On Monday, May 20, 2024, seven Central Bucks East seniors were recognized for committing to continue their football careers at the collegiate level.
Dean Blackwell – University of Toronto (Football)
Major: Computer Science
Final list of colleges: University of Toronto, RPI, Ithaca
Reasons for choosing Toronto: “I value academics, and academically, it’s a great school. Also, I wanted a school I really could grow as a player. One of my goals was to go to the CFL, and they’ve sent a lot of people there. They have a really clear path for that. I really like the coaches, the facilities they have are great, and I think it’s a place where I could thrive academically and athletically, so it’s a great mix for me.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Ever since I was little, the plan was to play in college. I was always working hard. I didn’t have too much (recruiting) interest after sophomore year, but after junior year, the recruiting really started to pick up. I started to talk to schools, and it started to become more of a reality. After going to camps over the summer going into my senior year, that’s when a lot of my recruitment was happening, so towards the end of my senior year was when I started to realize my dream of playing in college.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Dean and I have known each other a long time, and he is on his way up to Toronto. Dean is fast. A lot of us know that, but you might not know this story. He was on vacation with us down in Florida, and he was snorkeling when a manatee drifted underneath him. We all know the guy upstairs can walk on water, but Dean can run on water because he got out of there pretty quick. We know about his defensive exploits, but he racked up a thousand yards this year, and Dean will join that exclusive club, accomplishing that his senior year. We had a college coach who came and witnessed Dean at our showcase last year, and I thought this was one of the finest compliments. He said that Dean runs like the running back from the Kansas City Chiefs, who is a phenomenal player, and he hit the nail on the head with that one. A memorable play was Dean’s play his junior year against Pennridge in overtime on the away side of the field. He made an incredible play – came from out of nowhere and won the game for us. Dean, I thank you and wish you the best of luck at Toronto.”
About Dean:
Favorite food: Baby back ribs
Favorite movie: Kill Bill
Favorite artist: Kanye West
Joe Collins – East Stroudsburg University (Football)
Major: Physical Therapy
Final list of colleges: ESU, Kutztown, Ithaca, West Chester
Reasons for choosing ESU: “When I got up there for my official visit, just the way I was accepted into the team. Their family aspect and everything really brought me into choosing my spot there.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “My sophomore year when I came up from the freshman team, I was with the older guys, and I was trying to get a spot. When I finally was able to beat out the other guy for the spot that I had, it kind of hit me that I could probably make something of this.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “There are a lot of things I could say about Joe, but one of the biggest things to realize about Joe – this would be the equivalent of a lineman winning the Heisman Trophy in some respects. For Joe to be named the team MVP, which hasn’t happened in my tenure at East, but this year, because of his importance on both sides of the ball at a position (offensive and defensive lines) where he wasn’t the guy who was scoring touchdowns, but he was paving the way for those touchdowns or preventing them. That was huge reason he was chosen captain – well deserved and well earned. He set a school record for pancake blocks in a game, in a season and in a career, and I think he’s also got the record for ‘big nasty’ shirts – he must have a dozen of those at home as well. He took on double teams as a defender and made life easier for our linebackers. He’s a multi-sport guy – football, lacrosse and wrestling. You don’t see that very often. East Stroudsburg is getting a gem in Joe.”
About Joe:
Favorite food: Fettuccine Alfredo
Favorite movie: The Other Guys
Favorite music: Ra
Jack Corrigan – Moravian University (Football)
Major: Accounting
Final list of colleges: Moravian, Catholic University
Reasons for choosing Moravian: “The coaches definitely – when I went there, we didn’t talk much, but they came up to me, shook my hand, and they knew me by name. That was definitely the selling point. Their Junior Day – everything they had to offer was great. I loved how the athletes backed the athletes. They’re always going to each other’s games, and meeting some of the guys on the team – they were really nice and helpful when I had questions.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Freshman year was my first year playing football, and coach Donnelly invited me to play on varsity. I didn’t really think anything of it – I thought I’d have fun. When he asked me to play on varsity as a freshman, that was when I thought – I could definitely do this.”
