Santo and Greenwood .....Tale of Two Athletes

Kirtland's Rossi Santo and Lake Catholic's Randy Greenwood will start of the year in a virtual tie for Northeast Ohio High School Player of the Year. Randy won it last year based on a very solid season and YES, post-season was taken into consideration. Randy played 5 positions throughout the season as well. Both players also earned the Global Intermed "Shut Up and Play the Game!" GameDay MVP awards during the season.


"Shut Up and Play the Game!"

The smaller Santo also put together a stellar season. In fact he scored more touchdowns than any other player north of Columbus. His 27 overall touchdowns were the most in ANY division. Three of those were via the interception, of which Rossi had 6 total (14 for his career).

Between these two high school seniors there is one descriptor that first comes to mind when you watch them play, HEART. Both are fast and elusive. Greenwood has a somewhat stronger running style while Santo uses speed and elusiveness as his main weapons along with an incredible ability to see the whole field. Using his blockers, finding ways through and around seemingly closed running lanes earned him the nickname "The Salamander" from his head coach Tiger LaVerde.


"The Salamander" makes his way through the line for a big gain

If we were to pin a nickname on Randy Greenwood it would be "Mr. Everything" having looked very comfortable last season at running back, defensive back, punter, receiver and even quarterback. Cougars' coach Mike Bell knows he can expect great things and stands a good chance of winning when it's crunch time and the ball is in Randy's hands.


Randy Greenwood stiffarms a Rocky River defender in the 2007 playoffs

Their respective teams may not meet in a regular season match-up, but that sure would be a classic match-up. Both are the heart and soul of their team. Neither will ever show signs of giving up and both are ready to lead their teams back into the post-season and if you ask either one their ultimate goal for this season is a state title for their TEAM. They know they aren't a one man show and they are quick to give credit to the horses around them, especially Rossi Santo who is surrounded by teammates that have been friends since kindergarten.

I have had the privilege to work with each of these players up close over the past year or two and getting to know them away from the field has been just as rewarding as seeing them on the gridiron. Cuyahoga County may be stocked with some good across the board talented teams, but when it comes to HEART, Lake County has cornered the market, starting with these two outstanding young men.

THEIR TEAMS

Randy Greenwood's Lake Catholic Cougars (Division III) won Region 9 in D-III last season during a thrilling post season journey that unfortunately ended one game short of the title game. Head coach Mike Bell knows the journey back this year will be equally as tough, but knows the Cougars are up to the task despite losing several big men at graduation.


The Cougars' loyal fan base

Rossi Santo and the Fighting Kirtland Hornets (Division V) ventured into the playoffs for the second straight year last season only to be eliminated in round one. This year will be different if you ask any of the players on this team. Anchored by Santo and one of the toughest offensive and defensive lines east of Cleveland, the Hornets have their sights set on deep run into the post season and quite possibly a state title.


WR Dominic Samf, QB Ben Madden and Santo are major players in Kirtland's title quest

PREVIEW: 2008 Northeast Ohio High School Player of the Year

The candidates are starting to filter through the offices at D1 headquarters as we go out and about to camps this summer to scout our top prospects and candidates for this year's Northeast Ohio High School Player of the Year Award. So far from what we've seen the list will be full of studs!

Of course last year's winner Randy Greenwood from Lake Catholic is in the mix as is Kirtland's Rossi Santo. Both are very talented multiple position athletes that can determine the out come of a game on their own. Euclid's Jeffron Gill also has a stake in the bidding if he can add on to a great junior season he had last year. We will also keep an eye on Willoughby South's quarterback Pat Nicely. Nice pocket passer, decent arm but no very mobile. He's the make or break point for the Rebels this year. Speaking of quarterbacks, the top of the crop right now is Perry's Vinny Hokavar. "Air" Hokavar has rebounded from a wicked shoulder injury last season and appears early on in camp to be solid. The loss to Kirtland in a recent 7on7 wasn't due in part to his play at all. VASJ has one solid player that can be a lock for this award if he's not over-used and beaten up. The smaller Toney Foster, Jr. will see the brunt of the load at runningback for the Vikings this year following the departure of stall wort runners Dan Goodrum and Nick Viola to Lake Erie College where they will be playing NCAA Division II football this season.

Don't count out Raymont Clements from Warrensville and a bit more to the west we go and St, Ignatius' quarterback Andrew Holland can throw his name into the mix among area ballers looking to earn top honors as well. A solid start to the season by the Wildcats and game play equal to the task and we may see him move up the list pretty quick. BUT remember, it's a long season and you've got to FINISH STRONG.

Speaking of west-siders, Bryan Boss of Bay High School will play a big role this year for his team at receiver. We'll see if he has what it takes to standout weekly and take on the MVP role and make a run at Player of the Year as well.


As the summer practices set in we will be making the rounds to other schools and the list may grow. It will most definitely get smaller as the season goes and the "studs" separate themselves from the pack. Good luck to all of you this year and remember it's about the TEAM!

"Best in Show!"

