FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Nate Scola (2013 NCAC DPOY) and rising senior Tyler McCullen (1st team All-NCAC in 2013 and 2014) have come from Apache Junction.  I'll have to dig some more to see if we've had more kids from there, but yeah, we've had some really good student-athletes come to C'ville from that high school.  Thanks for sharing this bit of good news, RC. 

That's a fun reel to watch.  Yikes. 

[reality check]

There was a QB about 6-9 years ago that came from AJ too.  I don't think he panned out.  But his dad would patrol the opposing sidelines with Wabash brochures at home games.  I know this because at the time, I was an opposing coach and he was relentless in chasing people down and telling them about the wonders of C'ville. 

[reality check]

Fun fact: Nate Scola was a QB in high school at Apache Junction and his running back was Tyler McCullen's older brother Shane who went on to play at Arizona State University as a safety.

The kid who's dad patrolled sidelines was Daniel Ambrosio.  It appears he ended up a javelin thrower at Wabash and I just found an article online saying he plays football in Germany now?!?

[sigma one]

  I see that reality check has beaten me with his comment, but I'll let my post stand anyway.
I believe the QB from Apache Junction was Daniel Ambrosio.  He was a big, strong guy with a powerful arm.  Eventually, he chose to stop playing football and went out for track and field.  He became a javelin thrower.  I know he was a 200-ft-+ thrower, qualifying one year for the NCAA DIII national championship meet.  He was also a pretty good high jumper.  I heard is is/was in Germany looking to play football again.
     For the last two years, Michael Putko, also from Arizona (he quarterbacked a state runner-up team), has started at QB for Wabash.  He returns this year, and will be challenged by another big, strong, left-handed QB who in the second half of last season took snaps on about one-third of the downs.  His name is Connor (Conner?) Rice from Cathedral in Indianapolis.   Putko will be a senior; Rice, a junior.  So it's time for the next good one to be added to the roster.
     

[Li'l Giant]

Another lefty? Fun. That Apache Junction pipeline has produced some fantastic players. I hope Abbatacola is as good as that Hudl shows. He looks pretty darn good to me.

[reality check]

Another lefty? Fun. That Apache Junction pipeline has produced some fantastic players. I hope Abbatacola is as good as that Hudl shows. He looks pretty darn good to me.

He's better than the HUDL film even shows.  He broke a national high school record in one game last season by accounting for over 740 yards of total offense.  He threw for 565 yards and ran for another 169 yards and caught a throwback pass for 16 more yards while accounting for 7 total touchdowns.  He was the best kid I've ever coached in my career and it's not even close. 

[DadofBashWarrior..]

Another lefty? Fun. That Apache Junction pipeline has produced some fantastic players. I hope Abbatacola is as good as that Hudl shows. He looks pretty darn good to me.

He's better than the HUDL film even shows.  He broke a national high school record in one game last season by accounting for over 740 yards of total offense.  He threw for 565 yards and ran for another 169 yards and caught a throwback pass for 16 more yards while accounting for 7 total touchdowns.  He was the best kid I've ever coached in my career and it's not even close.

Film looks good...Great decision for him...Wabash will certainly be a place for him to excel in many ways...

[BashDad]

Rice is better.

[reality check]

All I can go off of is their hudl highlights from their respective senior years.  In looking at Rice's senior highlights, I see a decent arm with great play-making ability.  He extended lots of plays and made something out of nothing often in that film.  I only saw scrambles and no designed runs.  When he did scramble he was able to pick up positive yardage but he was corralled after about fifteen to twenty yards.  The longest straight-line throws I saw were 50 yards in the air from throw to catch and that appeared to be his limit.  He looks like a very good high school senior on his tape so I am not trying to knock him in any way. 

I think Adam shows better breakaway speed with two 75+ yard runs where he pulls away from defenders.  He also throws multiple balls over 50 yards straight-line.  I give Rice the edge in extending plays but I think Adam displays more control on the long ball.  Adam rarely made his receiver come back, wait or slow down on a downfield throw. 

Again, this is just senior tape versus senior tape.  I couldn't begin to comment on what you guys have seen of Rice in C'ville.  Bottom line is that QB looks awful deep for Wabash.

[Wabash Hokie]

Something to chew on during the summer.


Preseason Div III Rankings from The Sporting News:


http://www.rowanathletics.com/documents/2015/6/4//sportingnewsd3fbpreview15.pdf?id=3865

[sigma one]

Thanks.  I'll wait for the DIIIFB rankings, please.  Those Sporting News and Lindy's rankings get it only about one-third right in my opinion.  The DIII guys actually know what they are talking about.

[Sir Battlescars]

When does the D3football.com pre-season top 25 come out?

[badgerwarhawk]

Right around the last week of August or so.

[Pat Coleman]

Mid-July, actually.

[ADL70]

Has this been noted before?  OWU hosts UMHB on 9/5.

http://www.battlingbishops.com/schedule.aspx?path=football