Q&A with American International College recruit Anthony Caldararo Section 1 Recruiting writer Joe Lopopolo recently spoke with former New Rochelle teammate Anthony Caldararo about his decision to play football for American International College. “AC” is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end and defensive lineman who will play H-Back at Division II AIC. Caldararo came a long way changing positions to help out the team, but is excited to play at AIC. Now, here’s a Q&A with Caldararo on his decision. Lopopolo: How does it feel to finally commit to a school of your choice? Caldararo: It’s definitely a great feeling. I mean it took a huge chip off of my shoulder. The recruiting process is so stressful especially trying to keep up with school and midterms at the same time. But I’m very happy that I chose AIC, and I’m ready to be a Yellow Jacket. Lopopolo: What other schools were you considering? Caldararo: The University of New Haven and the University at Albany. Lopopolo: What were the main factors on your decision? Caldararo: I chose AIC for a lot of reasons. My visit went really well; I really enjoyed the campus from the minute I got there. The way the AIC football program was run reminded me a lot like New Rochelle so I felt like I was going to fit right in. A number of New Rochelle players came here to play football or had gotten recruited to play here and all had something good to say about the school/program. Lopopolo: What are your strengths as a player and what style do you think you play? Caldararo: I would have to say my strengths are probably my intelligence in certain situations. I feel like I'm really good at being prepared for any situation. When it comes to my style of play, I'm not really a finesse player. I’m really a hard-nosed type of player. I love to hit, be aggressive and tackle the football. Lopopolo: What was the number-one highlight in your career? Caldararo: I think my number-one highlight would have to be my junior year in the Section 1 final against Mahopac. That was a huge game for me and I came up with a safety early in the game, which I felt gave us a huge wave of momentum. That was a huge highlight to me.

Q&A with Penn State recruit Jordan Lucas Section 1 Recruiting writer Joe Lopopolo recently spoke with his former New Rochelle teammate Jordan Lucas about Lucas’s decision to play football at Penn State University in 2012. Lucas, a 6-foot, 176-pound safety, played this past fall at Worcester Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts, after graduating from New Rochelle in 2011. Lucas came a long way and improved a lot during his semester at Worcester. The Nittany Lions contacted Lucas last week and told him that they would possibly offer a scholarship. Lucas waited, even though it meant putting his guaranteed scholarship at Temple University in jeopardy. It turned out to be well worth the wait. Here’s Lopopolo’s Q&A with Lucas on his decision to attend Penn State. Lopopolo: How does it feel to finally commit, especially to a BCS school? Lucas: It’s a great feeling, I mean the recruiting process was very stressful like always, if it’s out of prep school or out of high school. Penn State University has great tradition and I take it as a challenge with what they´re going through. They want to build on the tradition that they have and keep things going in the right direction. I´m happy to be a part of it. But now that it’s almost done I’m glad I picked the right school and I cannot wait until signing day so I can just relax. Lopopolo: What other schools were you considering? Lucas: Akron, UMass, Old Dominion and Villanova. Lopopolo: What were the main factors in your decision? Lucas: I chose PSU mainly because of the opportunity I have once I get there. I have a chance to get playing time right away as a freshman at safety and on special teams, so I’m making sure I take full advantage. Coach O’Brien made it seem like a great place, playing in front of 107,000 great fans every game and the academics PSU had to offer. I got a good taste of all that when I went on my unofficial visit and I loved the campus and environment. Lopopolo: What are your strengths as a player and what style do you think you play? Lucas: My strength would probably be my awareness. Knowing where everyone is on the field and knowing what to do in whatever situation I’m put in. I also really like to prepare myself during practice week on and off the field. I love to watch lots of film so you know what your opponent brings to the table. In terms of my style of play, I think I bring lots of speed and smarts to the game, but at the same time physicalness. I love to hit and tackle the football.” Lopopolo: What were your thoughts on your season at Worcester Academy? Lucas: It was definitely a great experience. I got to do a lot of things I’ve never done before. I played a lot of special teams and got to return kicks and punts all season. On the offensive side of the ball I played receiver and even wildcat quarterback. On defense I played cornerback and safety. It was a lot of fun. Coach let me be an athlete and do what I do best. Lopopolo: Has Worcester Academy improved your skills in terms of football and/or academics? Lucas: Oh yes, of course. This school has done a lot for me so far, especially academically. But I mainly came for school to improve my grades. I thought the transition from high school to college was going to be hard, but I adapted quick and it shows with the 3.6 GPA I earned this semester. I definitely feel like Worcester Academy is preparing me for the future. Lopopolo: What was your number one highlight, whether it was at Worcester Academy, New Rochelle HS or even Pop Warner? Lucas: I think my number one highlight would have to be senior year at New Rochelle against White Plains. It was a very important game, let alone it was a huge rivalry. I kind of took it personal that I hadn’t scored against them since my sophomore year, so I told myself I had to this game. I scored a 53-yard run, breaking six tackles and the play actually gave us the lead. The funny thing is that the play actually helped me get recruited. It was an offensive play but it showed how much of an athlete I was, so I would have to go with that as my biggest highlight.

