D3football Daily Dose

This is a list.

D3football.com is compiling a list of the Recruit Recap system. This is only a list.

The broadcasters and writers of D3football.com in voluntary cooperation with themselves have developed this list to keep you informed in the event that recruits are coming to your school. It will be referenced in future Doses so we needed a place to put it.

The recruits are listed by region, then alphabetically by school, with the high school listed after the recruit.

EAST

Albright: Austin Young, Unknown
Alfred: Release here
Amherst: John Gill, CCD (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Bates: Mike Schena, Garden City (N.Y.)
Brockport State: Nicholas Quercia, Newfield (N.Y.); Aaron Zurn, Sidney (N.Y.)
Buffalo State: Greg Imbrosci, Mt. Sinai (N.Y.)
Coast Guard: Jordan Wooddell, Sterling (Baywood, Texas)
Cortland State: See the end of this Recap
Delaware Valley: Recruiting class
FDU-Florham: Recruiting Class
Hamilton: Harry Jung, Port Washington (N.Y.); Chris Risi, Garden City (N.Y.)
Hobart: Dan Bittner, Massapequa (N.Y.); Kyle Connors, Garden City (N.Y.); Carvin Desroches, Longwood (N.Y.); Scott Ghiraldi, Wantagh (N.Y.); Sean Kluber, Longwood (Middle Island, N.Y.); Daniel Pembroke, Smithtown (N.Y.) West; Anthony Shaw, Smithtown (N.Y.) West
Ithaca: Lloyd Sussman, Great Neck North (N.Y.)
Juniata: Vincent Shetter, Chambersburg (Pa.)
Kean: John Rutowski, Brick Memorial (N.J.)
King’s Point: Michael Levantino, Sachem East (Farmingville, N.Y.)
Lycoming: Recruiting Class
MIT: Daniel Guillen, St. Joseph Academy (Brownsville, Texas)
Mount Ida: Mike Cloutier, Lansingburgh (Troy, N.Y.); Sardae Piper, Lansingburgh
New Jersey: Chris James, Brick Memorial (N.J.); David Popek, Wallington (N.J.)
Rochester: Frank Brown, Wellsville (N.Y.)
Rowan: Joe D’Amato, Brick Memorial (N.J.); Vinnie Graff, Fairlawn (N.J.); Bryan Pfirman, Millville (N.J.); Kyle Steever, St. Joseph (Hammonton, N.J.)
RPI: Recruiting Class
St. John Fisher: Bradley Carlton, Mohonasen (Schenectady, N.Y.)
St. Lawrence: Ray Orcutt, Binghamton (N.Y.)
SUNY-Maritime: Bryan Butler, Valley Stream South (N.Y.); Jonathan Canaan, St. Anthony’s (Huntington, N.Y.); Jack Edmund, Bartow (Fla.); Mike Oehl, Smithtown (N.Y.) West
Tufts: Robert Goldstein, Kings Park (N.Y.); Jeffrey Malina, Hewlett (N.Y.); Keith Novak, Valley (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Union: Andrew Cassin, Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.); Connor Cohn, Wantagh (N.Y.); Zach Epley, Southampton (N.Y.); John Johnson, St. John the Baptist (W. Islip, N.Y.); Brian Newell, Northport (N.Y.)
Utica: Some recruits here
Wesleyan: Kyle Harrington, Binghamton (N.Y.); Matt Ward, Philips Academy (Andover, Mass.)
Western Connecticut: Erik Merkerson, Longwood (N.Y.); Joe Petito, West Islip (N.Y.)
Westfield State: Thomas Filiberto, Comsewogue (Port Jefferson, N.Y.)
Widener: DeHart Washington, St. Joseph (Hammonton, N.J.)
William Paterson: Steve Cochrane, West Islip (N.Y.); John Orne, Queen of Peace (North Arlington, N.J.)
Williams: Eric Anderson, East Catholic (Manchester, Conn.); Bryan Wrapp, Staples (Westport, Conn.)

NOTE: Long Island’s Newsday is also tracking local athletes as they commit to schools. Some of the football players are headed toward Division III players, several of which are in the East region. Click here for more.

