If you’ve looked at our ongoing list of announced recruits, you may wonder why so few East region players are mentioned.

No team has more than two recruits listed and most teams aren’t represented at all. One North region school (Augustana) has nearly as many recruits listed as the Empire 8, Liberty League, NEFC and NESCAC combined.

While this paucity (SAT word!) is generally due to a lack of information, we’ve finally got some East region stories to share.

NJAC Backs

Kean football fans haven’t had much to cheer about recently, finishing no better than fifth since we started keeping track in 1999.

But an upset win over Montclair State and a close game with Rowan in 2004 might have lit a spark of optimism in Union, New Jersey. That spark was fanned a little by a North-South High School All-Star Football game featuring a handful of Cougars-to-be.

The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press reports that Linden High defensive end Jimmy Moreno was instrumental in the North team’s two-point victory. The North sealed the game by thwarting a late drive led by Asbury Park HS quarterback Keith Gladden. Both Moreno and Gladden will attend Kean this fall.

The game also featured Butler (N.J.) HS running back Jared Greenburg, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound dynamo who gained more than 1,900 yards and 29 touchdowns last year. You can read more about Greenburg, another Cougar newcomer, in this NorthJersey.com article.

Cortland State will receive some young backfield talent according to the (Oneonta, N.Y.) Daily Star. Cooperstown (N.Y.) HS back Brendan Hill will play for the Red Dragons this fall and, while coaches normally say nice things about incoming players, Cortland Coach Dan MacNeill seemed particularly high on Hill. “”Immediately after reviewing his tape, Brendan was a top prospect for us,” MacNeill told the paper. “We know one thing, Brendan is a pretty terrific running back.”

Incidentally Hill’s high school wrestling foe, Matt Mazgaj, is headed to Washington & Jefferson.

MAC Daddies

Last time we mentioned that Delaware Valley sent us a report on their recruits. Now we can add Lycoming to the short list of schools that have shared their 2005 recruiting class with us. You can read the Warriors’ official release here.

A trio of Red Rovers will come over to the MAC as Easton (Pa.) HS graduates John Navone, Jarrid Myers and Todd Kresge will attend King’s, Susquehanna and Wilkes respectively.

FDU-Florham will be the college home for Sam Trotta of Delran (N.J.) HS while Tyler Williams of Whitehall (Pa.) HS joins MAC-mate Moravian.

Good Deal for the Cards

The Gloucester (N.J.) County Times reports that the Wesleyan (Conn.) Cardinals will feather their football nest with Gateway Regional (N.J.) HS graduate Kevin Leamy. Reminiscent of versatile D3football.com All-American and Williams grad Scott Farley, Leamy played running back, quarterback, place kicker, linebacker and defensive back in high school.

NOTE: Thanks to our East region ATR columnist Tom Wilson who fed us most of these stories. You can check out his NJAC blog here.

In non-East region recruiting news…

– National Trail (Ohio) HS quarterback Randy Kerns will play football and baseball at Earlham

– Tolar (Texas) HS teammates J.W. Pendleton and Dustin Waldrep will attend Hardin-Simmons and Sul Ross State respectively

– Bethel Park (Pa.) HS quarterback L.J. Michalski will enroll at Johns Hopkins

– Burlington Township (N.J.) HS quarterback Jim Jeffers is headed to Muhlenberg

– Norwin (Pa.) HS graduate Rick Stevey will play football and run track at Thiel

– Jefferson-Morgan (Pa.) HS alum Eric Cox will attend Waynesburg

As always, if you have recruiting news, feel free to share using the comments feature. Please provide the URL so we can verify the story or we’ll erase the post, even if you’re reporting your own college decision.

NOTE: Thanks to NJAC Poster JPS93 who spotted this (East Brunswick, N.J.) Hometown News Tribune article citing two more incoming East region quarterbacks.

Piscataway (N.J.) HS Quarterback Robert Rose, meet East Brunswick (N.J.) HS Quarterback Matt Mariano. They could be the future leaders of the 2004 East Region finalists as Rose heads to Rowan and Mariano to Delaware Valley. Both will have to wait, though, as the Profs and Aggies have talented incumbents already under center in Mike Orihel and Adam Knoblauch respectively.

