I got out to the Iona Prep Camp the last two nights. What I saw was a New Rochelle team struggling to find continuity, a Rye squad searching an identity and an Iona Prep team looking for its best players.

None of the three teams at Iona Camp remotely resembled what they did last season, nor did they look like the squads that will likely take the field in September. But that’s to be expected out of this camp. All three left this camp last year with major question marks. And all three went on to win championships.

Here’s a quick look at the three:

Iona Prep
In today’s Journal News I had a story about the new CHSFL rules regarding offseason workouts. You can read it here. Essentially, the league decided it wasn’t going to allow teams to conduct full-squad, 11-on-11 camps in the spring and summer months because it was an unfair advantage. Instead, they can only use seven players on the field at once.

To me, this is an anti-Iona Prep rule. Of all the teams in the league, the Gaels do the most offseason camps, followed by Stepinac. Iona Prep turned out to be the best team in the state last year… and months later this rule was adopted. Majority rules, sorry Iona, the league basically told it, and it was approved (See, this blog isn’t the only place to get your anti-Iona fix).

Anyway, I watched the scrimmages at the camp last night and realized it was actually WORSE to have full-contact 7-on-7 than 11-on-11. Think about it: On offense, the three teams used “half lines” and no receivers to one side and ran all the plays to one direction. In theory, it makes sense. But you don’t account for the safety and middle linebacker, who just sprint to that side and lay out whoever is in front of them. If there were 11 players, those guys would have to monitor both sides of the field. Not in this case.

On one play last night when Rye was on offense, Conor Eck hit Cole McCormack on the left sideline and he got hit hard (and was momentarily holding his knee on the ground; he was OK). But the hit never would have happened if the safety didn’t shade to that side knowing there was absolutely no way the play was going to the other side. Get it? Rye coach Dino Garr sure did. He was livid at the entire 7-on-7 setup. New Ro coach Lou DiRienzo expressed his displeasure in his sarcastic, joking manner. I agreed with both. It’s not football.

Anyway, Iona Prep never had the full complement of players at camp this week. Tyrae Woodson-Samuels missed Sunday because he attended the Hofstra Camp. Jeff Mack and Greg Gadsen were down at Rutgers Camp on Sunday and Monday. Jordan Bronner (who actually might not play from what I’m hearing) was playing AAU basketball. Morris Hilton didn’t practice yesterday because of an ankle injury. Those are five of their top players.

Woodson-Samuels looked pretty good yesterday, especially running the ball. I think we’ll hear a lot more this year out of Michael Dunkley and Sidney Weston. The line is enormous. George Apostolopoulous looked good and Michael Longo is really growing into his frame.

Iona defensively looked good against Rye, disrupting the passing game. Where Iona struggled was at receiver. For a team that never dropped balls last year, many dropped to the turf yesterday.

New Rochelle
The Huguenots are usually a hard team to read until their own Champions Camp in late July. They’re always shifting guys around, especially in the backfield and guys who carry the ball now might not touch it in a month when they’re moved to offensive guard.

From what I saw, Xavier Walker looked like a bull running through the line. Very little stutter-stepping and juking. It was full speed ahead, which even at 5-6, he needs to do consistently. He didn’t get quite as many carries last season as I thought. But I think this could really be his breakout year.

Lewis Edney, who’s taking over for Jonny McGhee at quarterback, looked very sharp at some times. Clearly, he’s still learning the position and getting comfortable in his surroundings. But he throws a nice ball and seems to have develop command of the offense. It’s going to be a little easier for him considering the Huguenots return so few players on offense.

As for McGhee, it’s clear he isn’t coming back, which is unfortunate. He was a star for them the last two seasons and, even if he wanted to come back, I’m not sure how he’d be received after missing all this time.

Julian Griffin is back at New Rochelle after spending last season at Mamaroneck, although I didn’t get to see much. He could be a wild card for the Huguenots. He’s not huge but he’s lightning fast and he got considerable playing time at Mamaroneck last year.

Lou DiRienzo Jr. looked good at middle linebacker, as always, and the entire defense around him looked so quick. From what I’m told, and got to see a little yesterday, this is the fastest the New Rochelle defense has been in a few years. I believe it.

Rye
Last year you could argue that the Garnets were the most “game ready” at this camp last year. This season, not so much.

