FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[AlDavis]

Once upon a time a guy named Harry said, "A man has to know his limitations".

....and William Faulkner once wrote ...Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to ne better than yourself........Williams looking at a 4 - 4 season at best , that's their limitations this year.

[Go Continentals!]

NJ exports football talent to big-time football programs all over the country.  Take any State in the northeast and compare numbers.  Then take a look at the NFL and compare numers.  Nope, not too many players from Maine, VT, CT or even MA!  Seems like some NJ talent has dotted rosters of the NESCAC too...hmm, I know a guy from Williams named Lupo came from the CVC and did rather well.  So I would say that it comes down to who finds the better talent.  And, quite frankly, I think we should be focusing on talent...not where a kid happened to go to school.

[iamhuge]

NJ exports football talent to big-time football programs all over the country.  Take any State in the northeast and compare numbers.  Then take a look at the NFL and compare numers.  Nope, not too many players from Maine, VT, CT or even MA!  Seems like some NJ talent has dotted rosters of the NESCAC too...hmm, I know a guy from Williams named Lupo came from the CVC and did rather well.  So I would say that it comes down to who finds the better talent.  And, quite frankly, I think we should be focusing on talent...not where a kid happened to go to school.

Lupo was a great player at West Windsor Plainsboro South.  He was followed by three more exceptional players from that high school, two of whom went to Penn and one who went to Harvard.  When you think of it, it's interesting how the NESCAC threads the needle on athletes as most kids who shoot for the NESCAC would most likely be attracted to the Ivy League as well though I'm not sure it works vice versa.

[lumbercat]

AMH63-

We will all know more about the upcoming season when the rosters are released as you have stated-- Your breakdown of the Wesleyan situation seems accurate. They inexplicably lost a couple of significant players. One was Vinci who I know was a D1 or D1a transfer last year- not sure if he is an academic casualty or just a guy who wanted to play in 10 or 11 football games. I watched Vinci twice last year and he was a fine player but not the best DL for Wes. Their other big DL Powers is as good as any in the league and will excel this year-- 6'7" 250 and strong and quick, uses his hands well and will be a challenge to all this year. Was handled best by Bates OT Liam O'Neil 6'4" 312 who is the best offensive lineman returning this year in the NESCAC.


At the end of the day the Cards seem to have recruited well again this year but given their new found recruiting "flexibility" the loss of some upperclassmen may not be considered unexpected. 

Your point about non-returning upperclassmen is a telling factor in todays NESCAC so it will be interesting to see how all the rosters shape up. I'm posting below some information on incoming recruits at Bowdoin and Bates. Both of these programs continue to recruit aggressively and successfully unlike past years. Bates, in particular, seems committed to Athletic upgrades with the their new President who draws rave reviews in Lewiston. He mantra is "win at some costs" which seems a fine compliment to her well rounded approach to academics.

Here are SOME of the incoming recruits, this is not a complete list. None of this information was obtained from Bates or Bowdoin who do release advance information on recruiting.

In a word the issue this year at Bowdoin and Bates is..................who is our QB?

Bowdoin has been searching for a QB and will bring in 2 very highly rated QBs from Ct and another from Minnesota---Believe a FY will be under center in Brunswick.

Bates lost all conference 2nd teamer QB Trevor Smith who took virtually every snap last year. Junior Matt Cannone is the favorite but will  be challenged by FY Trevor Lyons and FY Nick LaSpada (Gatorade Ma Player of the year in 2010).

I've got the Colby information too and will post that if anyone is interested when I have a chance.


Bowdoin

Dylan Mann - Masconomet, MA  5'10"   185      DB
Tim Drakely - Taft, CT  - 6'3" - 210 - QB
Brendan Bilcheck - Hand, CT - 6'0" - 175 - QB
Bjorn Halvorson - Eden, MN - 6'0" - 190 - QB
Andrew Grant - Exeter, NH - 6'0" - 190 - RB
Trevor Kenkel - Glacier, MT - 5'11" - 185 - DB
Harrison Carmichael - N. Attleboro, MA - 6'2" - 190 - DE
Hossam Hamdan - Pingree, MA - 5'9" - 160 - WR
Patrick Fabrizio - Newton South, MA - 6'2" - 220 - OL
Steve Anderson - Seattle Prep, WA - 6'0" - 215 - LB
Dan Wanger - Belmont Hill, MA - 6'1" - 260 - OL
Brian Mullin - St. Sebastians, MA - 6'2" - 275 - OL
Kevin Kearney - Staples, CT - 6'1" - 195 - LB
Jordan Bayuk - Xaverian, Ma - 6'2 - 250 - OL

