Lancers' Griffin commits to UConn

H.S. Football: Lancers' Griffin commits to UConn
By MARC THALER
New Hampshire Union Leader Sports
Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007


One glance at Londonderry High's Ryan Griffin and it's difficult to look away.

The 6-foot-6, 227-pound senior has been described as a "physical specimen" by several New Hampshire high school football coaches.

The University of Connecticut coaching staff apparently agrees.

Griffin said last night that he accepted a full scholarship on Monday to play Big East football for UConn.

"It happened so quickly. They offered it Sunday night, (UConn offensive line coach and recruiter Mike Foley) visited Monday and I took it right there," said Griffin, recruited to play tight end. "Can I believe it? I think I can believe it. I put in the work. It's definitely inspiring."


"We verbally shook hands. It's an honorable agreement between men at this point," Joe Griffin, Ryan's father, said. "When all is said and done on national signing day, that's where he'll be going."

Griffin, recruited during his middle school days to play quarterback at New Hampton Prep, isn't the only local talent Granite Staters can continue to follow on the big-time college gridiron.


Carl Cutler, Hanover's 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior tight end/linebacker, accepted a full scholarship earlier this year to play football for Syracuse University. Josh Lane, the 6-foot-2, 275-pound Pinkerton Academy of Derry offensive/defensive lineman, accepted a full scholarship last Saturday to play for the University of New Hampshire.

UNH also offered Griffin a scholarship last spring at Boston College's football camp. UConn wasn't represented at the camp, Griffin said. But word of his size and speed still made it to Storrs, Conn.

That will happen, outgoing Londonderry head coach Tom Sawyer said, when an athlete of Griffin's size and weight runs a "4-7 (4.7 seconds) and change in the 40 (-yard dash)."


UConn wasted little time acquiring game footage of Griffin. Soon after the Huskies hit him with a blitz of the scholarship variety.

"Connecticut, once the blood was in the water and they saw film of him, they were very aggressive," Griffin's father said.

Sawyer, who retired at the conclusion of the 2007 season, said UConn's coaches will be welcoming an "impact player" to campus. In Londonderry's Single Wing offense, Griffin earned Most Valuable Player honors. He scored nine touchdowns and rushed for 749 yards on 95 carries in '07. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 160 yards and a TD (no INTs) and caught 10 passes for 147 yards and a score.

UConn, Sawyer said, is searching for play-making threats in the passing game. Griffin could provide that boost.

"Right now, they're like a Big Ten team. They're going to slug it out (with the running game)," Sawyer said of UConn. "They're looking for guys who can go up and catch the football, help them take the next step, and beat those spread teams."

"I've been blessed to have people who tell me what I need to work on," said Griffin, who said the UConn coaches want him at a playing weight of 255 pounds by the end of his freshman year. "There's pressure, but you've got to live with it. If you don't deal with it, you break and you don't go to Connecticut. There's no other choice for me."

Pinkerton's Lane, much like Griffin, said he didn't hesitate when the Wildcats made their offer.

"Coach (Sean) McDonnell came to school on Friday and offered the scholarship," said Lane, whose older brother, Jason, is a scholarship offensive lineman at Northeastern. "I had my mind made up. I wanted to do Division I-AA. If not, I would go to prep school. (UNH) was my top choice. I didn't even bother waiting around."

Lane said the UNH coaches will likely use him as an offensive guard or center. En route to their third consecutive Division I title this season, the Astros routinely ran behind the powerful and aggressive lineman. In fourth-down conversion situations, Lane was always asked to clear the way, Pinkerton head coach Brian O'Reilly said.

Equally dominant on the defensive line this season, Lane ranked sixth on the team in tackles (68). He also recorded 15 tackles for a loss and three quarterback sacks.

"Josh Lane is the best lineman I've ever had in my program. No one has ever compared to him," O'Reilly said after the D-I championship game. "Josh Lane is immense on both sides of the ball. He's the nicest kid you'd ever want to meet. But on a football field, he is one of the meanest kids I have ever coached. He is all business on a football field."

Stone Bridge pummels Potomac

PREP FOOTBALL: Stone Bridge pummels Potomac for D-5 title

By Scott Ratcliffe / Daily Progress correspondent
December 9, 2007


Stone Bridge head coach Mickey Thompson finally got over the hump. On a Saturday afternoon when the 18-year coach returned to his alma mater’s stadium to play for the VHSL Division 5 championship, his Bulldogs made it look easy, knocking off previously undefeated Potomac, 38-0, at Scott Stadium.

“So many guys are getting their opportunities, and there’s no jealousy, there’s no fighting, and the guys just played hard together, and I thought that was a big part of what happened today,” Thompson said. “We’ve got so many playmakers and so many guys who can make a big play, it’s incredible.”

