The biggest high school football recruiting story of 2008 got a little more interesting: Former Greenwich star Jonathan Meyers, who turned down University of Florida for the Ivy Leagues, no longer plays football for Princeton University.

The last we’ve heard of Meyers as a football player was this press release from Princeton’s sports information office. The question was whether Meyers would stay on offense for the Tigers or move to defense (he carried once for two yards in Princeton’s season opener last year, then missed the rest of the season with a broken foot).

Kudos to New Haven Register’s Jim Fuller and to TigerBlog, as they both make mention to it this month. It seems as if Princeton itself didn’t want to make national headlines with the story. Meyers is still playing lacrosse, and he saw significant time as a freshman playing defense for the Tigers, and chances are he will be a starter for the 2010 Princeton team.

There are so many questions you can ask regarding this development – like did all of us in the media overlook the fact Meyers was an All-American in lacrosse, and was it because we all were hoping to see a Fairfield County kid get a chance to play D-I football?

(Not like Greenwich players haven’t shined on the NCAA gridiron and play in the pros before, see Steve Young, John Sullivan and Ken Bell, to name a few)

Or is Meyers going to continue to do what’s best for his own personal development, even if it means giving up a sport he excelled in. For that matter, did he really want to play college football in the first place, or did everyone push him toward the college gridiron?

Until Meyers tells his story, we won’t know. But it’s his life, and Meyers has to do what’s best for him.

Popularity: 11% [?]

By Tim Parry

King fans, I apologize for doing what I thought was the right thing yesterday, though it meant missing the King-RCD game yesterday. But I think it was a good trade and a win-win situation for all.

I was scheduled to freelance the Staples-New Canaan game for The Advocate. The Post (which is now a sister publication) was going to be there, so I had an option: still do the game of cover King-RCD. And with all the talk on this board about King this week, I chose that game.

But Saturday, Joe Ryan,who has covered King a few times, was scheduled to do Wright Tech/Stamford Academy, and that game was postponed without any notice. And I was emotionally tied to Staples-New Canaan because of the death of a former teammate.

So I asked Joe if he wanted to take King from me – and have a paycheck – and I’d go without this week and go where I spiritually needed to be, and then volunteered my time to The Advocate with a notebook item for Monday’s issue.

In return, Joe will do a post some time this season on King. I just have to work the timing out with him.

Here’s Joe’s article for The Advocate: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localsports/ci_10819470

And now here’s my thoughts on King:

• Could King compete in the FCIAC? It depends. When you have a bunch of Division I talent (Silas Redd, Eric Joyner, Kevin Pierre-Louis) you should, in theory, be able to have a very talented team. But with the size of the school, there are a lot of holes on both sides of the ball, and maybe their individual performances don’t stand out as much.
• Are Redd, Joyner, and Pierre-Louis being recruited because of what they do in the Fairchester Athletic Association? While their legends are growing there, that’s not where college scouts determine the potential of players. That has to do with how they performs in camps. Now the academics at King are helping – you need some pretty darn good grades and SAT scores to get into Boston College and Virginia.
• Does it mean the FCIAC has less talent because its players aren’t going D-I? Not all. Ryan Sedlacek (who I saw yesterday at Staples) went D-I and has a shot to start at a very fine academic institution, Illinois, next season. Greenwich stars Jonathan Meyers and Chris Bisanzo turned down D-I offers to go with the academics and I-AA ball (Meyers with Princeton, Bisanzo with Georgetown). And take a look at New Canaan product Zach Renner, who went unrecruited and is a walk-on special teams monster at Georgia. Both the FCIAC and the FAA produce their fair share of Ivy League and NESCAC talent, too (and players who could probably buy and sell me like a commodity).
• Can you evaluate who the better team is by a scrimmage? Not really. Maybe in the final preseason scrimmage before the regular season, when game-planning goes into efect. There you’re talking more about getting ready for the regular season vs. evaluating talent. More often than not we read into scrimmage results as a harbinger for the regular season, only to get burned.

Popularity: 17% [?]

New Canaan quarterback Charlie Westfal and Greenwich linebacker Jonathan Meyers have earned Player of the Year honors from the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training.

