Leading off: The University of Akron took advantage of a home-town connection to get a commitment Sunday night from Archbishop Stepinac quarterback Tyrell Goodman, the NYSSWA co-player of the year in Class A.

   The Journal News reported Goodman was being pursued by several Mid-American Conference schools, but he committed during a visit to the Ohio school.

   "The coaches were great," he said. "The coaches just made me feel so welcome. Not just Coach (Rob) Ianello — all the rest of the coaches were like family."

   No surprise there. Ianello, the Zips' second-year head coach, is a 1983 Stepinac graduate. In addition, recruiting coordinator Jim Miceli is a longtime friend of Stepinac coach Mike O'Donnell. It was O'Donnell who brought Goodman

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to their attention.

   Goodman led the Crusaders to the CHSFL A Division championship with 1,686 passing yards and 1,172 on the ground. He threw for 23 touchdowns and ran for 14.

   More football, part I Syracuse University will apparently live by New York talent or die by New York talent.

   Baldwinsville two-way lineman Nick Robinson committed to the Orange football program over the weekend, making him the eighth New York senior to pick the school ahead of next week's signing period. He joins Ashton Broyld (Rush-Henrietta), Jon Fisher (Oakfield-Alabama), Terrel Hunt (Christ The King), Brandon Reddish (Fort Hamilton), Donnie Simmons (Archbishop Stepinac), Ryan Sloan (Bellport) and Tyree Smallwood (Cornwall). Jordan Kobena, who committed to SU during his senior year at Cardinal Hayes and is attending Milford Academy this year, also is in the fold.

   (The full list of the 26 New York seniors to have announced choices thus far is available on the RoadToSyracuse.com home page.)

   Robinson also had offers from Tulane, Western Michigan and Buffalo after helping the Bees to the NYSPHSAA Class AA semifinals.

   More football, part II The Jordan Canzeri market is heating up.

   A source familiar with the Troy running back's situation said Iowa offered Canzeri a scholarship last night, and a similar move by UConn appears inevitable if he makes an official visit this weekend (and possibly even without making the trip).

   Canzeri already had an offer from Villanova, though the Wildcats may have to move on if they think UConn or Iowa have won the tug-of-war, and other schools remain under consideration as well.

   Satisfying the curiosity: Newburgh Free Academy, ranked sixth in Class AA, and Burke Catholic, No. 1 in Class B, won't be playing each other during the boys basketball season. But they did get together yesterday for a scrimmage in Newburgh before about 50 lucky observers.

   Though two referees actually worked the scrimmage, there was no official score kept. By the Times Herald-Record's count, Burke Catholic won 76-53 in regulation

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and 91-74 overall when a "fifth quarter" for some reserve players was factored in.

   Newburgh coach Frank Dinnocenzio told Burke counterpart Doug Janeczko the Eagles could probably beat any Section 9 Class AA team. "That's a good team," Dinnocenzio said. "If I could get kids from Middletown, Warwick, Pine Bush, if I could get that big guy (Miller, who is 6-foot-7), that's all I need. We would be dominant."

   Off the beaten path: It's a pretty fair bet we all have our notion of what high schools looks like -- whether it's the massive Shenendehowa building in Clifton Park or much smaller Romulus, nestled in the Finger Lakes.

   But basketball teams are probably more generic, along the lines of "if you've seen one, you've seen them all." But that's not nearly accurate. Wins and losses separate some teams from others, and so does the composition of the roster.

   A case in point is George Junior Republic in Freeville, about 10 miles from Ithaca. Though still a public school, GJR is a residential facility composed primarily of juvenile delinquents, some of whom are learning disabled or emotionally disturbed.

   Needless to say, roster turnover is massive on an annual basis, but that doesn't keep GJR from playing a full basketball schedule at the Class D level, including a number of games against more traditional school teams from Sections 3 and 4 according to Gregory Bevins, one of the program's coaches.

   Despite dropping two early games to Freedom Village and McGraw, George Junior Republic is 9-2 and the winner of eight straight heading into a game today at Otselic Valley.