Crossey relishes the opportunity to be a mentor to the team’s young players.

“I was in that position as a young defensive back stepping in and playing as a freshman,” he said. “I know the feeling, and that helps me be able to show the way for those younger guys. I want them to know that if they go out there, relax and do their job, they will be fine, and the rest will come. We have a lot of good football players here at Case.”

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