Rye had its moments, but it was clearly a major work-in-progress. Conor Eck looked like he was maybe a step ahead of the new guys around him, but was otherwise pretty good. His timing was a little off with the receivers, most of which are new, so it’s expected.

Even knowing what the Garnets graduated, the backfield isn’t going to skip a beat. Cole McCormack, coming off a 1,000-yard season, continues to grow and there might not be a tougher runner in Section 1. Then you added Brendan Nagle into the mix. Nagle plowed through the New Ro defense on a few occassions yesterday. He’s 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds and runs so hard. Jack O’Callaghan had a few nice grabs, and the Garnets didn’t have T.J. Storino, who’ll be the Pat O’Callaghan-type as a dual-threat runner/receiver.

Defensively, the Garnets looked so raw and got beat by New Rochelle’s speed and Iona’s execution, it was impossible to really get a read. They were also without Charlie Rollins, their best two-way lineman, plus about 8-10 others, so I don’t know if the guys on the field are their true players or not.

There was so much talk at the camp about Rye moving to Class A and needing to find the added depth and be more of a polished team. I don’t buy it. The Garnets would have won the Class A title in four of the six years they just won the B, guaranteed. To think that they’re in some other football dimension by moving up is absurd.

When Rye’s run started, Class B consisted of Harrison, Eastchester, and Somers. Sure, teams like Ossining and Nyack are going to be tough. But the Garnets will surely be able to handle it. Will they beat Ossining in the first week? It’s going to be difficult. But can Rye still win the Class A title? Right now, I think they just might.

If you were out at any camps over the last few days, please drop us a line and let us know how it went. There are a bunch more camps scheduled for late-July/early-August that I hope to get out to. If you know of any, let me know the dates and sites.

Check out this story on a prominent high school football coach from Iowa, who was shot and killed this morning in the team’s weight room.

Ed Thomas, the coach and AD at Aplington-Parkersburg High was murdered at 8 a.m. Thomas was the 2005 NFL National High School Coach of the Year, an award Tony DeMatteo actually won two years earlier.

What’s the world coming to? High school football coaches are getting killed at their own school? Obviously, we don’t know yet what the motive was. When you see the story, you’ll assume it’s a disgruntled player or parent. It doesn’t have to be the case.

But what if it is?

Many of you have provided your own predictions and analysis. Now, here’s the real thing.

The Super 11 nominees, broken down by category as I’ve done in the past. They’re all rather self-explanatory. If something doesn’t make sense, or you feel I’ve left somebody out, please drop me a line.

THE LOCKS
Guys who are pretty much assured a spot barring something unforeseen
Tyrae Woodson-Samuels, Iona Prep: The reigning Journal News player of the year is coming off a jaw-dropping season at quarterback.
Jeff Mack, Iona Prep: The running back could have easily been the POY over Woodson-Samuels last season. His 400-yard rushing effort in the CHSFL final was legendary.

HEAVY FAVORITES
Players who are in good position to nab a spot, but aren’t guaranteed
Ryan Shilling, Carmel: A third-year starter at quarterback, Shilling took the Rams to the Class AA final last season. His numbers the last two seasons stack up are better than anyone in Section 1.
Sal Sulla, North Rockland: Came out of nowhere to have a breakout season at fullback. The offense will be more tailored to him this season.
Devonte Brailsford, Dobbs Ferry: A Super 11 selection last season, Brailsford is in his fifth varsity season. He’s getting serious Division I looks.
Gary Acquah, Mount St. Michael: Completely unblockable on the defensive line. A major Division I recruit.
Dakota Degree, Ossining: The best offensive lineman in the section, and perhaps the most intimidating player around on D.

THE UPPER HALF
Players who must have good summers to assure spots
Cole McCormack, Rye: Total beast in the backfield. If he was in a one-back offense, he’d top 1,500 yards without a problem.
Connor Eck, Rye: Great QB and a state champ.
Matt Deiana, Somers: When healthy, he’s a fast and rugged back and is just as good a defender.
Lou DiRienzo, New Rochelle: As smart of a linebacker as you’ll see in this area.
Michael Brereton, Mahopac: Lineman with good size and quickness. Getting plenty of college interest.
Ray Nichols, Nyack: Quarterbacked the Indians to the Class A title.
Derek O’Dell, Haldane: One of the toughest, and most accomplished, players right now in Section 1
Joe Tralli, Croton-Harmon: All-state receiver probably makes big plays downfield on a consistent basis

WHERE DOES HE FIT IN?
Jonny McGhee, New Rochelle: If he’s playing, he might jump into the “lock” category. But the word right now is that he isn’t on the team. He started the last two years at quarterback, leading the Huguenots to AA titles.

