Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Pinkerton Academy running back Emmitt Smith will continue his football career at Bentley University.

Smith, who helped the Astros earn the No. 1 seed for last season's Division I playoffs, has accepted a scholarship from Bentley and is expected to sign a national letter of intent on Wednesday, the first day of the signing period.

Bentley is a Division II program that competes in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Smith was a First Team All-State selection last season, and has also been chosen to participate in the inaugural New Hampshire East-West All-Star Game.

Exeter upset Pinkerton 23-13 in last year's Division I championship game. Smith scored both touchdowns in that loss.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Nashua South running back/split end Armond McRae will continue his football career at Merrimack College, according to his father Arnie McRae.

McRae is scheduled to sign a national letter of intent with Merrimack on Wednesday. Merrimack is a Division II school that competes in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Merrimack recruited McRae to play slot back and return kicks.

McRae was a three-year starter for Nashua South, and finished his career with 54 touchdowns, 2,158 rushing yards and 1,624 receiving yards. He was a First Team All-State selection last season, when he had 1,172 rushing yards, 320 receiving yards and 20 TDs (14 rushing).

College: Trisciani leaves high school ranks for college job >> Villanova athletics

College: UNH assistant coach headed to FIU >> FootballScoop.com

The New Hampton School community and New Hampton football coach Ed Kiley invite all interested students and families to Football Admission Day, which will be held Feb. 18 (Saturday) from 9 a.m. to noon on the school's campus.

Those who plan to attend can RSVP to Cory McClure at (603) 677-3405 or cmcclure@newhampton.org.

College: Kelly turns down Tampa Bay >> ESPN.com

College: Tampa Bay likely to hire Kelly >> Bay News 9

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

New Hampshire football fans will have a fifth college team to root for next fall, when Franklin Pierce begins its inaugural season of play in the Collegiate Sprint Football League.

Sprint football is played by the same rules as 11-man football, but has a 172-pound weight limit. Franklin Pierce, which announced the addition of the sport last September, is the CSFL's seventh member, joining Army, Navy, Princeton, Pennsylvania,Cornell, Mansfield and Post.

"It's college football for lightweight guys," Franklin Pierce coach Peter Ewald said. "It's a quicker, faster game in general, but there really is not much of a difference."

Dartmouth (FCS), Plymouth State (Division III), St. Anselm (Division II) and UNH (FCS) are New Hampshire's other college football programs.

Ewald, who has spent the last two seasons coaching the sprint team at Post, played at Syracuse and has also coached college football at Marist, Bates, Lebanon Valley College and Sacred Heart. He also spent two seasons as the head coach at Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, Conn., before he accepted the Post job.

"That was my first time with [sprint fooball]," Ewald said. "The big thing is I wanted to get back into college football. High school football just wasn't for me.

"When Frankilin Pierce was thinking about adding the sport they called me and wanted to come down and see the facilities and things were done at Post. That led to some conversations and I felt [Franklin Pierce] was a better opportunity for me in many ways. From a living standpoint it was very attractive, and from a professional standpoint they have a track record of success across the board at Franklin Pierce. The backing is here that I wasn't getting at Post."

Franklin Pierce will play its home games at Oakmont Regional High School in Massachusetts. Ewald said building a home field will soon become a top priority for the school.

The Ravens will play a four-game schedule next season. The opponents will be Penn, Mansfield, Post and Princeton.

"They allow you to ease your way into competition," Ewald said.

Ewald is currently spending most of his time on the job recruiting players. He said the New England states plus New York and New Jersey are his target recruiting areas.

"I need to get a team," Ewald said. "I'm hoping that New Hampshire embraces this and that[New Hampshire] players see this as a valuable option."

* * *

Ewald is looking for candidates to fill the Franklin Pierce coaching staff, which will include two graduate assistants and four other paid positions.

"Anybody who is interested I would be interested in talking to," he said.

