Unorthodox Svolto a key UM defender Linebacker likes game’s mental aspect

ORONO – University of Maine football coach Jack Cosgrove learned a long time ago that it’s pointless to concentrate on exactly how Ernie Svolto plays the game.

The senior outside linebacker approaches his position from a different perspective, often leaving his coaches scratching their heads.

“That’s Ernie,” said Cosgrove, quoting former Black Bears defensive coordinator Scott Lakatos, who learned to appreciate Svolto’s sometimes unorthodox methodology.

“He can come across as being lazy, as being a little careless at times but, boy, he’s such a complete football player when it comes down to what he does for us in games and practices,” Cosgrove said.

The bottom line is, Svolto gets the job done. He hopes to have at least one more chance to do his job, in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. UMaine won’t find out until Sunday if it has earned one of the 16 postseason spots.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to play,” Svolto said. “As far as I’m concerned, we belong in the playoffs.”

Svolto, a three-year starter, is having another solid season as UMaine’s “whip” (weak-side) linebacker. He has registered 30 tackles while patrolling his side of the field looking for trickery.

“Before I can go run as fast as I can to the ball, I’ve got to check to make sure there’s no counters, no cutbacks and no reverses,” said Svolto, a 5-foot-11, 196-pounder from Oakland, N.J.

“I pride myself on knowing the defense, knowing my job,” he added.

It’s the perfect position for a player who enjoys the mental aspects of football.

“He really is a gifted kid, not only with his physical talents but with his instincts, his intuition as it relates to play,” Cosgrove said. “He’s very game smart, a great student of the game.”

Svolto exhibited his versatility last season in a game at Villanova when he played three different positions as UMaine dealt with injuries.

“I’m not the fastest player, the strongest player or the biggest player,” Svolto said. “To excel, I had to be able to understand things as they’re happening.”

It hasn’t been an easy four years for Svolto, who admitted struggling to make the adjustment to life as a Division I student-athlete. He found a mentor in Lakatos.

“There were times up here where I didn’t think I’d be able to make it and coach Lak took me aside and was really more of a father-type figure than a coach,” Svolto explained.

Football is a game of high intensity and emotion. Svolto loves those elements of the game, but he brings other qualities to the field.

Earlier this season, when a teammate was berating some players after a defensive breakdown, it was Svolto who stepped in and provided a few calming words to keep the situation from escalating.

“He’s a very calming influence,” Cosgrove said. “Ernie’s an even-keel kind of guy. You need those kind of people who have maturity and can put their arm around someone and be like a big brother.”

Svolto came to UMaine out of St. Joseph’s Regional High, where he played cornerback and tailback, rushing for 2,000 career yards and scoring 30 touchdowns to help his team win three state championships and earn a No. 11 ranking in the USA Today national high school poll.

Svolto was recruited by Lakatos and was offered a scholarship. After making his official visit to UMaine, he immediately canceled his other trips.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I knew I was going to be wanted; not a fall-back plan, not somebody’s secondary scholarship,” said Svolto, who has made the most of his opportunity at UMaine.

He hopes to graduate with a degree in business and eventually wants to open a restaurant. In the meantime, there’s another important goal right in front of him and the Bears.

“I feel special about being part of the senior group that put all the pieces together and finally made this program what it should be,” Svolto said.