STARS BY NOVEMBER
Guys who are Super 11 candidates now and will be likely all-county picks
Bruce Grant, Fordham Prep: His performance in the Turkey Bowl alone should warrant serious consideration.
Tyrell Goodman, Stepinac: Will run wild and throw the ball all over. A gifted athlete.
Tyler Dorien, Croton-Harmon: Nobody will be Nick Mainiero. But Dorien could come pretty close.
Matt Laccetti, Ossining: Elusive and electric. This is one of the most fun players around to watch.
Lewis Edney, New Rochelle: If McGhee doesn’t play, this will be New Rochelle’s QB. And he’s a stud athlete.
Colin Tullgren, Somers: A great kicker, he’ll get plenty more touches with Rob Lombardo gone.
Tom Hanney, Nanuet: Returning starter at quarterback. At 6-2, 195, he’s a tough kid and talented athlete.

CAN YOU PICK JUST ONE?
Teammates who both deserve serious consideration
Jesse Hunt and Tim Muller, Fox Lane: Hunt (QB) and Muller (WR) are going to be quite a tandem this season.
Dave Thomas and Donovan Walker, Roosevelt: With the Indians dropping down to Class A, both of these stars could put up video game numbers.
Jordan Bronner and Greg Gadsen, Iona Prep: Bronner will be among the area’s leading receivers while Gadsen is a terrific defensive lineman. But can you pick a third Iona Prep player? Tough call.

Just so you’re aware, this isn’t the end-all, be-all list. There could easily be a name not mentioned here that gets on. I’ll be out at camps throughout the summer, starting later this week, and will be evaluating talent, talking to coaches and players and continuing to make assessments.

This is just where the list — and the debate — begins!

I caught up with Ray this afternoon at today’s ceremony at City Hall. He said tomorrow’s youth football camp at New Rochelle High School will be held rain or shine. If it rains, as expected, they’ll go into the gym.

Rice, who received a key to the city this afternoon, is holding an instructional football event. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and it’s open to ALL KIDS FREE OF CHARGE. You don’t have to live in New Rochelle. You just have to be between the ages of 7-13.

Ray will have good buddy and teammate Joe Flacco, the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, with him during the camp. They’ll be signing autographs and there will be photo ops, and Ray will address the kids in attendance.

Hopefully those of you with children can make it out tomorrow.

Remember Melvin Calhoun? He played point guard at Port Chester until 2005, leading the Rams to back-to-back County Center appearances.

Well, the 5-foot-8 Calhoun is finally realizing his college basketball dream after a long, frustrating journy through prep schools and junior colleges. On Sunday he signed to play with Northwood University, an NAIA school in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Northwood is entering its fourth season as a basketball program. It competes in the Florida Sun Conference and features Lester Hunte, a Yonkers native and Lincoln High graduate, and is coached by the famous Rollie Massimino. For the youngsters out there, Massimino has been coaching for 40 years and led Villanova to the unforgettable 1985 NCAA Championship. In three seasons at Northwood, he’s guided the Seahawks to a 77-23 record and three straight NAIA National Tournament appearances.

Massimino actually came up to Larchmont for the Calhoun signing, as you can see in the picture to the right.

Calhoun has taken a long road to Northwood. He was recruited heavily by several Division I schools, including Iona, but didn’t qualify academically. He attended Milford Academy and Laurinberg Prep in North Carolina and he still didn’t pass the NCAA Clearinghouse. Calhoun then enrolled at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, Penn. and earned his Associates Degree in Sports Management. He’ll be a junior at Northwood and have two years of eligibility.

Think what you want about Calhoun or Port Chester basketball, but you cannot dismiss what this kid has accomplished. Calhoun could have easily given up on basketball and on school after what he went through, and gone down the wrong path. But he didn’t. He stuck with it when so many would have quit. You’ve got respect his persistence and drive. Melvin should be used as an example for any coach or parent who can’t get through to their kid when it comes to academics.