NORTH

Adrian: Joe Beehler, Penn (South Bend, Ind.)
Allegheny: C.J. Bell, Bell Vernon (Pa.) Area
Alma: Tyler Hamilton, Cadillac (Mich.)
Anderson: Patrick Faris, Plainfield (Indianapolis, Ind.); Chadd Malone, Citrus (Inverness, Fla.); Dane Moore, Citrus; Bob Severin, Citrus
Augustana: Matt Brodersen, Crystal Lake South (Ill.); Zach McLaughlin, Monmouth-Roseville (Monmouth, Ill.); Zach Spoor, Crystal Lake South
Aurora: Recruiting Class
Baldwin-Wallace: Dan Love, Kenston (Chagrin Falls, Ohio)
Benedictine: Recruiting Class
Bluffton: Brock Miller, Oak Hills (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Capital: Marty Assman, Hartley (Columbus, Ohio); Steve Borchers, Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio); Matt Merritt, Indian Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Carthage: Brad Partynski, Crystal Lake South (Ill.); Jon Petersen, Woodstock (Ill.)
Case Western: Recruiting class
Concordia (Wis.): Chris Carrizzo, St. John Lutheran (Ocala, Fla.); Jack Easterns, St. John Lutheran; Richard Mutarelli, St. John Lutheran
Earlham: Recruiting Class
Elmhurst: Recruiting Class
Hanover: Zach Popp, Campbell County (Ky.)
Hiram: Drew Stainfield, Jefferson (Ashtabula, Ohio)
Hope: Chazz Masten, Cadillac (Mich.)
Illinois Wesleyan: See full list here
Kenyon: Recruiting Class
Lakeland: Jim Forner, Crystal Lake South (Ill.)
Marietta: Marsalis Burgin, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Manchester: Jaron Kellie, Southmont (Crawfordsville, Ind.)
Mount Union: Jason Barker, Tecumseh (New Carlisle, Ohio); Nate Berkey, Sarasota (Fla.); Jay Carpenter, Fairmont (West Va.); Dune Cook, Colon (Mich.); Drew Kuhn, Louisville (Ohio); Kyle Murphy, Mariemont (Ohio); Shawn McGarity, Lakota East (Middletown, Ohio); Mike Nitz, Copley (Ohio); Kurt Rocco, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio); David Sunderman, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Mt. St. Joseph: Josh Brown-Smith, Wyoming (Ohio); Andy Brunsman, Elder (Cincinnati, OH); Andy Chesky, Turpin (Cincinnati, Ohio); Justin Geyer, Stephen T. Badin (Toledo, Ohio); Cris Jones, Madiera (Cincinnati, Ohio); Steve Kleinholz, Elder; Will Osborne, Lexington (Ky.) Catholic; Chris Perry, Glen Este (Cincinnati, Ohio); Johnny Popp, Campbell County (Ky.); Brandon Singler, Elder; Ryan Smithmeyer, Elder; Jeremiah Webb, Wilmington (Ohio)
Muskingum: Jayme Detling, Barnesville (Ohio); Deaires Poole, Withrow (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Ohio Northern: Jerrod Babik, Withrow (Cincinnati, Ohio); J.C. Casper, Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio); Ricky Ladd, White House (Tenn.); Patrick Smith, Loveland (Ohio)
Ohio Wesleyan: Mike Browning, East Islip (N.Y.)
Olivet: Preston Chatmon, Lakeland (Fla.); Elijah Keller, Cadillac (Mich.)
Otterbein: Chad Dorman, Eastern Green (Bloomfield, Ind.); Alex Heger, Lakota East (Middletown, Ohio)
Rose-Hulman: Nick Murphy, Casey-Westfield (Casey, Ill.); Mitch Yates, Casey-Westfield
Tri-State: Chris Tobias, Loveland (Ohio)
Wabash: Adam Bauer, Xenia (Ohio); Justin Blok, Northview (Grand Rapids, Mich.); Mitch Brown, Plainfield (Ind.); Adam Greene, Snider (Fort Wayne, Ind.); Matt Hudson, Salem (Ind.); Ryan Kerney, North Posey (Poseyville, Ind.); Chris Schweigel, Sheridan (Ind.); Evan Sobecki, Penn (South Bend, Ind.); Chad Sorenson, Castle (Newbugh, Ind.); Brody Tartar, Winchester (Ind.); Skip Tokar, Zionsville (Ind.)
Wilmington: James Baldwin, Wilmington (Ohio); Michael Byrd, Mount Healthy (Ohio); Luke Green, Wilmington; Luke Harris, Wilmington; Brian Lee, Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio); Tim Pugh, Winton Woods
Wittenberg: Recruiting Class
NOTE: The Cincinnati Post is tracking local athletes as they commit to schools, including many headed to OAC schools. Click here for more.

