Matt Whitfield

NIGEL JONES TURNING HEADS AT HOLY SPIRIT

New Jersey class of 2012 running back looking to follow in the steps of previous Holy Spirit great

by MATT WHITFIELD

A little over ten years ago a running back by the name of William Green came out of Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, N.J. with All-American accolades and went on to an impressive career at Boston College before being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1st round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Now, fast forward to 2010 and another running back by the name of Nigel Jones has the chance to be something special.

As only a sophomore last season Jones rushed for 1,179 yards and 19 touchdowns on the heels of a freshman year where he rushed for 1,206 yards and 14 touchdowns. Holy Spirit went 8-3 last season and made it all the way to the semifinals where they lost to perennial power St. Joseph’s of Montvale.

Jones, at 5-foot-11 and 203-pounds describes himself as a ‘work horse running back.’

“I would describe myself as a work horse running back with good size speed and power,” he said. “I love the big people that block for me and watch my back every carry.”

Jones so far has an offer from Rutgers coming very soon and heavy interest from Pittsburgh.

“I have one offer coming in September from Rutgers that will be my first and Pittsburgh has shown a lot of interest in the past two years,” said Jones.

Jones, who is being recruited as a running back at the next level, talked about his strengths on the field with NBE recently.

“I’m a very balanced player, I can run and get the corner or cut it up and pound the ball in between the tackles,” said Jones. “I also believe my work ethic can take me a long way on the college level. I pride myself on being a hard worker on the field and the weight room.”

Jones feels he can work on catching the ball out of the backfield and slot. However, to rush for over a thousand yards as a freshman and a sophomore at this high school level is a feat not many others can accomplish. Jones will surely have more coaches and scouts come through his high school in the coming months as Jones may be New Jersey’s top recruit for the Class of 2012.

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2012 NOAH SPENCE PICKING UP BIG EARLY OFFERS

Next Bishop McDevitt star already heavily pursued by top college programs

by MATT WHITFIELD

Bishop McDevitt of Harrisburg (PA) has a history of producing high-level football talent. NFL players like LeSean McCoy and Ricky Watters have come through the program and numerous others have made D-1 programs. Noah Spence, a 6-3, 230-pound junior-to-be Defensive End, has a chance to be the best of all them though according to his coach Jeff Weachter.

Spence, despite being only a sophomore last season, had 60 tackles, 20 of which were tackles for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, three batted balls, two fumbles recovered and one touchdown. His Bishop Mcdevitt team went 12-1 and returns recent Pittsburgh-commit Jameel Poteat as well this upcoming season.

Spense has already received 14 offers with interest from top tier programs such as Florida and USC.

“I have gotten interest from USC, Florida, Florida State and Oregon,” said Spence. “I have been offered by Cincinnati, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee and Virginia.”

Spence also added at this time he has, ‘no favorite yet.’

Spence describes himself as one that seeks out ball and makes plays.

“I would describe myself as a quick after the ball, smart football player that has an eye for the ball,” said Spence.

At the next level Spence is being recruited as a Defensive End and an Outside Linebacker. He feels his build is such that he’ll play that could play either position.

“I am being recruited for are Outside Linebacker and Defensive End. I think it’s my build and my mental use during the game and my motor and eye for the ball,” said Spence.

Spence will undoubtedly see more offers as he progresses and gets bigger and stronger. However, for now Spence wants to work on using his strength more effectively.

“I need work on using my strength more for the next level,” said Spence.

With the numbers he’s already put up at such a rich football program Spence is certainly one to keep an eye on this fall. Undoubtedly Stephen Strasburg won’t be the only athlete people flock to Harrisburg to see this year.

JASON GWALTNEY FACES ANOTHER SETBACK IN CAREER

By Matt Whitfield

Jason Gwaltney was one the best football players ever to come from Long Island, maybe the best running back from LI since the immortal Jim Brown. In his high school career, the ‘man among boys’ amassed 135 touchdowns and over 7,800 yards and in doing so he became the most hyped recruit possibly ever out of Suffolk County. Gwaltney was recruited by the who’s who of college football and even offered a verbal commitment to Pete Carroll while on a visit to USC. Gwaltney then re-opened his commitment and continued to pile up numbers in his senior season. However, things began to get just plain strange for Gwaltney from here on out…

He played in the 2005-2006 Army All-American Bowl with current NFL players Johathan Stewart, Mark Sanchez, Rey Maualuga, Desean Jackson, Kenny Phillips, Brian Cushing and Rashard Mendenhall and was expected by many to be, one day himself, in the NFL. The game was also hyped as the place where Gwaltney would announce his college destination, with USC and Ohio State each believing they were the leaders in the sweepstakes. However, Gwaltney announces at the game that he will announce his decision at a later date.

