The Ivy League Connection

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By Rich Chrampanis |
Football recruiting can become a maddening process if an athlete is fortunate enough to get on the radar of college coaches. The lure of playing at a Power 5 school and in front of 70,000 fans every Saturday is generally viewed as the ultimate dream for any high school player who battles under the Friday night lights. Often lost in the mix is the academic side of the prospective student-athlete.
There’s a growing list of players from The Two River Times area who are getting their chance to play football at the Division I level in the Ivy League. The Princeton Tigers are 8-0 and ranked No. 11 in the latest FCS national polls after a 14-9 win at home over previously unbeaten Dartmouth in a game that featured five local players on the roster. Former RFH great Charlie Volker has shined as the Tigers running back, finding the end zone 13 times. Red Bank Catholic has paved the way with fixtures from their winning program opting to go the Ivy League route and turning down offers at FBS schools for the chance to get an elite education and play a high level of college football. The Ivy League football connection continues to grow as two more local players who are currently high school seniors will be added to the list: RBC wide receiver and defensive back Jaden Key is committed to the Penn Quakers and Rumson-Fair Haven offensive lineman Ryan McCann has given a verbal pledge to Yale.

TRT ALUMNI ON IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROSTERS
Princeton Tigers
  • RB Charlie Volker, Senior (Rumson-Fair Haven) 83 carries, 590 yards, 13 TDs
  • DL Emmett McNamara, Freshman (Red Bank Catholic) – 3 tackles

Dartmouth Big Green

  • RB Zack Bair, Freshman (Red Bank Catholic) – 101 yards rushing, 56 yards receiving, 1 TD
  • TE Connor Rempel, Junior (Shore Regional) – 18 catches, 200 yards, 4 TDs

Harvard Crimson
DL Nasir Darnell, Sophomore (Red Bank Catholic) – 3 tackles
Yale Bulldogs
OL Conor Smith, Freshman (Red Bank Catholic)
Penn Quakers
LB James McCarthy, Sophomore (Middletown South) – 7 tackles, 1 blocked kick


This article was first published in the Nov. 8-15, 2018 print edition of The Two River Times.