On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Springfield Twp seniors Theo Ferragame, Jack McGuckin, Bobby Hartman & Nick Formoso were recognized for committing to play collegiate football.
Theo Ferragame – Lycoming College (Football)
Major: Physical Therapy
Final list of colleges: Lycoming, Temple, Eastern, Delaware Valley
Reasons for choosing Lycoming: “Lycoming felt more homey. I’m more of a mountains guy, so I can be up there snowboarding. I think it fit me the best. I also liked the football team’s scheme the most.”
What was the progression that led you to competing football at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it
probably my sophomore year – I didn’t really do too much. I was a JV player more that year, and I felt like I wanted to get better, so I really focused in the gym. I definitely got a lot bigger, and every year I just kept progressing more. I wanted to keep bettering myself to be able to play in college.”
Coach Chris Shelly: “Theo Ferragame is going to Lycoming. He’s definitely underrated. He’s one of those kids that could almost get lost in what he did for us. We used him as fullback, and eventually, he just turned into CJ Johnson’s lead blocker. We could go with whatever run we wanted with CJ, but Theo was the key focus point of the block all the time, wherever we were going. He played defense too – he played defensive end for us, he played nose. We moved him all over the place. He’s a little bit undersized in height, but he’s a super strong kid. He bench pressed over 400 pounds – he is a dude in the weight room. I think Lycoming is probably going to use him kind of like an H-back or tight end, but they could use him on defense too. He’s a football player through and through. I think Lycoming’s a great fit for him. I’m so happy for him and his family. I think all four of these guys are going to have great college careers. I’m just so proud of them.”
About Theo:
Favorite food: Burritos
Favorite movie: Interstellar
Favorite artist: Creed
Nick Formoso – The Catholic University of America (Football)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Catholic, Shippensburg, Ursinus
Reasons for choosing Catholic: “Just the environment when I got there – the team just felt right.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I didn’t start thinking
about it until after sophomore year.”
Coach Chris Shelly: “We knew at the end of the season he was a big-time prospect because of his size. He’s 6-5, 260 maybe, and he just turned into – I called him a complete dude because we’ve never had an offensive lineman of his ability at Springfield. We were blessed to have him. He came a long way as far as his skill set, as far as his pass protection. He worked so hard in the summertime in the weight room and with other coaches and things like that to get his feet quicker. He always had that size. He worked on his agility and speed, and then his strength exploded. We ran the ball behind him consistently. We knew he was going to win at the point of attack. I really felt like the kid was definitely a D2 prospect and I was even hoping for higher, but he fell in love with Catholic. It’s a great fit for him, and it’s great fit for his family too. They love him there, they absolutely love him, so I think he’s going to be a star there. Combine that with the fact that Bobby Hartman is going there as well. They’re two great kids, academically and athletically. Their football IQ is off the charts.”
About Nick:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Shameless
Favorite music: Rap
Bobby Hartman – The Catholic University of America (Football)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Catholic, Millersville, Shippensburg, Wilkes, Lycoming
Reasons for choosing Catholic: “I ended up choosing Catholic just based on the team. I really liked all the players, and
the coaches were very honest with me and very straight up. I also liked the campus a lot. I’m probably going to major in something in business, and I feel like I could do something there.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “It wasn’t until later – probably junior year – because I also played two other sports, so I was really stuck between all three of them. I just felt like I’d have the best opportunity playing football.”
Coach Chris Shelly: “We just gave Bobby a plaque because he was first team all-state – he wasn’t first team defensive back, but he was first team all-state defensive athlete. We’ve never had somebody do that. A lot of it goes to the playoff game he had against Bishop Shanahan. He was tremendous. He kicked the ball and got the onsides kick, he had two interceptions, he had multiple catches, he had multiple tackles. He played one of the best games I’ve ever seen a kid play. He literally put us on his back. The other kids played great too in that game, but it was the Bobby Hartman show. He comes from a great family, a football family, and I’m just happy as heck for him because he’s a great athlete. He played basketball, and he played baseball. There was talk about him playing both baseball and football. He settled with football for now. I think he could play multiple positions on defense because he’s a bigger kid. He’s 6-2 or 6-3, and he’s going to keep growing. He could play linebacker, he could play safety, and he can definitely kick. We forget almost that he’s a great punter and a great kicker. We would tell him he should try for D1 kicking – he’s that good as a kicker, but he wants to play every down. I think he’s going to play defense, but he was a pretty good receiver too. We’ll see what they want to do with him because they’ve got a steal in my opinion. I’m really excited that Bobby and Nick are going to Catholic together. It’s kind of cool. Their families are close.”
About Bobby:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: Wally
Favorite artist: Gunna
Jack McGuckin – Ursinus College (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Ursinus, Springfield College (MA), King’s College
Reasons for choosing Ursinus: “Ursinus stood out to me the most because it was close to home. I wanted my parents to be able to come watch. I just felt like it was the best fit for me when I went on campus.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Once I started my junior
year at quarterback and once the colleges started coming to our school, that’s when it sparked my interest that I wanted to play in college.”
Coach Chris Shelly: “Jack McGuckin is going to Ursinus, and he’s going to play defensive back. I told him – don’t give up on the idea of quarterback because he was just terrific this year. He just came so far. We knew he was a good athlete. His sophomore year we kind of had to turn him into a quarterback, and it was just rapid-fire progression. It wasn’t automatic, but he just grew into that position and loved it. From last year on, I was always talking about him and his leadership. I was afraid to play him on both sides of the ball because you want to protect your quarterback, but he just made it obvious that I had to play him, so we would move him all over the field. He won our game against Wissahickon last year because he came off the edge, hits the kid on the two-yard line and causes a fumble, and we got the ball back. I think he’ll be great in college at corner, at defensive back. I’m happy for him.”
About Jack:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Yellowstone
Favorite music: Country
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