Congrats to Melvin.

Stepinac High School will honor several former basketball standouts at tonight’s second annual Hardwood Club dinner.

St. John’s assistant basketball coach Fred Quartlebaum, a 1985 grad, Colenel Art White (‘68), Frank Henderson (‘81), former coach Tom Carney and 1951 Catholic State championship team will be inducted into the club at the ceremony, which will be held in the school gym at 6:30 p.m.

Quartlebaum, a Hastings native, played at Fordham University and was an assistant at North Carolina, Notre Dame, Iowa State and three other Division I schools.

White is regarded as one of the top players ever from the area. The White Plains native played at Georgetown and was a third-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Henderson, also of White Plains, played at Stepinac and compiled 132 wins in eight seasons as coach. Carney was the school’s second coach, serving from 1965-72.

The 1951 team featured three future Division I players in John Ritch (Providence), Dick Wise (Notre Dame and Alabama) and Dick McDine (St. John’s and Iona).

The dinner is open to the public. Tickets are $60.

Yes, I’m aware this is a high school football and basketball blog. But yes, I do cover other things.

For the golf fans out there, please check out our U.S. Open golf coverage on LoHud.com. I’ll be out at Bethpage Black for a few days this week, and my commrades will be there through the weekend.

Today, I’ll be checking in from Bethpage on our Live Chat, which you can view here. It starts at noon and will be hosted by Mike Dougherty.

Let’s be serious for a moment: you simply cannot put any stock into 7-on-7s or try to use them to project success during the season. Football is played with pads, linemen, scouting, and a field longer than 40 yards.

But, with that being said, Croton-Harmon looked pretty darn good on Saturday.

The reigning Class C sectional champs and state finalists won the Big Apple Shootout at White Plains, outlasting the other 15 teams, most of which were far bigger schools.

Normally, I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. Had Stepinac or Carmel or North Rockland or John Jay had won, it would be a little different. But I watched Croton for a while and then got some reports from people who stayed until the end. And, although it was an exhibition in t-shirts and shorts, the Tigers definitely left a strong impression.

“Nobody could cover the Tralli’s,” one coach said. “And that new quarterback can really fling it.”

The Tralli’s are Joe and Matt. Joe was an all-state receiver as a junior and Matt, who’ll be a junior, made arguably the biggest player of the season, catching the game-winning 2-point conversion to beat Dobbs Ferry in the semifinals. Joe is as good a receiver there is outside of Iona Prep and Matt is quickly improving and graining confidence.

That quarterback is Tyler Dorien. I got to see the senior left-hander throw the ball against Haldane in one of the earlier games and was very impressed with his velocity and technique. According to Croton coach John Catano, Dorien threw about 150 passes during the six games on Saturday. He didn’t throw one interception.

“Hey, the kid had a pretty good teacher,” Catano said. “And I’m not talking about myself.”

Catano is talking about Nick Mainiero, an all-state quarterback for Croton who started the last three seasons. Mainiero mentored Dorien last season as the backup, that is when Dorien was serving as a major contributor as a running back and defensive back.

Tyler Keppler, also a starter at running back last season, looked strong. Nick’s little brother, Jesse Mainiero, had a great showing at event.

Croton-Harmon beat LaSalle in the championship after knocking off Irvington in the semis. I floated from field to field for a while and spoke to various people. Here are some of the things I gathered:

Irvington: Of the teams I saw, few looked as crisp at running routes as Irvington. The Bulldogs should thrive in a competition like this considering it runs the spread offense and had a great core of young talent at the skill positions. Quarterback Peter Crisara was sharp and, from what I saw, he had plenty of options on the perimeter. The Bulldogs also had a big, strong tight end who caught some passes. Very impressive group.