Coach Joe Donnelly says: “Kickers are special people, and we all know that. (Jack Corrigan) is a character with character. I think that’s important to note. He was famous for his – I’ll call them poetry slams on the way home from games. He’s very creative, very intelligent, very well spoken. He always got a laugh out of the team with what he would share. One of the things we need to understand when we talk about a kid with character, a kid being special is that he is one of the best kickers to ever put on a jersey here at CB East. A guy that he looked up to is (former East standout kicker) Barney Amor (who went on to excel at the collegiate level at Colgate and Penn State). Although it’s yet to be determined - Barney is pretty good, but next to that – Cor is the best, and he might eclipse that in the end. He’s a guy that works tirelessly at his craft. We talk about a clutch kick his junior year, but he had another clutch kick to take us to overtime against Pennridge this year from absolute long distance. We were just talking about it the other day, and he said it was the best kick he’s ever hit, and he’s had a bunch. We’ve been lucky to have him, we’ve been blessed with a lot of good kickers, and Cor is in the upper, upper echelon of that without a question. We wish him the best of luck at Moravian.”
About Jack:
Favorite food: Chipotle Burritos
Favorite TV documentary: Untold: Johnny Football
Favorite artists: Morgan Wallen & Yeat
Jack Donnelly – University of Pennsylvania (Football)
Major: Wharton Business School
Final list of colleges: Penn, Maine, Brown
Reasons for choosing Penn: “Honestly, there’s just a great culture within the team. A lot of the coaches have been there for a long time, there’s stability on the staff and getting into Wharton Business School as well. Also, the fit offensively as a tight end.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I played a bunch of other sports like basketball, lacrosse and some other sports, but football was always my favorite, and that was always my dream to sign to play Division 1 football.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “I obviously know Jack quite well. He’s been with the program as long as I have as a ball boy and now as a player. He was a great ball boy – he scaled the big fence behind (the crossbar) when Barney (Amor) kicked one over it. Jack knew how much the footballs cost. I was proud to see him scaling the fence. (Former athletic director) John Reading was trying to get him down, but he kept going. He did set a bunch of school records, which was great, but he’s also the youngest player ever to get a warning for running onto the field as a ball boy when Conor Larkin scored a touchdown back in 2017, so we both had the same amount of warnings from the referees. During COVID testing, some of the guys who would come over, and they would do workouts in the garage and carry logs around the neighborhood. It was all on those guys. Coach Moose (Mike Moosbrugger) provided an avenue to do it, and they did it on their own. A lot of people think it was me driving it, but that was Jack and his buddies and his teammates. A memorable play would be the fourth down Hail Mary pass that (Dan Vogelsong) threw to him at Pennridge that kept the game going and allowed (Jack Corrigan) to kick the field goal that got us to overtime and the win. As a dad, I’m so proud of your perseverance in the face of naysayers. Jack is going on to UPenn, and I wish him all the best.”
About Jack:
Favorite food: Chicken & rice “I eat that two or three times a day every day.”
Favorite movie: Murder mysteries
Favorite music: “There’s a wide variety. I like some country, I like some rap, and I even turn on some of my dad’s island music every once in a while.”
Jake Maggio – Moravian University (Football)
Major: Education “I’m looking to be a teacher and coach, maybe in the history field. I’m also looking at the sports medicine side, but I want to somehow stay connected to the game whether that’s being a trainer or coach.”