Both teams got off to a seemingly slow start, as neither managed to score in the opening quarter. Potomac had a few golden opportunities early, but squandered them away with turnovers, penalties, and a botched snap on a field-goal attempt with a few seconds to play in the first quarter.

It appeared as if the fans in attendance would possibly be in for a defensive stalemate. Stone Bridge’s duo of quarterback Patrick Thompson (the coach’s son) and receiver Ryan Moody, however, would soon give their faithful something to cheer about, and they did it in a big way.

Just a minute into the second quarter, Thompson connected with Moody on a 42-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead, and the two were just getting started. Potomac running back Darius Brent helped give the Panthers a shot to tie the game on the ensuing drive with a 32-yard scamper, leading his team down to the Stone Bridge 19-yard line. Panther kicker Eric Dobratz missed a 36-yard attempt, and the score remained 7-0.

The Bulldog offense moved the ball right back into Potomac territory, and with tremendous protection from the offensive line, Thompson threw a laser to Moody that was caught, but when he hit the ground the ball popped up in the air, and reserve tight end John Bladel came out of nowhere to get a hand under it in the end zone, pushing the Bulldogs lead to 14-0.

Moody had fumbled the ball away late in the 2005 state championship game, a game that Stone Bridge lost, and he says that still haunts him to this day.

“I felt so bad for the seniors of that class,” Moody admitted. “I still think about it, I thought about it last night before this game. ‘Keep my eye on the ball’ was the gameplan for me for today. I told [Coach] Thompson all year, I owe him this ring, and I felt like I did a good job getting him that ring today.”

Potomac started a nice drive into Stone Bridge territory, but again shot itself in the foot, as Panthers quarterback DeAirius Thomas was clobbered as he threw a pass, and Stone Bridge’s Jeron Gouveia picked off the pass at the 25-yard line with just two minutes left in the first half. Stone Bridge drove the length of the field with the help of direct snaps and fake handoffs, and Ronnie Shaban kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Bulldogs a 17-0 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Gouveia, who plays both offense and defense, converted on two third downs and one fourth down, to give Stone Bridge another opportunity to score, and Thompson again hooked up with his favorite target, Moody, this time from 48 yards out with 4:11 left in the period.

Then, just when Potomac coach Ted Lilly thought his team would make a game of it, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs twice. Stone Bridge added to its lead, as Thompson again hit Moody on a 20-yard strike with about 7 minutes left, to go up 31-0. Junior halfback Daniel Allen added a 6-yard touchdown run with 4:03 to play to seal the deal.

Patrick Thompson finished the game with 286 yards passing and four touchdowns, while Moody had six grabs for 158 yards and three trips to the end zone.

Potomac committed 13 penalties for 104 yards, turned the ball over three times and was just 2 of 9 on third-down conversions. Brent finished with a team-high 61 yards rushing, and Donald Vaughn led the Panthers with 84 yards receiving on four catches.

“It’s been a heck of a ride for us this season,” coach Lilly said after the game. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of the young men that I had an opportunity to work with this season.”

Potomac’s defense held the single-wing offense of Stone Bridge to just 67 yards, but gave up big plays through the air. The Panthers finished the season with a record of 13-1.

Thompson was asked what it was like winning his first championship at his alma mater, with his sons contributing significantly.

“It was one of those things that people dream of,” he said. “Words can’t describe it.”

Tough Lost For Bearden

MOUNT IDA 17, BEARDEN 16 :

Baker gets recipe just right
BY ROBERT YATES

Posted on Sunday, December 9, 2007


The perfect script ended with a perfect ending.

Senior Josh Baker kicked a 22-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to give No. 2 Mount Ida a 17-16 victory over top-ranked Bearden in the Class 2 A final before a crowd of 5, 284 on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

It was the first state championship for the Lions (15-0 ), the only team in Arkansas to finish with a perfect record this fall.

Baker was perfect, too He attempted only two field goals this season, but, of course, nobody in Montgomery County will remember his successful 35-yarder in a blowout victory over Danville in the first round of the playoffs. “In practice, he’s usually dead-on from 45 [yards ] in,” Mount Ida Coach Michael White said. “We were very confident in the decision there. He’s real good from that hash mark, at that angle.” Baker’s field goal capped a dramatic 1 10-play, 76-yard drive in the final 2 / 2 minutes that erased a 16-14 Bearden lead. Baker, the game’s most valuable player, ran eight times for 40 yards on the drive. But it also included a 36-yard pass from senior quarterback Taylor Elder to junior wide receiver Josh DePriest to the Bearden 18 with 1: 25 remaining. Five consecutive runs by Baker allowed Mount Ida to reach the 5 and use its final timeout to set up its field-goal attempt, from the left hash mark, with nine seconds remaining.