Stepinac: This Crusaders might have graduated as much, if not more, than any other top-tier team in the area. The loss of QB Joe Collins and RB/WR Maurice Easterling will be tough to overcome, although Tyrell Goodman and Josh Powell flashed incredible potential. Goodman is a 6-3 junior QB he rifles the ball. Based on what I saw, when he had a man open he delivered it on a string. It was when he got tentative that he lost a little something. That will improve with experience. Powell has no excuse but to be one of the most dynamic players in the CHSFL. The senior is also 6-3 and will be a difficult cover downfield. And since it was a passing clinic, I didn’t get to see sophomore Caleb Gilligan-Evans do much. But the fullback has probably bulked up to 5-10, 190, which is bigger than Rye star Kyle Ramalho was at that age. He could be just as good, if not better. Joe Telesco also made some big plays on both sides of the ball and will be a key player for Stepinac.

Pleasantville: Unfortunately I didn’t get to see too much from the Panthers. But I heard very good things. In fact, some people were as impressed with them as anybody. Don’t be surprised by that. Although the Class B finalists graduate their QB and top RB, but they have plenty of talent coming back with QB Nolan Robinson, WR Jack Bramswig and RBs Michael Morra and Sean Cronin.

North Rockland and John Jay: I watched both teams for a few minutes and it was clear they were each missing key players. It was hard to judge anything knowing that. North Rockland had some serious speed in the secondary and, from the people I spoke to, are still searching for consistency at quarterback. The Red Raiders have a stud running back in Sal Sulla. John Jay, meanwhile, was in the infant stages of its preseason workouts. Coach Jimmy Clark joked that he apologized beforehand to his team for yelling at them. He knew he’d forget they’d barely worked together. Still, the Indians held their own against Stepinac and did a decent job containing them downfield.

The rest: Spring Valley had a great showing, reaching the playoffs. The speed was incredible according to many I spoke with, especially out of the backfield. … Sleepy Hollow held its own despite having only a dozen or so players in attendance. … Haldane was there, also short-handed, but I though the QB (Frank Fusco?) did a nice job running the offense. … White Plains had two teams entered in the event so it was hard to get a read on it.

If you were at the Big Apple Shootout, please feel free to offer your thoughts on the event. There was so much going on there that it was hard to get a read on everyone. Your opinions are appreciated. The same goes for the Rye 7-on-7.

If you knew Ray Rice when he was at New Rochelle High School, you knew him as three things: a fantastic athlete, a true leader and a total goof ball.

I was fortunate enough to see it first-hand many times during his years there. He’d be making everyone laugh in the middle of practice one minute before ripping off a head-spinning 40-yard run the next. Usually when I needed to interview him for a story, he’d slip into goof-ball mode, cracking jokes about teammates and coaches, before crafting perfect quotes for my story.

So it was refreshing this afternoon to be standing in the same hallways at New Rochelle and seeing him come strolling in, sporting a mohawk, holding a pair of cell phones and making silly faces in the window at the people in a serious meeting he was 20 minutes late to attend.

Finally, a millionaire athlete who’s the exact same person he was growing up in the projects.

“I’ve known him since he was 7 years old,” Joe Fosina said. “And he hasn’t changed at all.”

What also hasn’t changed is Rice’s love for the city he grew up in. Many times while at New Rochelle and Rutgers, he told me about how he wanted to give back to New Rochelle and be a role model for the kids, which is exactly what he intends to do at this weekend’s “Ray Rice Day.”

Fosina, president of the New Rochelle Youth Tackle League, is one of the main organizers of the event, which includes a ceremony on Friday afternoon at a City Hall, folllowed by a youth camp at New Rochelle H.S. on Saturday.

Rice and Ravens QB Joe Flacco will headline the camp, which is open to kids ages 7-13 and is completely free of charge. Registration starts at 8 a.m. Click here for the flyer or on the New Rochelle Youth Tackle League site for more information.

Ray and I spoke for a while this afternoon and he’s genuinely excited about the event. This isn’t something he simply feels obligated to do as a famous athlete. Not only does he want to host the event, he wants it to grow into something much larger in the future.

There’s no reason to believe it couldn’t be. Ben Gordon Day in Mount Vernon started small and has blossomed into a street festival spread out over an entire weekend. Ray said he got the idea from Ben and hopes to follow the lead.

Currently, Ray is splitting his time living up here in New Rochelle and down in Baltimore. With Willis McGahee recovering from yet another knee surgery, Rice is the No. 1 back on the depth chart and is seeing most of the reps in the offseason. With Baltimore coming off a playoff appearance and the support of the league’s top defense, Flacco and Rice could be setting themselves up to be quite a tandem for many years.