Randy Greenwood #32—Lake Catholic High School

It’s not a question of what can he do, with Randy it’s what can’t he do. The answer is NOT MUCH. In 2007 Randy performed excellently at each position he played. Primarily a running back and defensive back, he also saw time at wideout and quarterback. Oh yeah, he was also the team’s punter. The Cougars’ “Mr. Everything” put together a season with over 1,200 yards rushing and leading his team to the Region 9 Championship while being named to several all-star teams. Though the season ended one game shy of the state title game, Randy displayed a true never say die attitude all season long, especially in the playoffs. Missing the first game of the playoffs, he helped key the Cougar attack on both sides of the ball from that point on. Week 8 of the regular season saw Randy earn the “Shut Up and Play the Game!” GameDay MVP and by season’s end into the playoffs he was named the first ever winner of D1’s newly trademarked “Northeast Ohio High School Player of the Year” narrowly beating out Rossi Santo from Kirtland and Dan Goodrum from VASJ. Accolades and awards aren’t something new for the junior baller, who was even named All-Ohio his sophomore year, although a state title is the ultimate goal for this young standout.



It runs in the family
Randy isn’t the only talented athlete in the family. His brother Aramis is a sophomore at Fairport and he is also showing signs of “standout efforts” on the field. We’ll look forward to watching him develop his junior and senior years as well.

Giving back
Randy was also part of the high school contingent that came out to demonstrate speed and agility skills drills for the youth football players at The Edge President’s Day Youth Football Camp. These young kids look up to the older players and it’s great to see them get to share the field with some of the players they read about in the papers or watch play on the weekends.



The Lake Catholic Cougars have a strong group of returning players that should make another strong run in the North Coast League and go deep into the playoffs. We can only wait with anticipation and see, but one thing is for sure. Randy Greenwood will play a major part in that effort on both sides of the ball and on special teams his senior year.

VASJ Grad goes the Distance !

Dan Goodrum #33—Villa Angela-St.Joseph


The 2007 season saw Dan used more on the defensive side of the ball, however when given the opportunity to run the ball, he averaged over 7.6 yards per carry out of the backfield. When he doesn’t get the ball, he doesn’t complain. You’ll see him pick up the blitz, nail his blocks and when he does have the ball he can hit the hole fluid and strong. He played injury free leading his team in sacks with 11 ½ on the season at defensive end being named 1st Team All-Conference North Coast League 2007, 1st Team News Herald All-Stars and Honorable Mention All-Ohio. Dan also received our "Shut Up and Play the Game!" GameDay Player of the Week for week 3 and was 2nd runner up for Northeast Ohio Player of the Year behind Lake Catholic's Randy Greenwood and Kirtland's Rossi Santo. In addition to the sacks Dan recorded 52 tackles, 18 solo. Forced 1 fumble and recovered one for a touchdown. He also has tremendous lateral speed and quickness running a 4.20 twice in the 20 yard shuttle and a 4.55 in the 40 yard dash.



A physically and genetically gifted multi-sport athlete at 6' 205 pounds, when you see him play it’s like watching a seasoned veteran play every down. If you had to pick three words to describe his play on both sides of the ball, FLUID, STRONG AND RELENTLESS, but just like we’ve mentioned before with other players, what stands out with Danny is his HEART. A true team leader.

Away from the football field, the senior from VASJ is just as dedicated to family and school. Without these, football wouldn’t happen. With his wonderful parents and family strongly behind him, Dan works very hard to make the best of each opportunity on and off of the football field.

What the future holds

The start of 2008 saw Dan “Big Impact” Goodrum receive a tremendous scholarship from Lake Erie College joining a host of talented northeast Ohio players eager to help put the surging Storm on the map in NCAA Division-II. Head Coach Mark McNellie sees Danny as a very potent weapon in the arsenal he is assembling over in Painesville.




Giving back to area youth

Dan was very eager to join other area standouts Randy Greenwood (Lake Catholic), Mike Hounshell (NDCL-Lake Erie), Alex Gedeon (Hudson-Harvard), Andre Laney (Twinsburg-Eastern Michigan) and several others on President’s Day to demonstrate speed and agility skills to the 100+ youngsters in attendance at the youth football camp held at The Edge. Best of luck to Dan and the rest of the class of 2008 and D1 members that will be taking their games to the next level and earning a great college education.

Meet the D1 Girls

You may have heard of them. Some of you may have even seen them or met them at a D1 event or tailgate party. The D1 Girls, Laura and Samantha. We are very honored to have had the opportunity to have them be a part of our company. They truly do help to brighten up the football landscape. The girls take part in the marketing and public relations side of D1 Football. Whether we are attending a clinic, hosting a combine or football event or throwing a tailgate party, Sam and Laura have been there to help us out. A good example is the Ultimate Football Combine, where the girls are mainly responsible for the check-in and character evaluation of the athletes. Last year we kicked off the season at The Charity Game series at Browns’ Stadium with a blowout tailgate party and the D1 Girls made our presence known throughout the stadium-wide parties handing out D1 information and meeting with area players and fans in attendance.