Westfal is the Offensive Player of the Year. The Rams quarterback narrowly missed breaking the school’s single-season passing record with his 375-yard performance in the CIAC Class MM championship game. He completer 187 of 287 passes for 2669 yards and 25 touchdowns, and carried the ball 93 times for 400 yards and 10 scores.

“I’m overjoyed to hear that Charlie has been chosen as Offensive Player of the Year,” says New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli. “I’ve known him since he was in the fourth or fifth grade, and was watching him get beaten up as an unknown sophomore while he was running the scout teams, and never once had he begged out and quit. He’s played in pain, and done whatever he’s had to for us to win. And I think that’s made him the player he is today.”

Meyers is the Defensive Player of the Year. He had 97 solo tackles, one interception for a touchdown, 11 sacks, and three fumble recoveries. And many weeks this season, Greenwich head coach Rich Albonizio points out, Meyers was only needed on defense for half a game.

“Jonathan is a leader in every sense of the word. He has great grades, is a blue chip athlete and he has empathy for people,” Albonizio says. “Jonathan is humble about his talent and a person that enhanced my life. I think of Jonathan as a son. He is a credit to his family, school, and community.”

BlueStreak Sports Training is the licensed provider of the highly effective training protocols developed by Athletic Repulic. BlueStreak was founded in 2004 by JetBlue Airways Founder and Chairman David Neeleman, and the former President of MSG David Checketts, to help meet the training demands of individual athletes and athletic organizations. The elite training facility located at 80 Largo Dr. in Stamford provides the best environment to help you reach your maximum potential as an athlete.

Launched in October 2005, the FCIAC Football Blog is the cornerstone of an online community for high school football players, coaches, and fans in Fairfield County, CT. In addition to the blog, the community includes a web log about the South West Conference (SWC Buzz), a message board, and an Internet radio, Live From the FC, on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Greenwich fullback-linebacker Jonathan Meyers and Warde running back Chike Madu are the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Co-Player of the Week for the Week ending Nov. 3, the two businesses announced today.

In the Cardinals 49-14 win Friday over Stamford, Meyers had three sacks, scored on four short touchdown runs, and had a 58-yard reception for a fifth touchdown. He was also Player of the Week for his Week 1 performance against Central.

Madu carried the ball nine times for 231 yards and four touchdowns in the Mustangs 47-14 win over Bassick. He had touchdown runs of 58, 82, 38, and 30 yards.

Players considered for the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Player of the Week award must be nominated by an FCIAC football coach. the winner or winners are then voted on by members of the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training.

Other nominees this week were:

• Brent Adams, WR-KR, Norwalk
• Mike Pope, QB, Trumbull
• Josh Kozel, FB-LB, Staples

Popularity: 14% [?]

BRIDGEPORT and STAMFORD, CT — Greenwich High School senior running back and linebacker Jonathan Meyers has been chosen as the first recipient of the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Player of the Week award.

Against Bridgeport Central on Sept. 14, Meyers rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries, had nine tackles, and scored two touchdowns. He was nominated by his head coach, Rich Albonizio.

Winners of the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Player of the Week award receive a trophy, t-shirt, and gift certificate from BlueStreak Sports Training.

This week’s nominees were:

• Alex Santos, Trinity Catholic (by Stephen Bedosky on behalf of head coach Bryan Fox)
• Troy Smith, Stamford (by head coach Kevin Jones)
• Caio Goncalves, Fairfield Ludlowe (by head coach Mike Forget)
• Nick Piccirillo, St. Joseph (by head coach Joe Della Vecchia)
• Kevin Joy, Darien (by head coach Rob Trifone)

The Player of the Week award is chosen by the staffs of the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training from a list of players nominated by the FCIAC’s 19 head coaches.

Popularity: 6% [?]

I did a double take yesterday when I was checking my Web stats. It appeared someone came to the blog from http://www.jonathanmeyers.com/.

Yes, it was that Jonathan Meyers, the junior fullback-linebackers from Greenwich.

I asked Jonathan about it after the Greenwich-Norwalk game last night. I don’t think he was expecting anyone to ask about it yet, but he was happy to answer questions. His father is a techie, and he put the site up for recruiting purposes.

But it’s also got a highlight reel that not only makes up a zillion plays, but a zillion plays from last season. 2006 is not even included yet.