Bates

Ivan Reese - Savannah Christian, GA - 6'1" - 229 - RB
Trevor Lyons - Hamilton, Wenham, MA - 5'11" - 180 - QB
Sean Antonuccio - Masconomet, MA - 6'2" - 230 - DE
Nick LaSpada - Taft, CT - 6'2" - 190 - QB
James Semmonella - Amity, CT - 6'0" - 205 - RB
James Fagan - St. Johns Prep, MA - 6'2" - 255 - C
L J Lawrence - Loomis Chafee, CT - 6'1" - 264 - OL
Ryan Spillane - Medfield, MA - 5'9" - 180 - RB
Mitch Hildreth - Needham, MA - 6'4" - 270 - OL
Mark Upton - St. Mark's, MA - 6'2" - 215 - LB
Andrew LaChance - Marancook, ME - 6'1" - 190 - WR
Dan Cannone - Windham, NH - 6'0" - 195 - RB
Will Barstow - Amherst, MA - 6'3" - 270 - OL
Tyler Janssen - Glastonbury, CT - 5'11" - 190 - RB
Jake Flaherty - Andover, MA - 5'11" - 195 - OLB
Nate Friesth - Munford, TN - 6'2" - 270 - DL
Andrew Segal - Winnetka Country Day, MN - 6'2" - 260 - OL

[quicksilver]

Lumbercat -- there is a 4th QB headed for Bowdoin -- Tom Capone of Oceanside HS on Long Island. Here's a little video and some stats on Capone:

http://www.sailorsfootball.com/ClubPlayerData.aspx?userId=68817&clubId=52005

[iamhuge]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

How would you compare the Colonial Valley Conference to Massachusett's ISL, which seems to be a feeder league to the NESCAC?

[Knightstalker]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

Actually that is not quite correct.  The Colonial Valley Conference no longer exists in football.  Three years ago, it was merged into a 65 team league now known as the West Jersey Football League.  Nottingham High School (formerly of the Colonial Valley Conference) won the Group 3 Central State Championship last year.  Princeton High School is in Group 4...which is bigger schools than Group 3.

The huge leagues in NJ are still broken up into smaller conferences (not sure what they call them now) mostly by group size.  But the former schools of the Colonial Valley Conference are generally not powerhouses and never really have been.  Part of what bugs me about NJ high school football is they don't determine a real state champion for each group like they do in basketball with the TOC.

I read an article recently which said that New Jersey and Massachusetts are the two states which crown the most "state champs" for football.  I believe this has to do with the fact that both states have Thanksgiving day rivalry football games.  These Thanksgiving day games sometimes go back over 100 years, usually draw big crowds (over 5K) which is big for the Northeast, and also have playoff implications (drawing even bigger crowds).  Since this last game is late in the season, it is very hard to have a true playoff system after this final game (due to weather and winter sports). 

Massachusetts schools just voted for a new playoff system to reduce the amount of "state champions" from 16 to about 5.  The problem is that the thanksgiving game will never count towards a playoff spot now, as the playoffs start 3 weeks before Thanksgiving.  I do not think it will last.

Johnny, NJ does not have that many Thanksgiving games anymore.  Most schools stopped playing them because they would play a State playoff game the previous Friday night or Saturday, then play on Thursday and then another round of playoffs on Saturday.  The only really big Thanksgiving Day game KS can think of now is the Phillipsburg Easton game which is played at Lafayettes Fisher Field to handle the crowds.  This game has no bearing on the playoffs for either team as Phillipsburg in an NJSIAA school and Easton in a PA school.  My old HS Warren Hills nee Washington High used to play Hunterdon Central nee Flemington on Thanksgiving for decades heading back to the 20's and that got dropped in the big NJ realignment back in the early 80's.

NJ High School football is very good and yes we do put a large number of players in some of the top programs in D-I but they also got to Ivy league schools, NESCAC schools and many head to the MAC schools also.

Huge, you are right about true state champions in Wrestling though, both individual weights and team championships.  You always know who is the best of the best in NJ wrestling.  Also in NJ basketball, you always know the best of the best.

[Knightstalker]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

How would you compare the Colonial Valley Conference to Massachusett's ISL, which seems to be a feeder league to the NESCAC?

Wouldn't know, I have never seen a Mass High School play.  I am mostly familiar with Northwest NJ and Northeast PA teams and conferences.  Well as much as I can keep up with the ever shifting conferences in both states.  Hell in NJ it looks like they rearranged the Groups again this summer.  Schools that are in the same conference for the season are in different groups for the playoffs.  The NJSIAA is totally screwed up.

[Jonny Utah]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

How would you compare the Colonial Valley Conference to Massachusett's ISL, which seems to be a feeder league to the NESCAC?