Gwaltney eventually choose to attend West Virginia, where his half brother Scooter Berry joined him. Gwaltney’s first year in Morgantown was met with lots of hype and several stellar performances, but Gwaltney was injured in a game against Rutgers and eventually kicked off the team for allegedly repeatedly skipping classes. Gwaltney’s WVU career: 45 carries, 186 yards and three touchdowns in six games.

Gwaltney was hoping to return to the team the following spring, after a brief stop at Nassau CC in January, he returned to WVU for the spring semester attempting to get himself academically eligible. However in June of 2006 Gwaltney was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol, speeding and failure to produce a license in Morgantown.

Though Gwaltney tried returning to Morgantown again a year later as new coach Bill Stewart publicly said he would allow Gwaltney a second chance, it never materialized. The plan was to allow him to redshirt and show he can attend to academics and keep himself out of trouble. Instead, Gwaltney popped up at Division II C.W. Post last season, leading the team with 709 yards rushing in just six games.

Gwaltney did not last very long at C.W. Post either and was looking for another home. With still two years of eligibility and interest from professional leagues like the CFL, he landed at Division III school Kean in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and things were looking up for the 6′0, 240 pound back. That was, until last Saturday. In Kean’s home opener and first game of the season they faced off against ECAC rival Delaware Valley, a team that beat them in the playoffs the last time they met 16-7. With Gwaltney and Quarterback Jared Chunn who rushed for 1,405 yards in 2008 the offense was to set to revolve around the run. However, on Gwatlney’s eighth carry off the day, which went for 14 yards, something went terribly wrong for the North Babylon native. Gwaltney, who reportedly heard a snap on the play, was carted off the field, with “more than (just) a (knee) sprain,” according to Kean Head Coach Dan Garrett.

Garrett also implied there was a possibility of a fracture. If the injury is as bad as it seems where Gwaltney’s career goes from here is a good question. For a player who was once the most talked anout player in the country during high school and now has dropped so low that he had to find his way on a Division III program, the future must be a scary and depressing thought.. Although, with his big, bruising size running backs like him don’t come around a lot any more. If Gwaltney has the heart and desire there should always be a taker for him in football, assuming he still wants to play.

AN OMINOUS OPENING WIN FOR WVU?

by MATT WHITFIELD

After losing QB Pat White and several key starters from last year’s squad, no one expected West Virginia to be quite the team they were in 2008, at least not to start the 2009 season. However, with a strong successor to Pat White in 5th-year senior Jarrett Brown, and a wide-open Big East, the Mountaineers were expected to hold their own and many projected WVU to finish in the top two of the conference. The way they came out Saturday left many wondering if they could actually pull it off.

Saturday, West Virginia did win the game, but they did so in very lackluster fashion. In the previous five seasons West Virginia handily defeated 1-AA opponents by an average of 35.4 points a game. However, in this season’s opener, the Mountaineers didn’t even come close to matching that. Liberty hung around all afternoon against WVU before the home team finally put the game away with 6:57 left in the contest by stretching the lead to 20, 33-13. Liberty would score again, with under a minute to go, to make it 33-20. The game would end at that score, but it undoubtedely left many Mountaineers fans and players asking themselves what kind of season are we in for?

In the game, Jarrett Brown did throw for 243 yards and also hit five receivers for more than twenty yards, but what was scary was the numbers that Liberty put up. Liberty quarterback Tommy Beecher threw for 210 yards and a touchdown and interception. His best wide receiver Saturday was Mike Brown, who finished with 157 yards on eleven catches. Brown also amassed a total of 107 yards on kick returns.

If West Virginia gave these numbers up to Brown and Liberty from the 1-AAlevel, imagine what some teams in the Big East can do against them. The future could be scary for Mountaineer fans.

Most coaches and analysts believe that the most a team will improve during the season is between game one and game two. With revenge on WVU’s mind headed to their match-up with East Carolina this coming weekend in Morgantown, there is certainly enough room for improvement that should make that cliche true. Will there be enough improvement to avenge last season’s loss to the Pirates? The West Virginia faithful certainly hope so!!

2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA

Questions on the offensive line aside, Mountaineers will be in BCS bid hunt in 2009

by Matt Whitfield

The Pat White era is over in Morgantown. However, before Big East defensive coordinators begin dancing in the streets, they will have to contend with White’s understudy, Jarrett Brown.

After four years watching White have a record-breaking career at West Virginia, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound fifth-year senior takes the reigns of the offense. Brown is a true dual-threat QB that has taken full control of the offense since the spring and finished off a great preseason camp, easing the minds of the WVU staff heading into the season.

Brown has shown he is a capable alternative in big games before, so he is not an untested signal caller. His most impressive game came at the end of the season in 2006 where he started in place of the injured White and threw for 244 yards and ran for another 73 in helping the Mountaineers upend Rutgers in what was the unofficial Big East Championship game.

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