On Thursday, March 3, 2011, Pennridge seniors Brandon Cope and Cory Cowdery were recognized at a special news conference for signing letters of intent to play football at the collegiate level.
Brandon Cope – Colgate University (Football)
Major: BiologyFinal list of colleges: Colgate, Lafayette, Johns Hopkins
Reasons for choosing Colgate: “I chose Colgate because it offered me a high level of D-1 sports. They have a winning tradition, and they’re the best team in the Patriot Division statistically and record-wise. It just offered everything that I wanted academically but also athletically it stood out.”
What was the progression that led to playing collegiate football? “I remember distinctly when I was five years old I asked my dad if I could play professional (football). You have those dreams as a little kid. You always want to reach the pinnacle.
“In 10th grade when I got second team all-league and colleges started to send me stuff, I thought, ‘You know what – college football might be a reality for me.’”
Coach Randy Cuthbert says: “Brandon was like a coach on the field. A three-year starter at middle linebacker doesn’t happen too often, and he was our three-time defensive MVP. He has a great nose for the ball, and he’s tough, he’s fast, and he’s smart. He really was a leader of the team on both sides of the ball.
“He’s an all-around guy. He’s a straight A student and is very active in the SGA. He’s just a great, great kid, and it’s really hard to replace someone like that. You really get spoiled because we could do so much with him as far as running the defense.”
Cory Cowdery – Shippensburg University (Football)
Major: BiologyFinal list of colleges: Shippensburg, Millersville, Kutztown
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “Shippensburg came in at the end. I didn’t expect to go to Ship until I sat down and made a list of pros and cons, and that one just seemed to come out on top.
“It’s a real nice campus, and out of the state system, it’s one of the better academic schools. The president of Shippensburg – I met him personally. He’s a football guy, and seeing they’re really about football at Shippensburg really helped my decision.”
What was the progression that led to playing collegiate football? “When I was younger, I didn’t really like football that much, but my dad played college football (at Kutztown), and he wanted me to start playing so I started. I went to a camp at Penn State. When I went there, they showed the stadium, and I guess the fame that’s involved in it is what got me interested in (playing football in college).
“It became a reality when I started playing as a 10th grader, and as an 11th and 12th grader, people started recruiting me.”
Coach Randy Cuthbert says: “Cory had a great attitude and just worked really hard. He was solid wherever we put him. He played tackle and tight end, depending on where we needed him, and on defense, he played D-line and D-end. He was a very coachable kid. He was a solid starter for a couple of years.
“For a big guy, he was pretty agile. He was kind of in between a tackle and a tight end – big for a tackle and not as big as some of the guys that were playing tackle, but he just worked very hard at his techniques and paid attention to details and really made himself into a good player.”
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