by Zach Swartz, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH , The Columbus Dispatch

But for two Ohio State newcomers, the summer of 2009 has been a little different. Linebacker Storm Klein and offensive lineman Jack Mewhort aren't spending their early summer days in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center weight room but on a synthetic field in North Canton.

Klein and Mewhort are among the 45 soon-to-be Division I athletes on the United States national team, one of eight from around the world competing in the first Junior World Championship beginning this weekend in Canton. Team USA has been practicing for the past two weeks at Walsh University and will play its opener Saturday at Fawcett Stadium, next door to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And they are more than happy to be there.

"I don't know when I'm going to play at Ohio State -- it could be two more years before I play football again," said Mewhort, who is likely to redshirt this fall. "So being here, playing against these guys, playing in an international tournament, is great."

Klein, who played at Licking Valley, and Mewhort, from Toledo St. John's, have been roommates since enrolling early at OSU in January, and they haven't strayed far from football since.

"We were working on a lot of stuff," Klein said. "But taking it here, I'm one step ahead. I think that's a big advantage. ... At Ohio State, the guys are bigger and stronger. You have to work and you have to prove yourself, and it's the same way here."

Although the NFL backed global junior tournaments between 1997 and 2007, this is the first one coordinated by the International Federation of American Football , an organization promoting football in 52 countries. The U.S., which was awarded the No. 2 seed behind Canada, has lost the previous three international tournaments to its neighbor to the north. It's made Klein and Mewhort more than ready to show the world what the U.S. can do.

"I've played in a lot of big games," Mewhort said. "The spring game was obviously what I thought was the biggest game of my life. But if we make the championship (July 5), then that will definitely be the biggest game of my life."

The U.S. team is coached by Chuck Kyle, whose teams have won nine state championships in his 26 years at Cleveland St. Ignatius.

Kyle was charged with handpicking the players for the U.S. team. Not knowing where to begin, he was at the American Football Coaches Association convention in January when he ran into Jim Tressel, who offered to send some names his way.

Those names, it turned out, were Klein and Mewhort, and those two have soaked up the experience so far.

On Tuesday, Team USA was addressed by former Buckeyes linebacker Chris Spielman, who afterward took the time to meet with Klein and Mewhort.

"When a guy like that walks into a room, you listen," Klein said.

Although both players have been in contact with OSU teammates and the coaching staff, for the next week they are in the hands of Team USA. It's a program Tressel described to Kyle as a "plus-plus" because it gives Klein and Mewhort some reps on the playing field while handing Team USA some above-average talent.

So what do they expect?

"I want to win it," Klein said with a smile. "That's what I came here to do."

zswartz@dispatch.com

Box Story: Tournament schedule

All games at Canton's Fawcett Stadium \

Saturday's games

* No. 1 Canada vs. No. 8 New Zealand, 10 a.m.

* No. 4 Japan vs. No. 5 Germany, 1 p.m.

* No. 3 Mexico vs. No. 6 Sweden, 4 p.m.

* No. 2 United States vs. No. 7 France, 8 p.m. \

Wednesday, July 1

* Canada-New Zealand loser vs. Japan-Germany loser, 10 a.m.

* Mexico-Sweden loser vs. United States-France loser, 1 p.m.

* Canada-New Zealand winner vs. Japan-Germany winner, 4 p.m.

* Mexico-Sweden winner vs. United States-France winner, 8 p.m. \

Saturday, July 4

* Seventh-place game, 1 p.m.

* Fifth-place game, 4 p.m.

* Third-place game, 7 p.m. \

Sunday, July 5

* Championship, 1 p.m.

Copyright 2009 The Columbus Dispatch All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.