I can speak a little of the ISL, as the team I coach scrimmages ISL teams every year. 

Up to about 2005, the Top ISL teams would have 1 or 2 ivy leaguers and maybe 1 or 2 kids in the league would go d1. Then two coaches took over two programs (BB&N and Lawrence Academy), and raised the bar.  They were basically letting in kids and giving scholarships to kids who wouldn't have been there before these coaches came.  Lawerence Academy had 6 d1 players one year (to some big schools).  The league confronted the schools and the lawerence academy coach got fired.  The schools are back to more of an even playing field. 

The catholic conference schools in MA usually play 1-2out of state teams in NJ and CT and get beat bad, so I'd guess the ISL teams wouldn't do much better, but it is the best football conference in MA

[Knightstalker]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

How would you compare the Colonial Valley Conference to Massachusett's ISL, which seems to be a feeder league to the NESCAC?

I can speak a little of the ISL, as the team I coach scrimmages ISL teams every year. 

Up to about 2005, the Top ISL teams would have 1 or 2 ivy leaguers and maybe 1 or 2 kids in the league would go d1. Then two coaches took over two programs (BB&N and Lawrence Academy), and raised the bar.  They were basically letting in kids and giving scholarships to kids who wouldn't have been there before these coaches came.  Lawerence Academy had 6 d1 players one year (to some big schools).  The league confronted the schools and the lawerence academy coach got fired.  The schools are back to more of an even playing field. 

The catholic conference schools in MA usually play 1-2out of state teams in NJ and CT and get beat bad, so I'd guess the ISL teams wouldn't do much better, but it is the best football conference in MA

Most schools in the country would not do well against Don Bosco Prep or Bergen Catholic.

[iamhuge]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

How would you compare the Colonial Valley Conference to Massachusett's ISL, which seems to be a feeder league to the NESCAC?

I can speak a little of the ISL, as the team I coach scrimmages ISL teams every year. 

Up to about 2005, the Top ISL teams would have 1 or 2 ivy leaguers and maybe 1 or 2 kids in the league would go d1. Then two coaches took over two programs (BB&N and Lawrence Academy), and raised the bar.  They were basically letting in kids and giving scholarships to kids who wouldn't have been there before these coaches came.  Lawerence Academy had 6 d1 players one year (to some big schools).  The league confronted the schools and the lawerence academy coach got fired.  The schools are back to more of an even playing field. 

The catholic conference schools in MA usually play 1-2out of state teams in NJ and CT and get beat bad, so I'd guess the ISL teams wouldn't do much better, but it is the best football conference in MA

The best ISL teams would beat Everett, MA???

[Jonny Utah]

all I can say is...watchout NESCAC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3plN_3sU38

He looks alright and atleast hustles.....is that boondock  New Jersey High School football , because it looks no better than Pop Warner , very slow and very poor tackling.....that Chance Brady looks to be the much better candidate if this #4 is going to Tufts , nice to see some info tickle in , the write up on Trinity and the Wesleyan Roster , anymore info out there.

Princeton High School plays in the Colonial Valley Conference in NJ.  It is not what you would call the football powerhouse conference of NJ.

How would you compare the Colonial Valley Conference to Massachusett's ISL, which seems to be a feeder league to the NESCAC?

I can speak a little of the ISL, as the team I coach scrimmages ISL teams every year. 

Up to about 2005, the Top ISL teams would have 1 or 2 ivy leaguers and maybe 1 or 2 kids in the league would go d1. Then two coaches took over two programs (BB&N and Lawrence Academy), and raised the bar.  They were basically letting in kids and giving scholarships to kids who wouldn't have been there before these coaches came.  Lawerence Academy had 6 d1 players one year (to some big schools).  The league confronted the schools and the lawerence academy coach got fired.  The schools are back to more of an even playing field. 

The catholic conference schools in MA usually play 1-2out of state teams in NJ and CT and get beat bad, so I'd guess the ISL teams wouldn't do much better, but it is the best football conference in MA

The best ISL teams would beat Everett, MA???

Now Everett is in a different category, but yes, the top 2 or so ISL teams would beat Everett most years.

[gridiron]

Lumbercat--great intel on Bowdoin and Bates.  Interested in Colby too when possible.

[AlDavis]

Lumbercat--great intel on Bowdoin and Bates.  Interested in Colby too when possible.

.....yes definitely , excellent......seems like both Bowdoin and Bates are lacking proportion of Defensive players.

[fulbakdad]

It's not just the ISL Prep schools in Mass.  There is also the Colonial League which is multi state.  Tabor, Suffield, Northfield Mount Herman, Canterbury, and Cheshire are also well represented in the NESCAC.  They also pump a fair number of kids into D1.