SOUTH

Averett: Dale Gross, Savyille (N.Y.)
Bridgewater (Va.): Recruiting Class
Carnegie Mellon: Richard Byrne, Half Hollow Hills East (N.Y.); Ranley Duret, Half Hollow Hills East (N.Y.); Chad Kanyer, Eastlake (Sammamish, Wa.); Sean Kennedy, Loveland (Ohio); Justin Rosenberry, Shippensburg (Pa.)
Christopher Newport: Max Devnew, Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.); Matt Long, Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Centre: Recruiting Class
DePauw: Spud Dick, Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.)
East Texas Baptist: Randy Allums, Palacios (Texas)
Emory & Henry: Rob Abbott, Pulaski County (Va.); Trey Angle, Pulaski County; Daniel Barnes, George Washington (Charleston, W.Va.); Jonathan Hawkins, Rural Retreat (Va.)
Gettysburg: Brian Pally, Ward Melville (East Setauket, N.Y.); A.J. Perrotti, Brick Township (N.J.)
Greensboro: Andrew Weathers, Broome (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Guilford: Joseph Davis, Southern Wayne (Dudley, N.C.); Brandon Johnson, Bassett (Va.); Michael Warren, Southern Wayne
Emory & Henry: Brady Buckley, Charlotte Catholic (N.C.); Josh Burgess, East Montgomery (Va.); Tommy Burgess, Cave Spring (Roanoke, Va.); Brian Bush, Hidden Valley (Roanoke, Va.); James Hairston, Martinsville (Va.); Kenny Horan, Cave Spring; Chauncey Lumpp, Cave Spring; Ryan Stone, Bassett (Va.)
Franklin & Marshall: Ryan Murray, St. Edwards (Vero Beach, Fla.)
Guilford: Markas Brunson, Rosewood (Goldsboro, N.C.); Nicolas Dove, Eastport-South Manor (Eastport, N.Y.); James Tyndall, Wake Forest-Rolesville (N.C.)
Hampden-Sydney: Recruiting Class
Hardin-Simmons: Wade Berger, Flatonia (Texas)
Huntingdon: Zach Brothers, Gulf Breeze (Fla.); Ben Ganus, Gulf Breeze
Johns Hopkins: Anthony Catanzano, Kellenberg (Uniondale, N.Y.)
LaGrange: Joe Frye, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.); Aaron Hill, Gulf Breeze (Fla.); B.J. Johnson, Colquitt County (Ga.); Jacolby King, Colquitt County; Ashondi Magwood, Colquitt County; Jonathan Milner, Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.); Joey Robinson, Brookwood
Louisiana College: See this (Alexandria-Pineville, La.) Town Talk article
Mary Hardin-Baylor: Landon Anderson, Tivy (Kerrville, Texas); Jason Russell, Kerens (Texas)
Maryville: Adam Bean, Karns (Knoxville, Tenn.); Michael Bosco (Tampa, Fla.); Matt Broom (Woodland, Ga.); Jonathan Caughron, Heritage (Maryville, Tenn.); Greg Hobson, William Blount HS (Maryville, Tenn.); Rommel Hightower, Lenoir City (Tenn.); Justin Reynolds, Cocoa Beach (Fla.); Lucas Walls, William Blount HS; Brian Wendell, William Blount HS
McDaniel: Sean Urbany, Arundel (Gambrills, Md.); Michael Weick, Penn Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Methodist: Eric Chapman, Broome (Spartanburg, S.C.); Michael Green, Northwest Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.); Matt Hearn, Northwest Cabarrus; D.R. Peek, Northwest Cabarrus
Millsaps: Brady Jackson, South Sumpter (Bushnell, Fla.)
Mississippi College: Renard Ellis, Polk County (Fla.); Billy Johnson, Polk County; Chris Rodriguez, Foley (Ala.)
Muhlenberg: Phil Cresta, Sun Valley (Old Chester, Pa.)
Newport News: Theodore Ford, Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.); Brandon Reap, Maury (Norfolk, Va.); Derrius Walton, Lake Taylor
North Carolina Wesleyan: Ian Gagnon, Eastern Wayne (Goldsboro, N.C.)
Randolph-Macon: Brandon Braner, Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.); Joe Muraglia, Queen of Peace (North Arlington, N.J.); Greg Portal, Charlotte Catholic (N.C.); Steve Pieczynski , Blessed Trinity
Rhodes: Russell Duck, University School (Jackson, Miss.)
Salisbury: Stephen Proniewych, Smithtown (N.Y.) West; CJ Santos, Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.); Matt Savage, Hickory (Chesapeake, Va.)
Sewanee: Hunter Hobson, Fort Mill (S.C.)
Texas Lutheran: Victor Jones, Plano (Texas); Alex Lott, Plano; Bryce Ryan, Plano
Thomas More: Justin Cooper, Scott (Toledo, Ohio); Hunter Craig, Campbell County (Ky.); Andrew Damico, Simon Kenton (Cincinnati, Ohio); Kyle Finn, Scott; Evin Sofer, Hughes (Cincinnati, Ohio); Isaiah Williams,
Thiel: Jon Pickens, Fort Meade (Lakeland, Fla.); Brandon Rhoden, Fort Meade
Trinity (Texas): Bobby Adamson, Nacogdoches (Texas)
Ursinus: Justin DeCristofaro, Father Judge (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Washington & Jefferson: Mike Ashbaugh, Trinity (Washington, Pa.); Josh Brewer, Connellsville (Pa.); Bill Crossey, Penn-Trafford (Harrison City, Pa.); Mitchell Erdely, Geibel Catholic (Connellsville, Pa.); Ryan Gallagher, Trinity; J.D. Gardner, Trinity; Mitch McClay, Trinity; Justin Schmotzer, Baldwin (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Washington & Lee: Matt Cassilly, Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.); Will Lewis, A.C. Flora (Columbia, S.C.)
Washington U.: Andrew Berryman, Francis Howell Central (St. Peters, Mo.)
Wesley: Recruiting Class