Anyone interested in a coaching position can contact Ewald at EwaldP@franklinpierce.edu.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

DeVaughn Chollette, a 6-foot-1, 223-pound linebacker from West Scranton (Pa.), committed to the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday.

Chollette, a four-year starter, also played running back for West Scranton and rushed for 1,255 yards during his senior season.

Army and several Patriot League schools also showed interest in Chollette.

College: Dartmouth lands running back >> Palm Beach Post

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Cameron Shorey, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end, committed to play for the University of New Hampshire on Monday.

Shorey, who played for Phillips Exeter Academy last fall, took an official visit to UNH last weekend.

"I committed [Monday] morning in Coach Mac's [UNH coach Sean McDonnell's] office," Shorey said. "He asked me what I was thinking and I told him I wanted to be a Wildcat. The staff and players, both current and prospective, were just my kind of people.

"I was looking for a place where I would be comfortable and be able to make an impact and develop my own skills at the same time, and I knew this was it. After my position meeting with [Brian] Barbato I was feeling pretty good about my role as a tight end in their offense."

Shorey, who lives in Calais, Maine, was also considering Maine and Villanova. He was scheduled to visit both schools later this month. Villanova was recruiting him to play defensive end.

Shorey enrolled at Phillips Exeter in 2010 with the intent of pursuing a Division I basketball career, but returned to the football field last fall. 

"[UNH runs] an aggressive offense and like to throw the ball and that's my style," Shorey said. "I'm feeling great about my decision."

The Granite State Football League announced its All-State Team Friday. Hollis-Brookline
won both the Middle School Varsity and JV Championships last season.

The league features middle school teams from Bow, Concord, Epping-Newmarket, Gilford, Hartford Vt, Hollis-Brookline, John Stark, Kearsarge, Monadnock, Newfound, and Pembroke.

FIRST TEAM ALL STATE

EAGAN NICKERSON (John Stark), GAVIN LACOURCIERE (BOW), RILEY ANTLE(Kearsarge), AUSTIN HOGANCAMP (Kearsarge), CAMERON WEBSTER
(Kearsarge), WYATT FARWELL (Hollis-Brookline), CALEB LOMME (Hollis-Brookline), JAMES SANTOS (Hollis-Brookline), RYAN WALSH (Hollis-Brookline), GEORGE TARWO (Concord), WALKKER JUDD (Hartford Vt), TRAVIS GARAND (Epping-Newmarket), ALEX TORIBIO (Epping-Newmarket), NICK BELANGER (Gilford), CARTER MERCER (Gilford), NICK BROTHERS (Gilford), NOAH FOGG (Newfound), DAVISON KEITH (Pembroke), BAILEE JOHNS (Monadnock), PHILIP THIBEAULT (John Stark), TYLER SULLIVAN (John
Stark)

HONORABLE MENTION

JACKSON HOUSMAN (John Stark), CHRIS ROBBINS (BOW), JACOB WALLING
(Kearsarge), KAYNE ROBERT (Hollis-Brookline), CHIS MCALLISTER
(Concord), BRYCE LANDON (Hartford), JEREMY ESPO (Epping-Newmarket),
MALIK CARTER (Gilford), MATTHEW MACDONALD (Newfound), SALACH JACOB
(Pembroke), JESSE LABARRE (Monandnock).

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

New Hampton School defensive back Jake Kiley began playing the waiting game shortly after he committed to Penn State last July.

The cloud of uncertainty that hovered over the Penn State program following Joe Paterno's dismissal prevented Kiley from taking an official visit to State College, but he's scheduled to take that visit this weekend -- one week after Penn State hired Bill O'Brien as its head coach.

"I was just waiting it out," Kiley said. "Things are going to be different [at Penn State], it's just a matter of how different. I'm still solid right now. Depending on how it goes this weekend that will determine if I take my other visits."

The University of New Hampshire was Kiley's only other scholarship offer when he committed, but Kiley said several schools have contacted his father - who is New Hampton's head coach - to see if Penn State was still the school of choice.