If you’ve never seen Meyers in action, check the site out. You’ll understand why everyone in the FCIAC has been talking about him.

Got a recruiting Website? Send me the URL and I’ll add the link)

Wear the Blog

tags: FCIAC football

Popularity: 1% [?]

I think Matt Levine of WSTC1400/WNLK1350 AM summed it up best on Saturday. At the end of his Staples-Norwalk broadcast, Levine said it looks like it’s pretty much Greenwich and Staples as 1. and 1a. in the FCIAC, and then all the rest.

Right now, I’d have to say it’s Greenwich, then Staples, then maybe I’ll drink the New Canaan or Brien McMahon Kool-Ade.

Even if Bridgeport Central has become a shell of itself since losing in Week 5 to Staples (I’ll see how they respond against Fairfield Warde before I make a judgement, the Cardinals proved why they’re ranked at the top of the major state polls.

Consider that Bridgeport Central has lived and died by the run this season, and gained 0 (yes, zero) yards on the ground Saturday.

Consider that the Hilltoppers did a decent job stopping the Staples running game a week earlier, but surrendered 239 rushing yards to the Cardinals.

Consider Greenwich turned the ball over four times and gave up a special teams touchdown (an 82-yard kickoff return by Keith Carlos), and that those were still the only six points allowed by the Cardinals.

It looks like a case where you don’t know exactly how good Greenwich is until you enter the field of play with them.

“I think when you look at us on film, you wonder why we’re beating teams. Then you play us,” Rich Albonizio told a group of reporters after the game. “You can’t practice our speed, especially on defense. Believe me. We struggle with (defensive tackle Charles Williams, who runs a 4.5 40) in practice, but it makes us better. We know if we can block him, we can block anybody. A team gets better when it can use the two-platoon, and you’re playing against your number-one defense against your number-one offense. It’s got to make you better. Our problem is we beat each other up.”

Invisible Cardinals?: Something Albonizio told reporters struck me as kind of funny: “It’s kind of nice being under the radar a little bit.” Say what? Sure, Greenwich sometimes seems like a community you cannot enter without a passport, but its media coverage is dominant. We’re talking a daily newspaper that only covers the Town of Greenwich, two weekly papers, and an AM radio station that covers every Cardinals game. And the Cardinals have been on the top of every major media poll in the state. All eyes are on Greenwich football.

But in a way, it’s true. Name me one player off the Greenwich roster not names T.J. Cameron. No peeking. Time’s up. I knew you couldn’t. The team has

“Not having any stars, not having anyone think they are better than anyone else, it helps,” says fullback-linebacker Jonathan Meyers. “Everyone doing their job is the key to our success. Every position, we have a guy who can hold his own. There are no weak parts. We have great chemistry, a lot of returning starters from last year. We play as a unit, which is most important.”

Senior quarterback Joe Poletsky (there, a second name for you) agrees that team chemistry has helped Greenwich get to where it is: “We have more camaraderie this year. We’re a really tight team and we’re playing with a lot of heart, and I think that gives us an advantage over everybody else.”

And of course, this has made things easy on Albonizio: “There’s something about this group of kids that we have. The chemistry is just fantastic. They make mistakes and nobody gets down, nobody points a finger. They’re resilient.”

The Quote: “They’re a well-coached team. From a coach’s point of view, they’re very sophisticated with what they do on offense. Defensively, their kids are tough. He’s doing a great job with the program there. It’s scary when you’re playing a team that is as fast as you. Maybe they are not, but on film they looked fast.”

Speed on Defense: It’s hard to believe when you look at the offense, but the Cardinals have their fastest players on the defensive side of the ball. For example, senior defensive tackle Charles Williams, with his 4.5 speed, could dominate as a linebacker or a defensive back at any other FCIAC school. Or, for that matter, be a running back or tight end anywhere else. “In this defense, speed kills. We have our fastest kids on defense. Meyers is a blue-chip linebacker,” Albonizio said. “At nose guard, some years we go with a faster kid, we went with a bigger kid up front (Reji Gachelin), and it’s been helping our backers quite a bit.”

Wear the Blog

tags: FCIAC football

Popularity: 1% [?]