Doug Worthington enjoyed an excellent junior season last year. The 6-7 ½, 250 pound defensive end tallied 63 tackles (27 solo), five sacks, two forced-fumbles, 11 QB pressures, and had one pass break-up for St. Francis High School (Athol Springs, NY), earning second-team All-State honors.

While Worthington is satisfied with his level of play last season, he was just happy to be at St. Francis. His previous school, Turner-Carroll High School, closed down following his sophomore year. Worthington hoped to find a school with the kind of athletic and academic environment he desired, and decided on St. Francis. His choice has proved valuable for both parties.

“My school closing was real difficult at first because I didn’t know if I could find a school with good academics and a good catholic education,” Worthington. “When I first started looking though, all of these schools were calling me, kind of like my own little recruitment. I chose St. Francis because I liked [Head] Coach [Jerry] Smith and thought it would be a great place for me athletically and academically. Since I’ve been here, everybody’s been like a close family. Everybody’s real open. I thought it would be hard, but I love it…I don’t know what else to say.”

Turner-Carroll suffered from a lack of resources to devote to the football program, which did not have a true Defensive Line Coach in place. Worthington had to basically coach himself throughout his sophomore season, relying upon his tremendous athleticism to earn third-team all-state honors.

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