I wonder if Rose will mention the final score of the Rowan-Del Val playoff game to Mariano when they see each other on Thursday…

Stefan Cooper of the Maryville (Tenn.) Daily Times reports that the hometown Scots are hoping for continued improvement — both on the field and in the Athletic Center — after a 5-4 season in 2004.

The Scots join the USA South Athletic Conference for football this season after playing a slew of close games as an independent in 2004. Maryville had three overtime games and four more decided by a field goal or less last season.

This is a nice turnaround for a program that, not too long ago, was celebrating its first home win in a couple years.

Ah, to be a high school starting quarterback.

To receive admiring glances from your school mates as you roam the hallways of a peer pressure cooker. To take the helm of your team and lead them to glory in weekend battles with cross town rivals. To bask in the longing gazes of cheerleaders and precocious underclasswomen whose heart you can send a flutter with a single smile.

At least that’s what I always imagined it was like.

You know, when I was daydreaming in Spanish class instead of paying rapt attention to yet another round of the “Como-te-llamas-me-llamo-Gordon” drill.

Despite these glory days — real or imagined — the transition to college can be particularly difficult for incoming quarterbacks. Along with getting acclimated to new offensive sets, unfamiliar teammates and a higher level of play, many first year QBs face the reality that, previous honors notwithstanding, they’re unlikely to see significant playing time this fall.

But an unknown arm in 2005 may be “the man” in 2006 and beyond. So we’re letting the incoming quarterback hopefuls take a few snaps for this edition of the Recruiting Recap.

Herron Elects to Join the Presidents

A good feature in The (Charleston, W. VA) State Journal tells the story of Bobby Herron who will attend Washington & Jefferson next fall. The Wheeling Central Catholic High School quarterback joins an offense with lots of weapons returning, including quarterback Chris Edwards who tossed 38 touchdowns last year.

Herron enters college with realistic expectations, telling the Journal, “[W]ith a guy like Chris Edwards coming back, I know that the No. 2 slot is what I’m shooting for this year. Then next year, we’ll see.”

Herron’s story is also a great example of why many talented players decide to play football at the Division III level.

W&J is a smaller school relatively close to home offering Herron a quality education and a chance to play the game he loves. Herron emphasizes that his studies will come first. “I already know that I’m not going to play pro ball for a living, and I know that I’m going to have to turn pro in something. College is where I’ll get the education for the future.”

Well said, Mr. President.

Wartburg Bound

The (Waterloo, Iowa) Courier reports that another talented high school quarterback is headed to a perennial playoff contender. Denver (Iowa) HS quarterback Jake Kuennen will bring his strong arm to Waverly where Wartburg comes off yet another IIAC title.

Like W&J, Wartburg has an incumbent starter returning at quarterback in senior-to-be Reed Hoskins. Despite a relatively weak ratio of 14 touchdowns to 15 interceptions, Hoskins took a large majority of the snaps last year with back-up QB Greg Koenen only throwing three passes.

MIT be a good Fit

Valley Central (N.Y.) HS alum Stephen Toth apparently likes a challenge. So the valedictorian/quarterback plans to play baseball and football at MIT…after he starts classes in pursuit of his chemical engineering degree…after he joins the college’s ROTC program.

Toth told the Middletown (N.Y.) Times-Herald that he was particularly struck by a Mark Twain quote on an MIT brochure — “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”

Class work at MIT plus football plus ROTC plus the rest of college life? Sounds like a challenge.

In other recruiting news that crossed our virtual desk:

– Pontiac (Ill.) HS grad Christopher Green will play at Augustana

– Charleston (Ill.) HS WR/DB Jason Murphy heads to Illinois College

– Lyndhurst (N.J.) HS quarterback Brian Kapp will attend Montclair State

– Carmi-White County (Ind.) HS product Eric Trout will enroll at North Central

– Wyoming Valley West (Pa.) HS rusher Ryan Kraynack will suit up for Union

– Green Bay East (Wis.) HS lineman Matt Klug heads to UW-Platteville

– Bexley (Ohio) HS teammates Matt Ellinger and David Gitlitz will attend W&J

Remember that there are plenty more recruits listed here, including new links to full recruiting classes for Delaware Valley, Franklin & Marshall and Minnesota-Morris.

And you can share recruiting news using the comments feature below, but please provide a URL to verify the story.