The Empire Challenge is the culmination of the high school football careers of local prospects from New York City and Long Island. But last night’s lopsided contest at Hofstra University, a contest that raised money to fight Cystic Fibrosis through the Boomer Esiason Foundation, also symbolized the start of Connecticut’s aggressive approach to talent in the area.
The city team, hammered by Long Island 40-8, featured three UConn-bound prospects in Christ the King tight end Jordan Fuchs, Beach Channel defensive tackle Fatukasi Folorunso and Poly Prep defensive end Cameron Stapleton.
“It’s going to start a chain reaction,” Stapleton said.
For years, Syracuse was attached to numerous players in the game, but a seismic shift occurred when Bronx native Doug Marrone left the Orange to take over as the Bills head coach, taking top city recruiter John Anselmo with him. Local high school coaches were said to be impressed by new Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer, who attended the All-City Dinner in January, but he has yet to see results.
“We were always competing with them,” UConn linebacker coach and city recruiter Jon Wholley said. “We got some of the guys [they were recruiting]. Losing people that had city connections like Doug Marrone and Anselmo definitely can help us.”
While UConn doesn’t have a big-time new conference to promote as Syracuse, headed for the ACC, does, the Huskies have more recent success, playing in the Fiesta Bowl in 2010 and producing NFL draft picks each of the last seven years, including five this April.
Elite junior recruit Curtis Samuel of Erasmus Hall has a top five of Rutgers, Ohio State, Alabama, Miami and Notre Dame. Connecticut is involved with Lincoln All-American Thomas Holley and Erasmus Hall duo Kahlil Lewin and Darren Pert.
UConn added to its city roster with Fuchs, Folurunso and Stapleton, players with high ceiling potential who join former Boys & Girls safety Wilbert Lee and St. Joseph by the Sea running back Lyle McCombs.
“We’ve made that a priority here to recruit those kids,” said UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni, who recruited the area when he was an assistant at Syracuse in the 1980s. “We’re back into that full swing and we’re really happy with the three kids we signed this year.”
Taking a play from Syracuse’s playbook, UConn jumped on Folorunso and Stapleton early, before other Division I programs expressed interest, and landed early commitments. Fuchs picked UConn in January, but was focused on the Huskies since the spring of his junior year.
The three players lauded the dogged recruiting job by Wholley and comfort they felt at the school at the time of their commitments. Their coaches talked about the promise Pasqualoni and Wholley made about them being set for life and making sure they will be taken care of.
“They have a genuine interest in you as a person, for you to grow on the field and in other aspects,” Fuchs said.
Funny, that’s exactly what local recruits used to say about Syracuse.
* Uniondale High School’s Will Stanback won MVP honors after the Central Florida-bound standout ran for three touchdowns and 138 yards on 12 carries to lead Long Island to its third straight victory in the annual showcase.