Leading off today: I thought I'd use the afternoon to catch up on a few football notes that have been piling up on the desk this month:
(1) Recruiting: I thought we'd have a little more action by now with respect to colleges locking up commitments from standouts who are winding down their junior year of school, but it's been slow going. As far as I can tell, the only non-binding commitments from New Yorkers thus far are Westlake offensive lineman Tommy Hopkins (UConn) and Brooklyn Tech receiver Kyvaune Brammer (Buffalo).
The Buffalo News reported recently that UB had an in with Brammer since his high school principal, Randy Asher, is a UB grad.
One of the more intriguing prospects this spring and summer will be Ebenezer Ogundeko, the PSAL standout from Thomas Jefferson. Ogundeko, a defensive end/outside linebacker, gave an early verbal to UConn and then backed off once he realized just how much interest he was generating.
Ogundeko, who had more than a dozen offers, told Scout.com recently he'd like to be a package deal with Tottenville’s Augustus Edwards, regarded as one of the better N.Y. running backs to come along in recent years. “We talk about it almost every time we talk,” Ogundeko told the website. “Me and him are very close friends, that’s my boy.”
Connecticut, Indiana, Rutgers, Syracuse Temple and Vanderbilt are said to have offered both so far.
Upstate, watch out for Rush-Henrietta's Chauncey Scissum. The junior's No. 1 responsibility in high school football is as the quarterback, but interest in him as a cornerback and safety is about to blow up after glowing reviews of his work at a recent Nike camp in Columbus, Ohio. By the time it's over, Scissum may have the luxury of turning down a lot of offers from lower-rung Big East and ACC schools.
(2) Upstate/Downstate game: The third annual New York State High School Football Classic on June 10 in the Carrier Dome is slowly coming together, though there are the usual issues with firming up rosters.
The Post-Standard reports that receiver Alvin Cornelius (Tottenville/Syracuse University), kicker Ryan Norton (Garden City/Syracuse), quarterback Chad Kelly (Buffalo St. Joe's/Clemson) and offensive lineman Sean Karl (Eastport-South Manor/Virginia) are among those who will not participate.
(3) More Dome doings: I think I'm missing at least one game from Labor Day weekend, but here's what I know about the annual Kickoff Classic at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse:
Friday, Aug 31.: Jamesville-DeWitt vs. Johnson City, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 2: Thousand Islands vs. Lowville, 10