"He didn't even tell me which schools they were," Kiley said. "I'm trying to keep my focus on one area right now."

Kiley, a Plymouth resident, said he spoke with O'Brien for the first time last Saturday. That's when he learned that neither Tom Bradley or Bill Kenney would be retained as assistant coaches on O'Brien's staff.

"I was close with Coach Bradley and I talked with Coach Kenney three or four times a week," Kiley said. "Coach Kenney is the guy who recruited all the New England guys."

Defensive back Armani Reeves is one of those New England guys. Reeves, who helped Catholic Memorial defeat Bishop Guertin last season, is also committed to Penn State but is scheduled to visit Michigan this weekend. 

"I don't want to speak for Armani, but it is a little weird that so many of the commitments will be at Penn State this weekend and he'll be at Michigan," Kiley said.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Running back Brian Grove, who attends King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla., is scheduled to take an official visit to Dartmouth this weekend.

Grove rushed for 1,389 yards and 17 touchdowns on 201 carries last season. He also completed 11 of 29 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns (one interception), and caught two passes for 22 yards.

Grove has already visited Princeton. He's received a scholarship offer from Georgia State, and has also been invited to play at Columbia, Harvard and Penn.

It appears that Cameron Shorey (Calais, Maine/Phillips Exeter Academy) will be one of the few Maine residents from the Class of 2012 who ends up playing Division I college football.

Shorey, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end/defensive end, is currently considering three FCS schools - Maine, New Hampshire and Villanova - but said there's still a chance he could land a late offer from Boston College.

"I'm waiting to hear from BC," he said. "They told me I'm their on-deck guy for a scholarship. If BC offers it's a school I would strongly consider."

Shorey enrolled at Phillips Exeter in 2010 with the intent of pursuing a Division I basketball career, but returned to the football field last fall.

"I missed football, and I didn't get the offers to play basketball that I was hoping for," he said. "I'm certain now that football is the sport that will be in my future."

Shorey said he will take an official visit to UNH this weekend, and will visit Maine and Villanova later this month. New Hampshire and Maine are recruiting him as a tight end. Villanova would like him to play defensive end.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

The number of nominated players for the inaugural New Hampshire East-West All-Star Game was greater than either head coach expected.

"Tons of nominations," West head coach Keith Jones (Milford) said. "I think I had 90. Just a lot of talent."

East head coach Bill Raycraft (Windham) said he had to choose from more than 80 nominated players.

"Quarterback was the position where we had the least number of nominations," Raycraft said. "The West was probably a little deeper in that position, but the guys we got we're pretty happy with."

This year's game will be played June 23 at the University of New Hampshire. Each team will be allowed to use four offensive formations and there will be no blitzing.

"You know that one of our formations will be the wishbone," Jone said. "I think I beenfitted a little because I've coached in the Shrine Game. I've had to do this (select an all-star team) before. We're pretty excited about the offensive and defensive lines we have."

The game will benefit Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) and each team is scheduled to visit the hosptial on March 17. Raycraft said his players will receive their playbook at that time.

"And it's going to be a challenge narrowing that playbook down," Raycraft said. "The way I see it we'll have primarily one-way guys. We'll have a handful who will go both ways."

The teams are scheduled to begin practicing on June 13. The tentative practice sites are Exeter High School (East) and Manchester Memorial High School (West).

"We'll practice for three hours a day," Jones said. "When I coached in the Shrine Game I found that the kids picked things up pretty quick."

FRISCO, Texas - University of New Hampshire junior linebacker Matt Evans has been named the 17th Buck Buchanan Award Winner as the national defensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

The announcement was made Thursday night and Evans will receive the award at Friday's national banquet.

Evans, who finished fourth in voting for the Buchanan Award in 2010, becomes the first player in UNH history to earn the honor, which was voted on by a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. He appeared on 113 of the 132 ballots and received 45 first-place votes as part of 442 points.

