On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, Abington seniors Oreck Frazier, Caleb Baker and Billy Everitt were recognized for committing to continue their football careers at the collegiate level.
“They are three really special players,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said. “Those guys came in after my first year of coaching. When people talk about the foundation of a program, those three have been the foundation of this program for the past three or four years. It’s going to be really tough to see them gone, but they have set a precedent, not just athletically but academically for kids of where our program is going and the kind of kids we’re trying to have.”
Caleb Baker – West Chester University (Football)
Major: Marketing
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Bloomsburg, Delaware Valley, McDaniel
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “West Chester is a great academic school, and they obviously have a great football program. When it came down to considering schools that have everything that I need and want, that was the right school for me.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Most people have NFL dreams, but for me, it was really to play college ball. I used to wake up Saturday mornings, eat my cereal or whatever and then watch football all day long. The NFL is the end goal, but the first thing I had on my mind was college football since I was born.
“For the first two years, I was just playing, enjoying football with my teammates, but junior year came, I had a great season with a great quarterback, Tamir Berthau. It was a great year, and after that season, I started looking and considering playing in college – it seemed like a real possibility for me, and I tried to play every snap like it’s my last, leave it all out there.”
Coach Kevin Conlin says: “Caleb has been playing with us for three years. He’s been a two-year first team all-league kid. I’ve always told people – for his size, he has unbelievable ball skills. When a ball’s in the air, he’s always going to come down with it, which helped tremendously around the goal line. He scored a lot of touchdowns each year just because he’s a mismatch nightmare.”
About Caleb:
Favorite food: Ribs
Favorite movie: Avengers: Endgame
Favorite artist: Drake
Billy Everitt – Kutztown University (Football)
Major: Computer Science
Final list of colleges: Kutztown, Millersville
Reasons for choosing Kutztown: “They have a really good computer science program, and they also have a master’s program for computer science. They also have a really good football team.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I’ve played football ever since I could – I started in first grade. Growing up, I saw my cousin (Gage Gormley) playing here at the high school, and I basically knew I wanted to play here at least. As I grew up, I knew I would want to go on to college and play as long as I could because I love the sport.
“It started to become a reality when I started playing high school ball because everybody was like – ‘If you really try, you can go to college and play football,’ so that’s when it really set in.”
Coach Kevin Conlin says: “Billy has been a starter on the offensive line since he was a freshman, which you don’t usually find. You can be an athlete and be a young kid and still be exceptional, but as far as offensive line goes, it’s really tough to do. You’ve got to be physically tough and mentally tough at the same time. Even as a 15-year-old kid, Billy was great in both those regards.
“Billy had size when he was a freshman, and by our second game, he was a starter for us because of that size. Tim Sorber and Steve Ricci were the coaches, and they did a great job with him. Billy took to everything they said, everything they asked. Those guys were fantastic with him.”
About Billy:
Favorite food: Burgers or Cheesesteaks
Favorite TV: The Flash
Favorite music: Rap or Pop
Oreck Frazier – Harvard University (Football)
Major: Pre-med
Final list of colleges: Harvard, University of Pennsylvania
Reasons for choosing Harvard: “I was looking at every school in the Ivy League and Temple, mainly because Temple has a really good football team. The Ivy League will open so many doors, football or not. It was really between Harvard and Penn. I’ve been to Penn a lot, and it’s really close to home. I didn’t necessarily like the idea as
much. I wanted to discover a new place with new people and new experiences. Boston is a really nice city, and especially Cambridge – I want to be a part of that. I want to be able to find something that fits me as well as Philadelphia.”
What was the progression that led you to playing football at the collegiate level? “I’ve been a basketball player all my life, but coach Conlin took me in ninth grade, gave me a chance. I ended up being a starter on varsity in ninth grade. At the end of my 10th grade year, I got an offer from Temple, and that was the point that I knew football was going to be my future. Ever since then, I’ve been in the weight room, on the field - sprinting, grinding, doing whatever I needed to do to be where I am now.”
Coach Kevin Conlin says: “Oreck is probably the smartest player we have ever coached and not just school-wise. He’s physically gifted, an unbelievable athlete, and you really could see it as a freshman how special he was going to be. He was good then, and he was going to be really great by his senior year. By his senior year, we made it a point to get him far more involved in the offense. With the graduation of a couple of our main playmakers, he really took over that role of being our top running back. He ended up being first team all-league, and he’d never run the ball in his life. That just tells you how good of an athlete he is.”
About Oreck:
Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite TV show: Vampire Diaries
Favorite music: Rap
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