You’ll get a chance to see them together this weekend in New Rochelle. They’ll be active in the camp and work closely with the kids. They’ll also host an autograph session and Rice will speak to the kids during and after the event.

The New Rochelle High School coaches will be the main instructors, and there expects to be a few other special guests. Again, it’s totally free and open to anyone. Below is the advertisement:

Back from a nice 8-day break from work. I didn’t do all that much, although I managed to play golf six times despite rain every single day.

During the break I heard about two coaching changes in local football. Woodlands hired Phil Treglia, a former Iona Prep quarterback and assistant coach. Kennedy Catholic recently named Rob Schwartz as its new coach.

Woodlands, as you’re probably aware, has struggled in recent years. The Falcons have undergone a few coaching changes in the last five years, including one mid-season, and is simply looking for some stability in the program. With Treglia, they should find it.

Treglia, who just turned 33, has coached at Iona Prep at various levels since 2002. He was a varsity assistant and quarterbacks coach when the Gaels implemented the spread offense, working closely with Ryan O’Neill, and plans to install the offense at Woodlands this season.

“The new AD (Matt Smith) has only been there for a year and he’s looking to build the program,” said Treglia, who’s also the JV and varsity assistant basketball coach at nearby Hamilton. “We’re looking to solidify it with organization and discipline. The kids, so far, are following the lead.”

The signs so far have been encouraging for Treglia. He had a meeting with the team last week and had 30 kids sign up already. They received calendars for summer workouts and camps, and he’s visited the community center to speak to younger kids about the future of the program. There were 15 kids at the first weight room session, while some of the rest were either competiting at the state track and field meet. Running the spread offense should certainly entice more kids to come out.

“We had the wristbands out and everyone got a book on the offense,” Treglia said. “We’ll run an uptempo offense where we can get our athletes out in space. It will make it fun and I think will attract more people to the program.”

And add in the fact the school has a new weight room facility — equipped with t.v. and air conditioning – and a new turf field, and it’s possible the excitement for football at Woodlands will grow quickly.

Woodlands, which will compete this season in the new developmental league, has some talent coming back, especially on the perimeter. Kenneth Merchant and Chad Burgess are senior WR/OLB/DBs, and Kevin Sainvil is a speedster at receiver.

Up at Kennedy, Schwartz inherits a Kennedy program coming off a breakout season. It reached the Class B playoffs and has a nice core of talent returning. Being a private school, Kennedy has long been considered a sleeping giant.

Football, as you’re reading, is getting into full swing. I did attend part of the Big Apple Shootout at White Plains on Saturday and saw Stepinac, John Jay, Croton, Haldane, North Rockland and Irvington for a bit. More on that later.

We knew New Jersey football was better than New York. Apparently, the Garden State is better than the whole Northeast combined.

New Jersey rallied for a 13-7 victory in today’s New Jersey vs. Northeast All-Star Football Classic at Rutgers Stadium.

As you’ll read, the game ended on a Josh Evans took a lateral on an interception and returned it 70 yards for the winning touchdown as time expired. Northeast had the ball and was driving with 17 seconds to go when the pass was intercepted. Evans, a state champion track star, will play defensive back for Florida.

We actually had three local products playing in the game — Rob Lombardo of Somers, Darlos James of Iona Prep and Kevin Royal, a White Plains native who played received at Brunswick. I apologize for leaving him out of my previous post. He’ll attend Virginia.

Lombardo (Navy) played fullback and caught two screen passes. I spoke late tonight to James (Maine), who had five tackles and nearly intercepted a pass.

Darlos started at cornerback over two kids going to UConn and was matched up against Nick Williams (UConn), Quoron Pratt (Rutgers) and future Maine teammate Kendall James. By the fourth quarter, NJ stopped throwing in James’ direction.

“I believe I proved myself,” said James, who saved a touchdown with an open field tackle. “I can walk away looking at this whole thing as a positive. There were a lot of guys going to D-1A schools, and they really aren’t all what they’re made out to be. I feel like I’m right there with them. I know if I continue to work as hard as I’ve been, I’ll be good.”

If you were there or watched the game on TV (it will be replayed on the NFL Network), please provide us with some details.