WEST

California Lutheran: Jake Hall, Durham (Calif.); Nic Shular, Prairie (Wa.)
Central: James Tolbert, Port Charlotte (Fla.)
Linfield: Aaron Boehme, Stanwood (Wa.); Tony Desimone, South Medford (Ore.); Todd Eyster, Oakmont (Roseville, Calif.); Jared Forell, Rex Putnam HS (Milwaukie, Ore.); Blaine Goodwin, Pendleton (Ore.); Jeremy Lovell, Camas (Wa.); Josh Lovell, Camas; Paul Nishizaki, Westview (Portland, Ore.); Trevor Patterson, Pendleton; Russell Sells, Folsom (Calif.)
Occidental: Jeff Bee, Palm Springs (Calif.); Scott Saunders, Palm Springs
Knox: Tyler Hopfauf, Wauconda (Ill.)
Lawrence: Recruiting Class
Menlo: Albert Harvell, Stagg (Stockton, Calif.)
Monmouth: Recruiting Release
Minnesota-Morris: See release here
Puget Sound: Cory Dunn, Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.); Jake Hinton, Bainbridge (Bainbridge Island, N.Y.); Carter Williams, Bainbridge
Redlands: John Thies, Lathrop (Fairbanks, Alaska)
St. John’s: See St. Cloud Times article
St. Olaf: Jared Fisher, Gateway (Kissimmee, Fla.); Joey Forcelli, Gateway
UW-La Crosse: See La Crosse Tribune article
UW-Plattville: Nathan DeGroot, Park (Racine, Wis.)
UW-Stout: Recruiting Class
UW-Whitwater: See 4/21 entry on WarhawkFootball.com for full list
Wartburg: Jake Kuennen, Denver (Iowa)
Willamette: Robert Jones, Truckee (Calif.); Will McMartin, Capital (Boise, Idaho)

This has been a list of the Recruit Recap system. Had this been an actual Dose, it would be followed by news, informaiton or at least witty remarks about Division III football in general.

This concludes this list. We now return you to your painfully dull off season.

So what are you doing after graduation?

I used to flinch when people asked me that in 2000 as I got ready for life after college. The true answer was too long to relate to the well-meaning person – I don’t know, I’m looking but I’m not sure and frankly I’m a little anxious and would rather not talk about it. So I used a more moderate response, like “I’ve got some things I’m working on.”

Now the situation is reversed and I’m the one asking the dreaded question.

Some seem pretty focused. When I asked D3hoops All-American Forward Eli Cook about her plans in February, she knew she was headed to University of Delaware to study physical therapy.

Others may stay active in the sports they love. D3football.com All-American Quarterback Adam Knoblauch had a try out with the CFL with another to follow. All-American Center Damien Cieswicz is playing in the Great Lakes Indoor Football League as is their Del Val teammate Steve Cook. Cook is breaking into another sport, too, working out for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team.