2012 New Rochelle football clinic It´s never too early for coaches to begin scheming for the next season, and for many of them in the area, the preparation began on Monday, Jan. 16 at New Rochelle High School, at its 11th annual football clinic. From 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., coaches from around the area listened to speakers and shared ideas about various coaching topics as they began to gear up for next fall. University of Connecticut head coach Paul Pasqualoni headlined a slate of speakers that included coaches from the University of Miami, University of Oregon, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, Syracuse University, Temple University, the University of Delaware, Villanova University, Rhode Island University, Stony Brook University, the University at Albany and Springfield College. All three aspects of the game were discussed, including Oregon´s zone pressure, practicing situational football, kickoff and punt coverage, defending two-back run, training offensive and defensive line fundamentals, running the spread from 12 personnel and more.

2011 All-Section 1 Recruiting teams ALL-SECTION 1 RECRUITING TEAMS

Final 2011 Player Rankings PLAYER RANKINGS for the 2011 season.

The Magazine is here! The 2011 SECTION 1 RECRUITING MAGAZINE is here! This year´s magazine includes feature stories on Croton, Ossining´s Brian Connolly, New Rochelle´s Justin Douglas and three former Section 1 standouts, as well as player and team rankings for each class. This year´s edition, which includes a new design, can be viewed or downloaded in PDF form by clicking on "The Magazine" tab on the left side of this page. Enjoy!

2011 Section1Recruiting Combine Due to Lack of Interest, there is NO COMBINE this year. Please check back for the College Camp that will take place at New Rochelle HS next year. College Coaches from every level all over the country will be here in Westchester to Coach High School Football Players. It´s a GREAT Opportunity to get exposure to colleges at an early age! The Dates are JUNE 23 & 24, 2012

Write for Section 1 Recruiting! If you´re an aspiring sports writer who´s looking for experience or a high school football aficionado, please e-mail Matt Spillane to begin writing!

College Football Plans

If you are a player in Section I and have decided on your plans for next year, please email Matt Spillane and we will announce it here.

College Football Plans

If you plan on playing football in college next year, let us know so we can update our "Where Are They Headed?" Page to let everyone who is a fan of Section I football know where you´ll be going to school next year. Please email us at matthew.spillane1@marist.edu.

Where Are They Headed?*
Player Name	High School	College	YR
Christian Conway	Bronxville	Yale University	Class of 2012
Jackson Conway	Bronxville	Yale University	Class of 2012
Brian Connolly	Ossining	Bucknell University	Class of 2012
Sean Triandis	Bronxville	Franklin & Marshall College	Class of 2012
Peter Wittwer	Rye	Washington and Lee University	Class of 2012
Sean Callahan	Bronxville	St. Lawrence University	Class of 2012
Dennis O´Connell	Croton	Bryant University	Class of 2012
Jimmy O´Reilly	John Jay-Cross River	Wesleyan University	Class of 2012
John Lopez	Kennedy Catholic	Elon University	Class of 2012
Anthony Caldararo	New Rochelle	American International College	Class of 2012
			Class of 2012

*If you know of a player that is not on this list, please email us at matthew.spillane1@marist.edu the player´s name, his HS graduating class, High School/Prep School attended, and College/Prep School attending next year.

Do You Want Your Picture At The Top Of Section1Recruiting.Com? We are looking to update the pictures we have at the top of the website, and we need your help. If you are going to be on the Varsity Football team in 2011 and you have pictures that you own and would like to see them at the top of our website, email permission for us to use the picture, along with the jpeg file to us at I Want My Picture On Section1Recruiting.Com. Pictures should be of game action only.

Section I Class AA 2011 League Rankings*
League 1		League 2
	New Rochelle		White Plains
	John Jay - EF		North Rockland
	Mahopac		Arlington
	Carmel		Yorktown
	Fox Lane		Mt. Vernon
	Scarsdale		Clarkstown North
	RC Ketcham		Suffern
	Clarkstown South		Ramapo
	Mamaroneck		Lincoln
*As reported by Josh Thomson of The Journal News.

Section I Class A 2011 League Rankings*
League 1		League 2
	Harrison		Poughkeepsie
	Rye		Somers
	John Jay-CR		Eastchester
	Horace Greeley		Nyack
	Ossining		Spring Valley
	Roosevelt		Brewster
	Lakeland		Pearl River
	Sleepy Hollow		Tappan Zee
	Pelham		Port Chester
	Beacon		Hen Hud
	Byram Hills		Walter Panas
	Yonkers		Gorton
	Peekskill		Saunders
			Riverside
*As reported by Josh Thomson of The Journal News

Section I Class B 2011 League Rankings*
	Croton-Harmon
	Nanuet
	Lourdes
	Westlake
	Pleasantville
	Edgemont
	JFK
	Ardsley
	Putnam Valley
	Irvington
	Briarcliff
*As reported by Josh Thomson of The Journal News

Section I Class C/D 2011 League Rankings*
	Bronxville
	Tuckahoe
	Hastings
	Dobbs Ferry
	Pawling
	Rye Neck
	Albertus Magnus
	Valhalla
	Woodlands
	Blind Brook
	Haldane
	Dover
	Lincoln Hall
	Palisade Prep
*As reported by Josh Thomson of The Journal News

Comments/Suggestions?

Have a suggestion? Want to see something on the site that isn´t here? Have questions, comments..? Feel there is a player not mentioned that should be? Please email us at admin@Section1Recruiting.com.