You can click here for the full rosters for both teams.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be on vacation for seven days. I’m not taking any trips. Just a lot of golf and walking around in flip flops and t-shirts. If you have any movie recommendations, please let me know.

The Big Apple Shootout is on Saturday at White Plains, which I plan to attend as a fan. I’ll blog my thoughts when I get back to work on Monday.

The following week will be highlighted by Ray Rice Day in New Rochelle. It’s scheduled for Saturday, June 20 and will include a festival and football clinic at New Rochelle High. Ray will be there, obviously. And Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco is scheduled to appear, as well.

After that we’ll be knee-deep in football camps. The Carmel 7-on-7 is set for Friday, June 19, with the famed Lineman Challenge scheduled for the following day. If you have any information on 7-on-7s or camps, please drop us a line.

If you can’t make it out to Rutgers Stadium tomorrow, tune into Ch. 9 at 3 p.m. and watch Rob Lombardo of Somers and Darlos James of Iona Prep represent the area in the first annual New Jersey vs. Northeast Classic.

The game organizers have put together an extensive web site, which you can view here.

Both teams have been practicing since Wednesday, both in and out of the Stadium. There’s a banquet tonight and the game kicks off tomorrow at 3.

Lombardo, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker headed to Navy, and James, a 5-foot-11 cornerback bound for Maine, are the area’s lone reps. Ex-NFL great Joe Theismann will be their head coach. Phil Simms will lead the Jersey squad.

The Northeast squad consists of players from New York, Virginia, Washington D.C., Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

This games is obviously replacing the Governors Bowl, which was the New York vs. New Jersey all-star game that’s no longer being played. It lasted 11 years, alternating sites for the first 10 until New Jersey decided it no longer wanted to travel for the contest (usually Army). The Governors Bowl was a great event, in theory. But it was never properly publicized or organized.

New Jersey won 8 of the 11 meetings against New York. The New York wins, however, were bolstered by Edgemont’s Matt Bernstein (NYs first win in 2001), New Rochelle’s Courtney Greene and John Carrozza of John Jay (2004) and New Rochelle’s Ray Rice and Geoff McDermott (2005).

Local football prospects should take notice: Fordham will soon be offering scholarships.

The school made the announcement today that it will give out full rides beginning for incoming 2010 freshman. It’s the first time the school has awarded athletic scholarships since 1954.

Fordham University president Father Joseph F. McShane called the announcement “momentous.”

“This is a sea change for Fordham athletics: these scholarships will allow more students to participate in Fordham football, and will make the team much more competitive both in Patriot League and non-league games,” McShane said.

Fordham will remain in the Patriot League as an associate member since the conference does not offer athletic scholarships. In 2010, it will no longer be eligible for a Patriot League championship. It will still be eligible for the NCAAs. There will be 60 scholarships, which enables it to schedule non-conference games against Division I-A schools. It’s already scheduled to play UConn in 2011, Navy and Villanova in 2012, and Army in 2014 and 2015.

“This is a great day for Fordham football,” Fordham head coach Tom Masella said.  ”Being able to award scholarships based on athletic abil ity will greatly increase the pool of student-athletes that we are able to recruit.”

New York City has been devoid of any true football presence for years outside of Hofstra. This instantly makes Fordham an attractive option for local recruits who wouldn’t qualify for academic or need-based scholarships.

Frenji Sports hosted its second annual Frankie Williams Charity Classic basketball game last night at the Theodore Young Community Center in Greenburgh. Unfortunately, with Section 1 championship games in baseball, lacrosse and playoffs in softball, we were unable to have a reporter at the event.

A close friend of mine, former White Plains basketball player Jordan Griffith, was there and sent me this recap of the night. Jordan did a great job and we appreciate his insight:

Thursday night at the Theodore D. Young Community Center in Greenburgh, NY, the white team defeated the blue team 128-122 in the 2nd annual Frankie Williams Charity Classic.. The game, full of an array of high flying dunks, no look passes, and lightning quick dribble moves, was sponsored by Frenji Sports and included several players from around the Westchester area. They included former White Plains standout Sean Kilpatrick, Greenburgh native and McDonald’s All-American Dante Taylor, former Port Chester big man Jordan Henriquez, Iona Prep juniors Jordan Bronner and Brian Voelkel, Mount Vernon’s Vaughn Allen and Jordan Lessane, New Rochelle junior Antoine Mason and Blessed Sacrement forward David Samuels.

