Seniors’ least favorite question . . .

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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.

Recruiting Recap: Penn, Harvard kids on the way

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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.

Random games

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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?