Monthly Archives: April 2006

Moving up to Division III

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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!

Castleton State football?

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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.

Recruiting recap: Let’s get started

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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.