And there are countless other stories out there as the great men and women who play Division III take the next exciting step wherever they are headed.

If any would like to share their thoughts or plans below, we’d be very interested to hear them. The career plans highlight the hard work Division III athletes put into their studies and the bright futures that lie ahead of them.

And if you’re a senior who’s wrestling with your post-college plans, my two-cents (plink, plink) would be try not to worry about it too much. Even if you don’t know what’s coming after graduation day, you’ve got a lot of time to figure that out.

Congratulations on hitting this milestone in your life and thanks again for making Division III sports so special.

No, not that Penn and Harvard.

Harvard (Ill.) HS products Nick Iftner and Jay Sachs are headed to Augustanta and Lakeland respectively next season. A quick web search on these two turned up an interesting tidbit. The Harvard Hornets have a Cameron Amelianovich listed as a receiver. With that relatively unusual last name, I can’t help but wonder if he’s related to Illinois Wesleyan D3hoops.com All-American Keelan, who attended Neuqua Valley HS in Naperville, Ill..

Two players from Penn High in the South Bend, Ind., area are heading to Division III schools, according to the South Bend Tribune. At 5-10, 185-pounds, Evan Sobecki was limited by a knee injury to 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He is heading to Wabash. Beehler (5-7, 150) led the Kingsmen with 38 catches for 747 yards and eight scores. He is off to Adrian.

In other “Penn” news, Bill Crossey of Penn-Trafford HS told the hometown Star that he is looking forward to playing at Washington & Jefferson. Crossey selected W&J over Juniata, Marietta and Division I-AA Robert Morris.

UW-La Crosse has a recruiting class heavy on defensive tackles, says the La Crosse Tribune.

Wellsville (N.Y.) HS linebacker Frank Brown is heading to Rochester. Local rival St. John Fisher might be adding another horse to their running back stable. The Albany Times-Union reports the Cards landed Mohonasen HS running back Bradley Carlton, who put up 3,500 yards and ranks in the top twenty all-time in New York Section II history.

A pair from Plainfield HS in the Indianapolis area are going to Division III schools as well. Lineman (both sides) Mitch Brown is heading to Wabash and receiver/defensive back Patrick Faris has committed at Anderson, according to the Indianapolis Star, which thinks Anderson is in the NAIA.

According to the (Orangeburg, S.C.) Times & Democrat, Thomas Moultrie will set sail from Edisto HS (Cordova, S.C.) for Virginia where he’ll dock at Newport News. Joining his cousin Travis on the Shipbuilders, Thomas brings an impressive high school resume including 176 tackles from his linebacker spot.

Another South Carolinian will travel farther north when Chuckie Scarminach comes from Hilton Head Prep to Carnegie Mellon. Scarminach quarterbacked his team to the S.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 2-A state championship last year.

Brookwood HS (Snellville, Ga.) offensive line teammates Jonathan Milner and Joey Robinson will stay together for college, attending LaGrange. The Panthers will play their first season of Division III football this fall.

If you want to contribute a name, you must provide the published confirmation. (Unless you are an SID or coach, of course, in which case your word is sufficient). You can add the news by posting a comment below or emailing gordon.mann@d3football.com.

We’ve seen over 900 games go up so far for the 2006 Division III football season. Some are more predictable than others. Here are some others, matchups that are new this season:

Week 1: Huntingdon at Ithaca. Huntingdon doesn’t duck teams and can’t afford to as a geographically isolated independent. Long trip, though.

Week 2: Kenyon at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The surprise 6-4 Lords and the 3-6 Stags. A random cross-country game between teams in the lower half of Division III.

By the way, Kenyon also plays Grinnell, which normally would be interesting enough to make this list. But Kenyon coach Ted Stanley is a Grinnell grad, which makes that game a lot less random.

Week 3: Kalamazoo at Austin. This is Kalamazoo’s first game of the season, by the way.

Week 4: Washington and Jefferson at Oberlin. These teams aren’t that far away from each other … geographically.

After this point, we end up with too many conference games in the way. What games that are new this year strike you as the most random?

According to an NCAA news summary, 25 Division III schools’ financial aid awards were found not acceptable and were forwarded to the NCAA’s enforcement staff. In these schools, the aid to student-athletes exceeded the aid awarded to the general student body by at least 4%, when comparing students with similar need.

