On Thursday, May 19, 2022, CB West seniors Donta Mancini, Collin Newman, Quin Whalen, Trot Lare & Jeremy Goldrick were recognized for committing to continue their football careers at the collegiate level.
“The seniors were a really impressive group, my first group I saw from ninth grade all the way through,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “It was really neat to see them grow and blossom before your eyes. This group never lost to East, never lost to South in four years of playing them, which is an incredible feat. They were part of a conference championship in 2019. They had a really successful season their senior year as well. They’re a very special group. They don’t come around often. They were very close-knit, which isn’t something I did as a coach. They hang out off the field, they’re a really neat group. They really left an indelible mark on the program. They left it better than they found it.”
Donte Mancini – Muhlenberg College (Football)
Major: Business/Undecided
Final list of colleges: Muhlenberg, Catholic University, East Stroudsburg,
Reasons for choosing Muhlenberg: “It’s close enough to home, so I can go back and forth. The first time I was up there they made me feel like I was family right when I got there. I really liked the coaching staff. When I got to meet some of the guys, it felt like it was the perfect fit for me.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I’ve always had the dream of playing in college just like I had the dream of playing all four years of high school. It’s just one of those things on my bucket list I wanted to accomplish as soon as I started playing flag football when I was five years old.”
Coach Rob Rowan says: “Donte is tough, extremely intelligent, witty, always in the right place at the right time – he kind of had that sixth sense. He was a guy you knew you could count on when the game was on the line. He was incredibly tough, and his football IQ was off the charts. He was able to sense things before they happened which allowed him to be in the right place at the right time more often than not. You think about the (defensive) play he made against Pennridge the first time we played them – he knew what was coming and made an unbelievable play and won the game.”
About Donte:
Favorite food: Chicken
Favorite TV show: All-American
Favorite music: Big Shawn
Collin Newman – Kutztown University (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Kutztown, Millersville, Wilkes
Reasons for choosing Kutztown: “It’s a high level program, and the whole football atmosphere and the coaches were very inviting and welcoming. The main thing they’re focused on is winning football games. That’s something that drew me in because I like to win.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “My progression in football was pretty slow. I didn’t play much my freshman year, my sophomore year, and then my junior year was kind of a blowup year for me. I gained some weight, my weights went up in the weight room. I started every game as a junior. After that season, I figured – why not? It’s something I could see myself doing, playing the next year, so my senior year I really focused on film, focused on looking for schools and ended up where I am now.”
Coach Rob Rowan says: “Collin is a guy who makes everybody else on your team better. The energy and the effort he brings every day forces the guys around him to play better because if they don’t, he’s going to embarrass you because he’s got a non-stop motor, continues to go every single rep. He doesn’t take a play off. Not only does that make him better, but that permeates throughout the team, and it forces other guys to bring their ‘A’ game because it they don’t, he’s going to make you look silly. He’s the guy on the field – you look at and say, ‘Who’s that guy?’ He’s another first team all-league player. He’s just an incredible kid.”
About Collin:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken Wrap from Uptown Deli
Favorite movie: Top Gun
Favorite music: Country
Quin Whalen – Villanova University (Football)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Villanova, Carnegie Mellon, Franklin & Marshall
Reasons for choosing Villanova: “The family environment of the coaching staff and their high level of competition.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I’ve played football for 10 years, starting with Lenape Valley, going to Romans and then to West. I don’t know if I always thought I was going to play college football, but it was definitely always a thought in the back of my head that maybe – if the right opportunity came - I would.”
Coach Rob Rowan says: “Quin is as coachable and mature a player as I’ve ever had. I say that because I think he’s harder on himself than we are as coaches. He holds himself to an incredibly high standard and really blossomed from his junior year to his senior year and just became a dominant football player and earned the right to go and play at an unbelievable program at Villanova. He’s just incredibly smart, he’s a guy you love to have on your team.”
About Quin:
Favorite food: Ribs
Favorite movie: A Few Good Men
Favorite music: Country
Trot Lare – Ithaca College (Football)
Major: Exercise Science
Final list of colleges: Ithaca, Moravian
Reasons for choosing Ithaca: “I really liked the coaching staff, I liked the location – it’s beautiful up there, and it’s a little farther away from home. I wanted to get away and have a different experience.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I’ve always loved football ever since I was little. I always wanted to play football in college, but I was never sure about it. Once recruiting started happening, I was all in. I wanted to play.”
Coach Rob Rowan says: “Trot is a guy who played with an incredible chip on his shoulder, and he brought an edge that we needed as a team, and we knew we could count on him. He was always ready to go to battle every single game. He turned himself into a first team all-league defensive back this year and each year just kept getting better and better and better. I’m real excited to see him grow because I think his best football is still ahead of him.”
About Trot:
Favorite food: Chicken Wings
Favorite movie: Star Wars
Favorite music: Country
Jeremy Goldrick – Colby College (Football)
Major: Environmental Science
Final list of colleges: Colby, Williams College, Middlebury
Reasons for choosing Colby: “I really loved the location, the coaching staff was great. I had the opportunity to meet an environmental science professor. He talked to me about the program, so that really sold me.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I always wanted to play at the next level, and eventually, I realized I could have the opportunity if I wanted to, so I was all in.”
Coach Rob Rowan says: “Jeremy and Quinn are so much alike in terms of who they are as players. Personality-wise, Quinn is a little bit more outspoken, and Jeremy is significantly more reserved, but in terms of play on the field – he’s got a 1560 SAT, 4.5 GPA. He’s a coach on the field, and that allowed me to be able to do some things schematically that sometimes you can’t get away with because you have guys that are so intelligent and can handle a lot of information. He’s also tough, ridiculously tough.”
About Jeremy:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Avatar: The Last Air Bender
Favorite music: 70’s music
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