FanPost

Upstate/Downstate GameThread - 2pm EST

I will be there to check out the new recruits.  Sounds like Doug took the day off to watch at home to avoid any possible conflict of interest with NCAA guidelines, a good excuse to give the man an afternoon off - and hopefully to eat a bologna sammich and have some Gatorade while watching the best of what NYS high school football has to offer.

"Orange head coach Doug Marrone, who said he’s forbidden by NCAA recruiting rules from watching the all-star practices or attending the game, plans to watch it on television." 

Bummer dude.  But lucky for me, I am immune to any such infractions.    The game will be broadcast on TWCS channel 13 (SD) and 813 (HD).  It may be also streaming at the TWCS.tv site if you are a TW customer.  The game does not look like its on SNY.

 

Two teams of 50 players will represent Upstate and Downstate in what the New York High School Football Coaches Association hopes will become a yearly showcase of senior talent in the state. Downstate won last year's game, 36-7.  - link

Here's a breakdown of the kids n the field that will be future Orangemen.    I will try to report back later on any information and nuggets of interesting, in the vein of Dan Lyons, although not nearly as good.  I will admit Im usually too involved in watching the game to provide real time updates, but will provide some synopsis after.

This is the second Empower New York High School Football Classic, and it will have seven future Syracuse University scholarship players on the bench between the two teams.  Lets first get up to speed with the future Orange QB's playing in the game.  Both upstate and downstate quarterbacks are due to arrive on campus in the fall.

"(Ashton Broyld) The state Class AA player of the year brings a vocal swagger, size (6-foot-4, 230 pounds), and eye-popping statistics to the football field. Broyld led Rush-Henrietta High School to a state championship last fall – throwing for 1,961 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushing for another 1,540 yards and 24 more TDs.

Terrel Hunt of Queens is more sleek, and quieter than Broyld. The all-New York City performer is listed at 6-4, 190 pounds. Hunt passed for 1,289 yards and 10 TDs and ran for 1,218 yards and 14 TDs in 2010." - Original Article

There is definitely an Orange tint to the game, as 7 future SU recruits are playing, and not all of them are coming to play football.  Here is a breakdown of some of the other players to watch.

Four other SU-bound players are on the Downstate roster, including receiver Brandon Reddish of Fort Hamilton High in New York, running back Tyree Smallwood of Windsor and linemen Ryan Sloan of Bellport and Ivan Foy of Fort Hamilton. Both are listed as defensive linemen on the downstate roster.

Two other Upstate players headed to SU on scholarships include punter Jonathan Fisher of Oakfield-Alabama, and running back Mike Messina (Aquinas Institute). Messina is coming to SU to play lacrosse.  - Original Article

 

*********************GAME COMMENTS*********************

So, the boys from Upstate pretty much had their asses handed to them in the second half after keeping up throughout the first half.  Since we had future players on both rosters, its tough for me to truly root for one or the other.  Here's some comments regarding our incoming recruits:

Mike Messina
- Mike had a so-so day out on the field, but was utilized quite a good deal.  He struggled a lot.  Some of his problems came from the same place Broyld's did, a shaky  Upstate O line and a tough defense from Downstate.  He's playing Lax for Cuse come fall, so this was more than likely the last time he dons the pads for football.

Tyree Smallwood -  Quick 1 yard touchdown run, great 30 yard run along the sideline, the kid put on the jets and was tough to catch.  I will look forward to seeing more from him once he gets up here.

Brandon Reddish
- The wideout/QB downstate duo of Reddish and Hunt had a beautiful 52 yard pass connection to make the score 33-7.   Reddish also kicked for downstate after their kicker was hurt.  Multi-talented this kid is!

Ashton Broyld - looks like a college quarterback already.  At 6'4 and 235lbs, he is already the right size.  he spent the first half mostly looking for a hole or running the ball and due to the O-line wasn't getting through the way he needed.  he defintitely has the ability to run, and was looking to run before passing.  He's gonna have to change that in college, where its not going to be a one-man show.  He was pretty much the anchor of the entire Upstate offense, and was by far their MVP.  He had a shaky start in terms of getting yards and traction, but was still pretty sneaky around the line even if he wasnt able to break it off and bust out immediately.  He had a few good passes in the second half, but the Upstate offense completely fizzled out by that point.  On paper, he looks like the best QB prospect we have had in a while, and once he learns the playbook at SU he might be the most dangerous threat to the #2 spot behind Nassib.

Terrel Hunt - also had a bad, slow start to the game with a sack, but slowly built up steam as it progressed and the Downstate team started clicking far more than the Upstate side.  He also had some fumbles and other gaffes in his first few downs, but quickly shook off the rust.  he came up big later in the game with an awesome 52 yd pass to Reddish, aforementioned, and also ran in a 20yd touchdown himself.  Far more impressive second half.  At 190lbs, he is fast, but looks like he needs to get some bulk or consider another position to get more/any playing time before his junior year from how it looks.

Thats all Ive got for now, hope that whets the appetite a bit until August!  See you all at the games and the tailgate!
  Sorry if I missed anything big in here, I had the Lil Orange at the game, so some wrangling was takin place while watching!