The original list of schools out of the norm was 60, about 14% of Division III. Some details of the various levels of review were included in the NCAA’s piece.

That wasn’t the committee dealings the NCAA chose to emphasize, but it was what leaped off the page at me. The other big news is a proposal to put in year-round drug testing in Division III. One of the justifications was that a 2005 NCAA study put Division III drug usage at or above levels of usage in Division I. That may be true. It might also be the case that Division III student-athletes were simply more truthful in filling out the survey, since there are fewer consequences at the non-scholarship level. The testing proposal is for a two-year pilot program.

There was a list of things that the Management Council urged the Presidents Council and Executive Committee Working Group to consider:

·Further limitation on the provisional class size (one or two per year).
Not a problem. Division III is going to be too large to manage at some point.

·Tightening the standards applied to exploratory and provisional members to begin the process in lieu of the lottery system.
What a concept. Almost like I posted last August.

·Long-term divisional structure in the NCAA.
Does this sound like the late ’90s movement to subdivide Division III? Ugh.

·Optimal size of Division III based on resource allocation.
Optimal size of Division III is pretty darn close to where we are now.

·More aggressive screening of active members consistent with the Division III philosophy, membership and legislative requirements.
Sounds like more enforcement.

·Raising membership dues, if necessary, to address additional Division III resources, services and long-term membership options.
Seems reasonable.

·Changing demographics in the United States in relation to higher education.
Anyone working in higher education please chime in on this one.

It’s always fun to see newspapers talk about the scholarships kids are getting to play football at Division III schools. But of course, sometimes Division III kids do get scholarships. And sometimes players who are destined to get athletic scholarships end up at Division III anyway.

Will Lewis got a full scholarship — academic, of course — to attend Washington and Lee, according to The State of Columbia, S.C. He expects to play both football and baseball after starting for three years at quarterback at Columbia’s A.C. Flora HS.

Francis Howell Central HS (St. Peters, Mo.) safety/receiver Andrew Berryman has announced plans to attend Washington U. “Andrew is an outstanding student athlete,” said WU head coach Larry Kindbom. “We like his versatility as an athlete, as he can play a variety of positions. We also like his tough-mindedness. He comes from a well-coached program at Francis Howell Central; that background and his work ethic should help in his transition to college. We look forward to Andrew contributing over the next four years.”

Berryman (left) is on the recruiting services’ radar and is listed as 6-2, 200; 6-3, 185; 6-0, 190; and 6-1 in a basketball story. He missed his entire senior season with an injury.

Lexington Catholic HS linebacker/strong safety Will Osborne will play football at Mount St. Joseph, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. He had 87 tackles for Lexington Catholic, which won the Class AAA title last season.

Spotswood HS (Penn Laird, Va.) quarterback Chet Landes will be attending Bridgewater, according to Harrisonburg’s Daily News-Record. He tells the paper he believes he might be used as a receiver.

Nate Berkey goes from Sarasota, Fla., to Mount Union. A two-year starter on the Sarasota HS offensive line, Berkey told Sarasota’s Herald Tribune: “I want to have a big rock on my finger, maybe three or four. That’s what pulled me in. I got a good feeling from the coaches and every year they are competing for a national championship.”

Foley (Ala.) HS receiver Chris Rodriguez is heading to Mississippi College, according to the Mobile Press-Register.

Lawrence Central HS quarterback Spud Dick will attend DePauw, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Franklin and Marshall will be getting Ryan Murray, an all-state running back from St. Edward’s, according to the Treasure Coast Palm.

Sheridan (Ind.) HS senior Chris Schweigel will attend Wabash. Schweigel, a 6-4, 181-pound wide receiver/defensive back, helped his team to Indiana’s Class A state title in 2005, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Wake Forest-Rolesville linebacker James Tyndall is heading to Guilford, according to the Charlotte News-Observer.

The Baytown (Texas) Sun reports that Jordan Wooddell, a linebacker for the Sterling Rangers, will attend the Coast Guard Academy.

University School (Jackson, Miss.) offensive lineman Russell Duck is headed to Rhodes, says the Jackson Sun. “They told me if I’d just come visit I’d love it,” Duck told the paper. “And they were right. I’m really looking forward to playing football and going to school there.”

Flatonia (Texas) tight end/defensive end Wade Berger will attend Hardin-Simmons. The Victoria Advocate says the 6-1, 195-pounder had 49 tackles, 5½ sacks, three passes broken up, forced four fumbles and recovered two.

