Tyrone senior Eli Woomer excelled at four sports in high school — football, basketball, baseball, and track — so when it came time to decide his athletic future, he had a difficult choice to make.
After considering several Division II and Division III schools, Woomer chose to continue his football career at Saint Francis University in Loretto, where he plans to play wide receiver.
Woomer’s football position coach, Brad Kanuch, who also coaches him in track and field, thinks he made the right decision.
“Eli is a very technical wide receiver; he runs great routes and has very good hands. Eli will be a difference maker in college because he is sure-handed and has a lot of confidence in his ability as a wide receiver,” Kanuch said.
Saint Francis is a former Division I football program that competed in the Northeast Conference before beginning its transition to Division III and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference last season.
Woomer chose Saint Francis over Juniata, Lycoming, Lebanon Valley, Shippensburg, and Waynesburg.
“I chose SFU because I felt like that was the best fit for my athletic journey as well as my academics,” Woomer said.
Woomer’s football career took off with a strong sophomore season on both sides of the ball. He finished second on the team in receiving yards with nearly 400 and caught two touchdown passes.
On defense, he recorded a team-high five interceptions, helping the Golden Eagles make the playoffs.
As a junior, Woomer shared targets with BG transfer Trent Adams but still earned all-conference honors, finishing the season with a career-high 53 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, he added two interceptions and a sack.
Following the graduation of four-year starting quarterback Ashton Walk in 2024, Tyrone head coach John Franco asked Woomer to move to quarterback for his senior season, and Woomer embraced the change.
As a senior, Woomer passed for more than 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 138 yards and a touchdown, while adding 10 catches for 146 yards. On defense, he tied his career high with five interceptions.
Franco had nothing but praise for his former wide receiver and quarterback.
“Eli is one of the finest student-athletes that I’ve had the privilege of coaching. As a three-year starter, he led the team in receptions as a receiver, and then switched to QB as a senior and was one of the leading passers in the area. He was also a great defensive player, leading the team in both interceptions and tackles in his junior and senior years. I do not doubt that Eli Woomer will have an outstanding college career and be successful in his chosen field of study,” Franco said.
