Forest Hills senior to play football at St. Francis
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SIDMAN, Pa. – St. Francis University’s transition from the NCAA Division I to Division III level has opened the door for local players, including Forest Hills senior Ed Raptosh, to make an impact on the gridiron.
Helping a program area athletes have grown up with has added value.
Raptosh joined several others in the area, including three from Bishop McCort Catholic, during this recruiting cycle to join the Red Flash. Raptosh, a standout linebacker, officially committed to the St. Francis football program Friday afternoon.
“A lot of the players they’re recruiting are from Cambria County and players I played against in the past,” Raptosh said of this year’s recruiting class. “I think it’s going to be a cool opportunity to be able to be on a team with these guys I competed with. I think that’s a cool opportunity to just have a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference super team, pretty much. I think that will be cool.”
Raptosh will major in mechanical engineering and minor in business. He is excited to join a college program he is already acquainted with.
“Obviously, the atmosphere they have up there – the coaches, the players – I’ve known about it my whole life,” Raptosh said. “I’ve been involved with it. Being able to stay close and compete at that level really narrowed it down, especially with the coaching staff they have. They’re all great guys. I think it’s really going to help me develop into a better player, but also a better person especially with the academics they have there. I’m just excited to continue my career and focus on that.”
Also a member of the track and field team, Raptosh totaled 202 career tackles in football. The 6-foot and 190-pound athlete racked up a team-best 95 stops in 2025 to go with 98 in 2024. He earned a spot on The Tribune-Democrat’s All-Area second team in 2025 and will play in the 1st Summit Bank Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic June 12.
St. Francis’ facilities are a driving force in recruiting as few teams in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference have the same kind of environment the Red Flash possess.
“The facilities are all great,” Raptosh said. “They’re state of the art, especially for Division III. They were a good Division I program. That’s just going to help our ability to compete even higher in Division III. I think it’s going to give me a better chance to develop.”
Raptosh also rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown as a senior, but his passion was seen on the defensive side when he routinely made plays from sideline to sideline. Raptosh thrives when violence is required.
“I think it’s the most physical position on the team,” Raptosh said.
“That’s what, I think, is the best part of my game is being physical, being violent. That’s what I love about it, just being able to have the ability to go make plays. I’ve been a linebacker my entire life.”
He will join a program led by coach Chris Villarrial, who guided the Red Flash to Northeast Conference titles in 2016 and 2022.
Raptosh will always remember when the Rangers came back to beat Penn Cambria, which advanced to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals for a second straight season, 22-18 in 2025.
“I think that game we beat Penn Cambria in Week 3 this year was my best football memory ever,” Raptosh said. “That was a big accomplishment for us.”
Raptosh was not going to squander his opportunity of playing college football.
“It was always a goal to be good enough to have the ability to go and strive to become a good enough player to be looked at by these colleges,” Raptosh said. “I was just thinking, ‘If I have the opportunity, it’s not something I should pass on. Not everybody gets the opportunity and I think it’s definitely something I should take up.’ ”
Raptosh is the son of Brandon and Jennifer Raptosh.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
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