Daniel Barnes, a running back from George Washington HS in Charleston, W.Va., will play at Emory and Henry, according to the Charleston Daily Mail. Barnes tore the ACL in his left knee as a junior, the paper reports.

The Virginian-Pilot’s Brian Black has compiled a list of Tidewater-area high schoolers and their college destinations. The Division III players:

Derek Braxton (Kellam HS), 6-2, 215, DE, Hampden-Sydney
Max Devnew (Kellam HS), 6-3, 215, DE, Christopher Newport
Matt Long (Kellam HS), 5-8, 175, QB, Christopher Newport
Brandon Reap (Maury HS), 6-2, 190, DE, Newport News
C.J. Santos (Kellam HS), 5-10, 205, LB, Salisbury
Derrius Walton (Lake Taylor HS), 5-10, 195, QB/LB, Newport News

We also have a list of Cortland State newcomers:
DB Matt Bieringer, 5-11, 190, Nassau Community College. He started at cornerback at Nassau.
OL Zac Chambers, 6-1, 275, Aquinas Institute
WR Tarod Clarke, 6-0, 185, Mansfield. Started at cornerback at the Division II school but will switch to receiver.
OL Lou Crispo, 6-0, 250, Eastchester HS
LB Kyrie Deger, 5-11, 210, Lake Brantley HS (Fla.)
LB Ryan Harvey, 5-10, 200, Grand Island (N.Y.) HS
DB Dequan Howard, 5-10, 175, last played at Canisius (dropped football after 2002 season)
WR/K/P Jeff Lang, 6-4, 205, Redshirt freshman last year at Northeastern
DL Chris Longinott, 6-3, 250, Cornwall HS
DB Ronnie Rodriguez, 5-10, 190, Erie CC, started at free safety at Erie
OL Ian Storm, 6-4, 250, Wayne Central HS (Ontario Center, N.Y.)
OL/DL Brandon McInerney, 6-3 265, Villanova-CBA, Syracuse
OL Chris VanDeweert, 6-2, 260, Goshen HS
QB Sean Pratt, 5-11, 190, Brockport HS
RB Binney Smith, 6-0, 200, Dryden HS
DB Anthony Posa, 5-11, 185, Sachem East
DL John Bonifer, 6-1, 230, Connetiquot
K D.J. Mazzone, 6-1, 175, William Floyd

Some years ago I started referring to players transferring to Division III as “moving up” to D-III. After all, any first grader can tell you that three is greater than one, but more importantly, people going to Division III are moving up to the highest level of pure amateur athletics in the USA.

In fact, I still curse John Feinstein for his insinuation that Patriot League players are The Last Amateurs. If he’d looked a little more closely, he’d have found that D-III is where those amateurs reside.

So when I read the bio of new North Park coach Scott Pethtel, it struck a chord with me:

Although he coached football at the NCAA Division 1-A level, Scott Pethtel considers taking the reigns (sic) of North Park University’s program to be a step up.

“I think it’s the truest form of amateurism in football,” Pethtel says. “The athletes love the game. They don’t come because of scholarship. I just like that attitude. They still love to play the game and they are as committed as any level of football.”

Coaching at Division III will allow him to help instill values that he might not have been able to at the larger programs. “The almighty buck was driving Division I football and not the development of character,” Pethtel notes.

Welcome to Division III. Your team last won a CCIW game on Oct. 7, 2000, 40 conference games ago. Good luck!

A news report in the Rutland (Vt.) Herald says the North Atlantic Conference schools with football are pushing Castleton State to join them.

Seems like a good move for the school, which had 1,358 full-time undergraduates the last time we got reliable numbers. When the only hurdle cited is lack of a football field, shoot, that’s relatively easy to overcome.

“We have received permission to solicit other NAC schools and independents,” Husson College athletic director (ed. note: and football coach) Gabby Price said. “Letters will be going out to all of these schools.

“Certainly Husson, Mount Ida and Becker have an interest in this. It would be great to have a conference of New England and New York state schools.”

There are only two Division III football programs in Vermont: Middlebury and Norwich.

With four teams already in the conference for football, Becker, Husson, Maine Maritime and Mount Ida, the league would be eligible for its own automatic bid if it pulled in three other football programs, whether as associate members or full members, or if three conference schools added football. SUNY-Maritime, an independent playing varsity football this fall for the first time, could be the fifth member. Morrisville State is a possible too, though it won’t be eligible for the playoffs until 2010.