After Bearden’s final timeout, Baker, a straight-on kicker, successfully drilled the attempt through the collegiate-width uprights in the north end zone.

Baker recovered a fumble as Bearden tried to lateral on the ensuing kickoff, a fitting ending since he rushed 37 times for 159 yards and 1 touchdown and had a team-high 13 tackles at linebacker.

“The Baker kid proved he’s one of the best around,” Bearden Coach Mike Cox said. “It’s hard to go in there and kick the field goal playing every down of the game and have to play as hard as he did.” Bearden (13-1 ) was trying to give Ouachita County a state championship for the first time since Camden in 1952.

But the Bears, who were playing in their first final, had 4 turnovers and were penalized 6 times for 60 yards.

Maybe more important, standout senior quarterback Dewayne Watts was hampered much of the day with a knee problem he’s had the past three weeks, Cox said.

Watts helped Bearden overcome a 14-0 second-quarter deficit — the first time the Bears trailed this fall — with a touchdown pass and 2, two-point runs.

But Watts, who entered with more than 1, 000 yards rushing and 1, 000 yards passing this season, clearly was limited physically. He accounted for only 52 yards rushing and 58 yards passing.

Bearden spent much of the second half snapping directly to senior tailback Carlos Chambers in Single-Wing and Spread sets.

“We just didn’t get it done,” Cox said. “I probably didn’t help myself. I should have just ran the ball when we had a lead. Bottom line is we just came up short. We ain’t got no excuses. They just beat us today.” Mount Ida outgained Bearden 309-211, had no turnovers and had a 27: 58-20: 02 advantage in time of possession.

Mount Ida, which won its final three playoff games by a combined five points, finished the season plus-40 in turnover ratio.

“That’s been a big factor in all our games,” said White, a 1993 Mount Ida graduate and former Lions player. “We’ve had a lot of close games. Getting that turnover margin in our favor has won several games along the way. It gave us a chance to get here. When we got here, the same thing happened.” The Lions opened the game with a 17-play, 64-yard drive that ended in Baker’s 1-yard touchdown run with 4: 28 left in the first quarter.

The drive, which included two fourthdown conversions, consumed 7: 32.

Defense set up Mount Ida’s second touchdown.

Senior linebacker Chase Whittington raked the ball away from Watts on a keeper, and senior defensive end Randall Dickerson recovered the fumble at the Bearden 29 with 11: 37 remaining in the first half.

Nine plays later, Elder scored on a 1-yard run with 7: 19 remaining in the first half.

At that point, Mount Ida had run 38 plays for 140 yards and held possession for 14: 46. Bearden had run just five plays for 22 yards, with only 1: 55 of possession time.

“We had trouble with their front,” Cox said. “Their offensive line kind of dominated us a little bit. But we don’t have anything to be ashamed of. We represented pretty well, I thought.” Aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty, Bearden moved 81 yards in 10 plays to finally score late in the first half.

Chambers took a direct snap and ran 4 yards for the touchdown with 1: 58 remaining in the second quarter. Watts ran for two points on a power sweep around left end to cut Mount Ida’s lead to 14-8 at halftime.

Bearden took its only lead when, on fourth-and-3, Watts threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Michael Belin and then ran for two points with 5: 31 left in the third quarter.

Bearden seized the momentum midway through the fourth quarter when it stopped Mount Ida on fourth down from the Bears’ 41.

But after the only punt of the game rolled dead at the Mount Ida 19 with 2: 35 remaining, the Lions wouldn’t be denied the perfect ending.

“We have to play hard to compete with the athletes like Bearden’s,” White said. “That’s why we’re here and that’s why we won. It’s because of the desire and the passion of the kids.”

NWAnews.com_

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

212 N. East Ave.

Fayetteville, AR 72701

Sawyer the Soothsayer

Excerpt From:

2007 High School Football Wrap-up
Extra Points
Hector Longo
Eagle-Tribune

Sawyer the Soothsayer

Eyes were rolling all over the region, starting with these two, and all over the Granite State when Londonderry High coach Tom Sawyer announced he was switching from the already run-crazed wing-T to the even more antiquated, but ground-game friendly, single-wing.

The snickering ceased in Week 1, when senior Alex Theodhosi set out on the most prolific Lancer running campaign of all-time and Londonderry earned a return to the Division 1 playoffs.


Theodhosi, who ran for 584 yards as a junior, nearly gained four times that, becoming the region's second 2,000-yard rusher by finishing with 2,041 yards on 259 carries in 11 games.

Not since 1998-99 when Steve Miller put up back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons has a Lancer finished so high on the regional rushing chart.

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