Wisconsin commit and PJP II OT Kevin Heywood

Kevin Heywood lives only a few hours from Penn State and his sister is a student there.  The 6'8, 310-pound offensive tackle visited State College a half-dozen times.  The rising senior at Pope John Paul II also had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, and more.  In early June, Heywood announced that Wisconsin was the best fit for him.  His relationships with head coach Luke Fickell and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. played a big role in his decision.  Plus, Heywood is aware of the Badgers' track record of sending offensive linemen to the NFL.  He's glad that he can now focus on the upcoming high school football season.  "It's so nice, a bunch of pressure off my shoulder. It feels good. I'm happy where I'm at," Heywood told SV Sports' Paul Roberts at PAC media day.  The four-star recruit will be playing in the Pioneer Athletic Conference after spending last season at Archbishop Wood.  Heywood has high hopes for the Golden Panthers this year.  "Nothing less than a PAC 'chip for sure. We're grinding every single day to get there. We look great," he replied.  Pope John Paul II ran the table in the Frontier Division last fall before losing to Perkiomen Valley 21-14 in the PAC championship.  The Golden Panthers were the District 1-4A runner-up in Scott Reed's first season at the helm.  Reed was the head coach at Perkiomen Valley from 2004-15.  He guided Pope John Paul II to a (10-2) mark last year.  Luke Terlesky and Braden Reed, the coach's son, are back after impressive sophomore campaigns.  Terlesky threw for nearly 1,900 yards with 17 touchdowns while completing 69% of his passes.  Reed finished with a team-high 45 catches for 789 yards and seven scores.  That duo is part of the reason why Heywood has big expectations, and he's not alone.  Penn Live ranked the Golden Panthers #5 in the state in Class 4A in its preseason poll.  "We got a lot of dogs," said Heywood.