Final list of colleges: Moravian, Ursinus
Reasons for choosing Moravian: “I chose Moravian more on the academics. Their play style is super aggressive, so I have the athletics and the academics. Also, socially, one of my best buds, Jack Corrigan, is also going there, so in three main categories, it dominated, and I just knew it was the right fit.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I played freshman football for East. I wasn’t that good, I didn’t think I was going to play sophomore year. I joined the team very late, and I had a chance to prove myself against some of the starters sophomore year. I ended up doing good, and I thought I could make a career out of it.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “I look forward to watching Jake and Jack (Corrigan) play and have a great career at Moravian, which is on an upswing right now. Jake is a talented football player. His talent includes being an incredible technician, especially on the defensive line, but as the center, he controls so much as the anchor of the offensive line, the center of the line. Secondly would be his high motor. Jake always played with a high motor. We saw that right away when he came in as a sophomore. He was banged up quite a bit as a freshman, and he came in as a bit of an unknown, but that changed very quickly as we saw him giving fits as a scout team player as a sophomore. That quickly turned into him being a varsity guy very, very soon. Thirdly, Jake’s other talents include his uncanny ability to get under the skin of Coach ‘V’ on a daily basis and then put his palms up afterwards like he did nothing. He’s an absolute anchor on both sides of the line. He fought through injuries and persevered through quite a bit. Jake had a lineman’s dream against Bensalem this year. It was a great takeaway. We wish Jake the best of luck at Moravian, but he’s not going to need it. He’s got plenty of skill to take care of that.”
About Jake:
Favorite food: Mom’s chicken parmesan
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite music: Rap/Hip Hop
Chris Poulson – Colby College (Football)
Major: One of the biological sciences
Final list of colleges: Colby, Wesleyan
Reasons for choosing Colby: “It’s a mix between the community and the location. First off, the coaches were just amazing to talk to, and they emphasized maintaining a strong relationship with their athletes, which goes a long way for me. It’s in the town of Waterville, Maine, and I’m also a big outdoors guy, and there’s a lot of stuff like that to do around the campus, which makes it really nice.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it right after my sophomore season ended. I talked to Coach Moose. We had a little conversation about it, and that’s when it really started to kick in as something I wanted to get into.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “The word that I think of when I think of Chris is transformation. Hard work works. Chris’s feet got exponentially better, also his upper body strength, a case in point to Coach Moose's program. I know Chris also worked in supplemental fashion with Coach Moose on weekends, so it wasn’t just what he did here. It’s also what he did in addition to that. But also, the speed. Chris showed some great speed sophomore year when we were giving out popsicles at the end of practice, and he beat all of the skill guys. It just all came together. Chris is built to play football. He’s going to have a great career up at Colby. One of the plays that I think of when I think of Chris was in his first varsity start out at Chambersburg. It was a great traditional double team, and they just moved people against their will and put them on their back, and that one always stands out to me. We wish Chris the best of luck at Colby.”
About Chris:
Favorite food: Chicken parmesan
Favorite movie: Django Unchained
Favorite music: Hip hop/Rock
Dan Voglesong – West Chester University (Football)
Major: Criminal Justice
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Kutztown
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “When I went there in May of my junior year, instantly when I got on campus, I was like, ‘This is where I want to be.’ It’s not too far from my house, which is something that was a big consideration for me. I didn’t want to go insanely far, and also, I didn’t want to miss out on the college atmosphere. I thought West Chester had the perfect balance of school life, and also, I can play football at a high level at a school that’s close enough to my house that it’s not too much of a trek.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Dan played quarterback for us. I coach quarterbacks, and I spend a lot of time with them, starting when they’re in eighth grade coming into ninth grade. It’s rare when you have a quarterback/linebacker combination like we had in Dan, but I thought nobody did it better than Dan did in the state of Pennsylvania this past year. There are quarterbacks that might play defensive back – and no knock on defensive backs, but as a linebacker, you’re in the phone booth every single play. Again, Dan was relentless on both sides of the ball and made us better because of that. He’s a total playmaker, a great tackler, a great teammate. I think about one offensive play – it was a teardrop bomb that he threw to Prime on the North Penn sideline or it might be one of his 230 career tackles he had. I’ve talked to West Chester’s head coach and their defensive coordinator, and they’re impressed with how he’s transformed his body since the end of the season, and I know they can’t wait to get him down there. Best of luck to Dan.”
About Dan:
Favorite food: Buffalo chicken pizza from Spatola’s
Favorite movie: Benchwarmers
Favorite music: Country
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