With those two, the NAC would only have to pull one more member (aside from Maine Maritime) out of the NEFC to reach an automatic bid.

Nobody evaluates the talent at this level. There’s no ranking of recruiting classes.

Nothing binds a student-athlete to attend a particular school in Division III, or to play football once there. He can abandon his application fee and enrollment deposit and re-enroll anywhere.

This is why ranking recruiting classes in Division III is a fruitless exercise.

If you want to be on this list, send me a link to a newspaper article in which you or your son/nephew/grandson/neighbor is listed. Self-touting posts with no printed verification will be removed.

Our point isn’t to rank, merely to pull together what other people are writing about. So here we go:

New Louisiana College coach Dennis Dunn, who coached state high school football power Evangel, has been cleaning up on the recruiting trail, apparently, with 54 incoming freshmen, according to the Alexandria, La., newspaper, The Town Talk. Interesting that the piece references that these players have signed “equipment reservation forms.” That seems to be in contrast to NCAA Division III bylaw 13.10.1.

An institution shall not utilize any form of a letter of intent or similar form of commitment in the recruitment of a prospect. However, it shall be permissible for the institution to utilize in the recruitment of a prospect its pre-enrollment forms executed by prospective students in general at that institution. Violations of this bylaw shall be considered institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1; however, such violations shall not affect the prospective student-athlete’s eligibility.

Hey, for all I know, every incoming student at LC has to sign an equipment reservation form. I’m sure that’s the case.

Salesianum running back Nick Dominelli, Delaware’s offensive player of the year last fall, “has made a verbal commitment” to play at Wesley, according to the Wilmington News Journal. Linebacker Dave Willard is also listed as heading to Wesley.

Nacogdoches HS quarterback/defensive back Bobby Adamson is heading to Trinity (Texas), says The (Nacogdoches) Daily Sentinel.

This update also contains our first newspaper misunderstanding of the new season. The Gulf Breeze News in Florida claims that a young man named Ben Ganus is getting a football scholarship from Huntingdon. Hmm, interesting. Of course, we all know that’s not the case. Also looks like Huntingdon beat out Hampden-Sydney for Ganus’ services. (Note: Edited April 11 to change school Huntingdon beat out.)

Drew Stainfield allegedly signed a letter of intent to play at Hiram (so says the Star Beacon). He was a linebacker at “Jefferson” — which we presume is a high school of some sort around Ashtabula, Ohio.

St. Joseph HS in New Jersey (we assume, the newspaper assumes the whole world knows where this school is) is sending two players to Division III: defensive end/tight end DeHart Washington to Widener and kicker Kyle Stever to Rowan.

Eastern Wayne center/linebacker Ian Gagnon is staying close to home, according to the Goldsboro News-Argus, and will attend North Carolina Wesleyan. The newspaper also reported Rosewood High defensive lineman Markas Brunson will attend Guilford.

Interesting quotes from the second story:

“Markas Brunson is a tremendous young man that will be a great asset to Guilford College,” Kiesel said in a prepared statement. “I’m very happy to have the ability to attract such a top quality person, student and football player. He’s a versatile player that will help us at defensive end, linebacker or fullback.”

Brunson admits that eventually transferring to a larger college may not be out of the question, but he also said, “I’m focused on what I’m trying to do at Guilford.”

Elsewhere in the ODAC, the Roanoke Times reports that Franklin County tight end Wynn Sigmon and Cave Spring running back Will Osborne are headed to Bridgewater. Mike Clark is quoted on each player. The same piece notes Emory and Henry is getting Jonathan Hawkins, a wide receiver from Rural Retreat. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star says Courtland HS running back Warner Williams committed to play at Bridgewater as well.

Copley HS defensive lineman Mike Nitz, first team All-Ohio, will attend Mount Union, according to the Akron Beacon-Journal.

Nearly a dozen members of the St. John’s recruiting class are listed in an article in today’s St. Cloud Times.

Northwestern HS defensive lineman Donny Amys, apparently from the Superior, Wis., area, is attending UW-Stout.

Two players from Broome HS (South Carolina) have said they will attend D-III schools, according to GoUpstate.com. Quarterback Andrew Weathers is heading to Greensboro and offensive lineman Eric Chapman will go to Methodist.

For a look at the names that crossed our desk last year, check out the 2005 recruiting section of the Daily Dose.