"It was really something I didn't expect," Evans said. "It's a huge honor to be a part of that prestigious group. I just try, and want to be, the best player I can be. If I play well and get those honors, that is just added incentive. Obviously, it means more to me for the team to have a better season."

The 6-foot, 227-pound middle linebacker adds to his vast collection of hardware from the 2011 season: Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America; Phil Steele's All-America First Team; The Sports Network/Fathead.com All-America; College Sports Madness All-American; A.P. All-America Second Team; Gold Helmet Award as New England's player of the year; All-CAA First Team and All-New England Team.

"Matt is one of those kids who is a very instinctive football player," New Hampshire head coach Sean McDonnell said. "He's not a huge linebacker, he weighs about 215, 220 pounds soaking wet. He's got great speed, he's got great athleticism and he tackles very well. But, the thing that Matty does is he understands how people are attacking. He also knows how to get there, and gets around blocks."

Evans led the nation with 7.67 solo tackles/game and registered 165 total tackles, the second- most in the country and the second-highest, single-season total in school history. He tallied double-digit tackles in 10 of 12 games this season and in 21 of his last 25 games, including a career-high 24 tackles at then-No. 14 Lehigh on Sept. 10 and a 13-tackle, two-forced fumble performance in the Colonial Clash victory against then-No. 22 Massachusetts on Oct. 22.

With 334 career tackles, Evans is ranked No. 5 in University history and will go into his senior campaign 100 tackles shy of the school's top spot.

Evans helped the Wildcats match a school record by defeating five ranked teams en route to reaching the NCAA playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, the longest active streak in the nation.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

The University of New Hampshire is recruiting Montour High School (McKees Rocks, Pa.) quarterback Dillon Buechel, and, according to Montour coach Lou Cerro, will decide whether or not to offer Buechel a scholarship after watching him play in Montour's varsity basketball game against Blackhawk (Beaver Falls) on Wednesday night.

Buechel, a three-year starter, completed 490 of 811 pass attempts for 6,899 yards during his high school career. He ranks second among Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League quarterbacks in career passing yardage.

"Something could break tonight," Cerro said. "He can run the spread, but he's definitely a drop-back quarterback."

Buechel guided Montour to a 29-9 record during his three years as a starter, including a 24-4 record in the last two years. His only scholarship offer is from Dusquesne.

"That kind of blows my mind," Cerro said. "I don't know what people are looking at. I know he's skinny (6-foot-4, 175 pounds), but he's gonna put weight on in college. Here's a kid who's the second-ranked passer in the history of the WPIAL."

Buechel completed 189 of 292 pass attempts for 2,811 yards and 41 touchdowns (10 interceptions) last season, when he led Montour to a 12-3 record. He also rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Rosters for the inaugural New Hampshire East-West High School All-Star Football Game were released today.Each roster has 37 players, all of whom completed their senior season of football in 2011.

This year's game will be played June 23 at the University of New Hampshire's Cowell Stadium and will benefit Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD). Windham's Bill Raycraft was selected to coach the East team. Milford's Keith Jones will be the West's head coach.

"These first-year players will play in a game they will truly remember," said Nick Vailas, the game's founder. "The game has been well-received by the football community and by the business community and the support we are receiving is inspiring. We know that this game will heighten the excitement for New Hampshire high school football and raise much-needed awareness for CHaD."  

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

      Rosters for the New Hampshire East-West High School All-Star Football Game will be released at 4 p.m. today and can be found on New Hampshire Football Report at that time.

Each team will have a 36-player roster, and each of New Hampshire's six divisions will be represented.

The inaugural game will be played June 23 at the University of New Hampshire.

The New Hampton School community and football coach Ed Kiley would like to invite interested students and families to Football Admission Day this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Football Admission Day will allow those interested to learn more about the academic program, college counseling, and one of the premier independent school football programs New England. RSVP Cory McClure, Director of Program Outreach, at (603) 677-3405 cmcclure@newhampton.org