The Gorilla named Gus

Arguably no Pittsburg State football player has a more appropriate first name than senior defensive end Gus Toca.

Toca enters his fourth season in the Pitt State program one of the defensive leaders and one of the team leaders. He earned a team captain selection for his second consecutive season, along with junior linebacker Nate Dreiling.

“Nate and I take care of them,” Toca said. “I feel like we’re the leaders of the defense so it’s all up to us to get everyone straight and on the right path.”

Toca (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) enjoyed a breakout season in 2011 with 57 tackles (29 solo), 19.0 tackles-for-loss, 11.0 quarterback sacks, five pass breakups and four forced fumbles. Toca led the Gorillas in both TFL and sacks, and finished third in tackles behind linebackers Dreiling and Luke Stringer.

“Gus has worked hard to become one of the best defensive ends in the MIAA,” Pitt State head coach Tim Beck said in a program release. “He is powerful and explosive. What Gus lacks in height he makes up for in his relentless effort. Gus has taken charge of our defensive line, he had a great spring and we expect him to have a real big senior season.”

Toca was selected All-MIAA first team and honorable mention All-American.

On the road to the National Championship last season, Toca played a pair of his best games against Northwest Missouri in the quarterfinals and Delta State in the semifinals. He made eight tackles against Northwest Missouri and 10 against Delta State.

“Everything just came together and when you look back on it, you could have seen so many things go wrong,” Toca said. “It’s a crazy feeling.”
Pitt State thrived on playing three consecutive home playoff games and the crowd noise especially seemed to help the Pitt State defense out against Delta State in the National Semifinals. Toca registered 27 tackles (9 solo, 18 assist) and 2.0 sacks in four playoff games.

“It’s a great feeling when you come out and you see all those fans and all that smoke, it’s just amazing to see all that and it draws something out of you,” Toca said. “We have a great atmosphere, the best in D-II football. It’s a great place to play.”

The senior defensive end showcases a natural progression over his career.
Toca played seven games and made one start during his true freshman season of 2009, registering 11 tackles and 0.5 sack. He missed four games due to injury. Toca started 10 of 11 games in 2010 and earned All-MIAA honorable mention for a 26-tackle and 2.5-sack sophomore campaign.
Toca played high school ball at Blue Springs (Mo.), where he earned a Class 5A All-State selection for his defensive end play his senior year and he also scored three rushing touchdowns in a fullback role and caught four passes for 29 yards and one more TD as tight end. Toca gave much credit to the Blue Springs Wildcats for his development into a solid football player.
“I think it helped me out a lot,” Toca said. “We have a great program. Coach (Kelly) Donohoe does a great job of getting everybody ready. He always tries new things and we always had running and conditioning to get us ready. I think he runs a great program and a lot of my success goes to him because he’s a great coach.”

Fellow Blue Springs products on the roster include Keeston Terry, Lewis Foutz, Cory Phillips, Boston Higgins and Brady Letchworth.

Toca began playing football in the fifth grade.

“We played football during recess in elementary and my friend said I was a big guy and he wanted me to be on his team,” Toca said. “That’s how it started.”

Toca has always seemed to thrive on the defensive side of the ball.
“I was always overweight so I couldn’t run the ball,” he said. “Yeah, I always played d-line, o-line and in high school, I started at fullback, tight end.”
The 6-3, 250-pound defensive end likes being able to get out his aggression on the field.

“I do a lot of that,” Toca said. “I hold back stuff and when I put the pads on, it’s like a whole different person coming on the field.”

Pitt State kicks off its 2012 season Aug. 30 against Northeastern State, a road game for the defending champions who began their journey last season on the road against Missouri Western.

“It’s a whole new season,” Toca said. “Last year was in the past.

Everything’s great, with the rings and whatever but that’s in the past. We
have new goals now. . . . We understand that we’re going to get everybody’s best punch. We’re ready for that. It’s not like we’re going to take it easy on a team. We know they’re going to be good. We know they’re going to come ready to play. We’ll be ready. We’re a bunch of competitors.”
When the Gorillas play their first home game against Central Oklahoma, Toca will be one of a handful of PSU players who will appreciate it more since they helped remove the old turf at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium this past summer.

“It was hard work,” Toca said. “It was hot. It makes you appreciate it for sure. We put a lot of work into it and it looks great now.”

Toca may have been the only All-American football player involved with such a project during his offseason.