Blacklick Valley pair to join St. Vincent football program
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NANTY GLO, Pa. – Blacklick Valley High School seniors Nick Garver and Ethan Luko each made key contributions on the United Valley football team throughout their careers.
The duo especially shined on the defensive side of the ball, and the pair will look to do the same when they play at NCAA Division III member St. Vincent College starting this fall.
Garver and Luko were sophomores when the Lions won the Heritage Conference title in 2023 during the second season of the co-op between Blacklick Valley and United.
• St. Vincent met a lot of Garver’s criteria when he was selecting a school.
“The most important thing was I felt close to home,” Garver said. “The program is really nice. Their scholarships will really help my family, too. Being given an opportunity to play football there also is a huge thing with my decision making. That’s why I chose to go there because I felt like it’s best for my family, close to home and I get an opportunity to keep doing what I love doing.”
Garver was recruited as a linebacker. In 2025, he totaled 114 tackles, including 70 solo and 13 for a loss of yardage.
He racked up 11 sacks and added 190 rushing yards on offense. Playing at the next level was his dream.
“It’s always been a goal just making it to the next level and trying to keep going,” Garver said.
Garver, who expects to major in computer engineering, provides St. Vincent with some versatility.
“I’m a bit of a mix,” Garver said.
“Depending on the formation that we ran, I’d bump from linebacker to blitzing and then playing defensive end. I’m just hoping to help out however I can.”
St. Vincent went 2-8 overall in 2025 and 1-7 within the Presidents’ Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division III level. Coach Casey Goff leads the Bearcats.
“Their coaches are really approachable and sociable,” Garver said. “The team treated me with open arms. It seems like a really good environment and culture to be in. I’m hoping to grow up there.”
Also a member of the baseball, basketball and track and field teams, Garver expects to make strides when focusing solely on football.
“I’ve always tried to do the best at every sport,” Garver said. “The fact that I can focus on one more than the others, it will help a lot.”
Garver is the son of Nichole Mosley, Brad Mosley, Jared Garver and Mariel Michelbacher.
• A first-team member of The Tribune-Democrat All-Area Football squad in 2025 and a 1st Summit Bank Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic and Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association small-school all-star game (Class 1A-3A) selection, Luko enjoyed a solid senior season.
He made 42 tackles, totaled 17 passes defensed and picked off six passes, returning one for a touchdown in 2025. Luko, United Valley’s Southern Alleghenies Football Coaches Association defensive player of the year and a Pennsylvania Football News Class 2A all-state second-team selection, caught 25 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns as a senior. His ascension led to college coaches becoming interested in his services.
“At first over the summer, I wasn’t really sure of where I wanted to go after football,” Luko said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to keep playing. About halfway through the season, I really thought it would be over. This opportunity came after our playoff game against Richland. I knew it doesn’t happen like that for no reason. I knew this would be a great opportunity for me. I loved the coaches. I loved the school out there. I’m really excited.”
Luko will major in health science.
“I really liked the class sizes obviously,” Luko said. “Everybody seems like they’re getting to know each other and they’re not just a number. The players took me in and talked to me.”
Luko is the first player from Blacklick Valley to compete in the PSFCA all-star game since 2006.
Also a member of the baseball, basketball and track and field teams at Blacklick Valley, Luko thrived at cornerback.
“You can see everything happen,” Luko said. “You get to go make a play on the ball. I’ve been in the defense with the same coach for four years. I really understood what was going on.”
Luko is the son of Adam and Danielle Luko.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
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