The event, in its second year, is designed to show that the best talent from Westchester can play with the best from New York City and some of its surrounding prep schools. Frenji president Benjamin Carter, who coordinated the event, felt that this year would be a great example of this. “Westchester is sort of a hidden factor of New York City basketball. I think we’ll show that today, that the best players of our county can play with the best from anywhere, not just New York City.”

And the Westchester players did start off hot to emphasize this point, despite the absence of Brooklyn national superstar Lance Stephenson. The blue team came out firing with Dante Taylor (National Christian) showing that his home gym did belong to him, scoring eight of the team’s first 12 points on four rim-rattling dunks. Taylor, Kilpatrick, Henriquez and Mason combined for 39 of the blue team’s 60 points at the half in a very strong Westchester start. However, the white team stayed in it with 7-foot center Hassan White (The Patterson School) going on a dunking frenzy, scoring 21 points and grabbing four offensive rebounds in 14 minutes. Brian Voelkel also played strong to represent Westchester on the white team, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds in 12 minutes.

At halftime, there was a heartfelt moment of silence followed by members of the community saying a few words in remembrance of Frankie Williams, the man for whom the event was founded. His family and friends talked of his love and support for the kids of Greenburgh and White Plains, and how he took pride in seeing these kids succeed not only athletically, but also academically, with Taylor (who is heading to Pittsburgh to play) as the prime example. With the announcer’s words, “Frankie’s spirit is in the building,” the second half started hot.

Blue came out firing again with Sean Kilpatrick catching fire and scoring 12 straight points. Taylor and Rice star Durand Scott also added to the effort with both scoring nine to break open the lead. However, the white team again kept it close with Whiteside, Vincent Council and St John’s-bound Omari Lawrence combining for 28 points in the 3rd quarter.

However, with two minutes left in the 3rd, the building began to come to life. With white down 12, the announcer received some news: Lance Stephenson had arrived. As soon as the words left his mouth, the 6’4 standout emerged from the locker room. The crowd went crazy. We had ourselves a game.

The 4th quarter was a scoring frenzy. Kilpatrick and Scott both called out Stephenson and tried to go at him. Kilpatrick hit back-to-back 3s but was stripped twice after Stevenson began to buckle down into game mode. Next, Scott had his turn but was unsuccessful on three straight attempts. On the other end, Stephenson showed why he gained all the hype and recognition over the last few years, with an array of finger rolls, fadeaway jumpers, and power drop steps. Taylor, Scott and Kilpatrick tried to keep up, but they couldn’t stay with the white team’s barrage of points by Stephenson, Whiteside and Archbishop Molloy guard Russel Smith. With two power dunks by Stephenson, white took the lead and the game was sealed.

The event, like last year’s, was a huge success. Carter again expressed his happiness for Westchester basketball. “Going from last year to this year, it’s remarkable the growth we have made, getting more and more kids involved. We look forward to next year where we can build on that even more and the younger kids can live up to the examples set by our players of today.”

To represent Westchester, Kilpatrick finished with 26 points and six rebounds, Henriquez with 13 and seven, and Voelkel with 13 and 12, while Mason, Bronner, Samuels, Lessane, and Allen finished with 10, 6, 6, 6, and 4 points respectively, in limited minutes. Kilpatrick says he was most excited to represent the county. “It’s my last time playing here (in Westchester). Me and Jordan (Henriquez) and Dante, we love coming back and showing what we can do because this place made us who we are. We’ll always have that.”

Even the bigger names agreed with Carter. Stevenson, who finished with 21 points, all in the 4th quarter, made the hour and a half trip for that reason. “It feels good, with everything goin’ on, to come out here and play some ball with the best from the area. I participated in the event last year, and decided to come back to have some fun and play with guys I probably won’t see for awhile. It was a great time and a great game.”

Though Scott finished with 21 and Whiteside with 37 and the sportsmanship award, the game MVP went to the player Frankie Williams would be most proud of; Dante Taylor. He finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds. “It was great to come home and represent Greenburgh at such a wonderful event, especially one so close to me. I just want to thank everyone who made it possible, and let all the kids out there know that hard work and dedication can get you great places. They should always remember that.”