Laura and Samantha at The 2007 Reebok Coaches Clinic in Columbus


The D1 Girls with VASJ standouts Dan Goodrum and Ra'Mone Billings at the 2007 Charity Game at Browns Stadium

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Sam (VASJ grad) and Laura (Richmond Heights grad) both attend The Ohio State University. Samantha is also an accomplished singer/songwriter starting out on a promising career in music and just put out her first CD! She even fired up a set of tunes for everyone in the rain at the Charity Game last season at a D1 tailgate party. Sam is majoring in psychology and will earn her BA this year and will then work on adding an Associates degree in sign language after graduating this year and she ultimately hopes to become an interpreter. Samantha helped lead VASJ to a state title in volleyball her sophomore year in high school.


Samantha performing on stage

Laura is also working on her B.A. in psychology and will graduate from OSU in 2009. She plans on working in human resources specializing in recruitment after school, but you never know. Laura is a pretty good athlete herself and also plays a mean game of volleyball. She really enjoys hanging out with her friends too!!

Laura
Samantha

Sorry guys, they are both in relationships but are still a lot of fun to be around. We’ll miss Sam at the June UFC event because she’ll be in concert that weekend in Springfield, Ohio with country stars John Michael Montgomery and Darryl Worley. What a great honor that will be for her. We’re hoping to get Laura to the event like she was last year and who knows...we may even bust out with some new “D1 Girl recruits.”

Student Athletes Taking the Next Step

All of us at D1 Football are very proud of the student athletes we’ve had the honor and privilege to work with over the past couple years. We are entering our 3rd year of operations and we’re starting to really see some results of the hard work we’ve put in as well as the work the kids and their parents put forth also. Last year we saw 7 players make their move to college football. This season we will see more than a dozen student athletes take their games to the next level and play college football while getting excellent educations. We will get to see a handful of them close to home as NDCL’s Michael Hounshell, VASJ’s Dan Goodrum and Nick Viola have accepted scholarship offers to attend Division II Lake Erie College in Painesville. Among the others are Hudson’s Alex Gedeon who received an academic scholarship to Harvard and will play in Division I. We have three BIG friends at Lake Catholic, Chad Hounshell (Central Florida), Joe Gaglione (Iowa) and Dave Plungas (Albany), that will all be making the leap to Division I college football. Andre Laney from Twinsburg will be playing football at Eastern Michigan in the MAC and Kenston’s John Behm is off to D-I FCS Davidson. Euclid stud Devon Jennings will be a big play threat at Ashland this season too.

These are just a few of the players we’ve had the great experience of working with over past few years that have made the most, so far, of their football experience and get to take it up a notch. There will be more announcements and we’ll have them for you. The road doesn’t get easier for these kids and they know that. It hasn’t been easy to get this far. We have seen in them that they have what it takes and they know what it takes on and off the field to be the best they can. We look forward to seeing them play in college and we’re proud to have made any difference, no matter how big or small, in them getting the most out of their football experiences.

D1 FOOTBALL - WE ARE WATCHING YOU!

Memorial Day Weekend Middle School Camp a big success!

A great number of the area's youth / middle school football players were treated to the first Memorial Day Weekend Middle School Camp and Combine at The Edge. Along with help from D1 Football and several area coaches, former Cleveland Browns Mike Pagel and Jim Pyne volunteered their time to spearhead the event. We even had some excellent stand in assistance by members of the Northcoast Vikings semi-pro football team.


One group of kids prepare for their warm-ups







The camp was broken down by position and offense worked out first. Quarterbacks were coached by Mike Pagel, former Brush standout D1 Football's Nick DiLillo and former VASJ and Mount Union College coach Ron Bayduke while Jim Pyne led the lineman workouts. Running back coach, Mike Clark, took some lighthearted ribbing throughout the day about his time playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially a few nice digs by Mike Pagel.


Coach Bayduke and Mike Pagel work on a "game plan"


D1 President Nick DiLillo and Mike Pagel - "Brothers in ARMS"

Remember the names, STEVEN CLARK son of Mike Clark (Akron's All-Time Rushing Leader) ran a 4.75 40 yard dash...Not to be out done the 43 year old father ran an impressive 5.07. Not bad old man.

Sixth Grade PHENOM ZACH LEONE was timed at 4.7 and had an explosive 8 foot 1 inch standing broad jump!!!!!!!

In all the kids had a rewarding experience and this was echoed by the parents in attendance as well. Look for this camp along with the President's Day youth football camp to become fixtures at The Edge and also check www.d1football.net for up to date information regarding the Mike Pagel Quarterback Camp and the Jim Pyne PRO Lineman Camp coming up at The Edge this summer.

The reward for all of us involved with putting this camp on is watching these young men learn and know they'll take something away from this camp that will help them when it comes time to suit up again and take the field. All these kids hustled today and showed a lot of heart and took advantage of a day to learn from true professionals.

To the players who attended. Take with you what you learned and remember football is hustle and heart and in order to succeed on the field you have to be on your game AT HOME and IN THE CLASSROOM first.

Thanks to Mike Pagel, Jim Pyne, "The ST. JOES GANG", Coach Bayduke, Brigham VanEtten, the Northcoast Viking players and the rest of the volunteer coaches who helped make today's camp a success.



-D1 Football and The Edge