Area football players take advantage of early signing day
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Charleroi’s Geno Pellegrini runs out of the grasp of Washington’s Zack Swartz to score a touchdown
Charleroi vs. Washington
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
South Fayette kicker Ryan Coe kicks a field goal against Belle Vernon. He will kick at Delaware next season.
Last month, Geno Pellegrini was win away from playing at Joe Walton Stadium.
Leading Charleroi to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals before falling to South Side Beaver, Pellegrini will still get that chance.
The Cougars’ quarterback will now call Joe Walton Stadium home after being the first signee of Robert Morris’ recruiting class, officially committing Wednesday morning to play for the Colonials. He was one of four local players to sign during the early period.
Pellegrini, a two-time Observer-Reporter Fabulous 15 selection, threw for 2,296 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior. He also rushed for 801 yards.
There will be familiarity for Pellegrini at Robert Morris. His former coach, Donnie Militzer, is on the staff. He also will be in a position battle with another player from the Mon Valley, next year’s projected starting quarterback George Martin, a 2017 Ringgold High School graduate.
Another player to sign early and stay somewhat local is California’s Jelani Stafford, who went with Youngstown State.
“My mom wanted me to stay close, so it was the least I could do because she was the one who got me here,” Stafford said of the two-hour drive. “There was a lot of pressure with schools trying to get me to visit and flip me. It was a mental battle. Honestly, Youngstown was just a good fit for me. It’s a great business school and what stuck with me was the intangible stuff.”
Stafford played defensive line, the position he will play at Youngstown, for the first time in his varsity career this season. He finished with 34 tackles and a pair of sacks.
“It wasn’t a hard transition for me,” Stafford, who strictly played offense before, said. “They will be able to teach me a lot of things, and I will do what they need me to.”
Two other local players to commit were South Fayette’s Ryan Coe, who flipped from accepting a personal walk-on at Temple to accepting a full scholarship to Delaware; and Tom Elia, the two-way lineman heading to Richmond.
Only seven WPIAL players signed with Power 5 schools: Pine-Richland’s offensive linemen Andrew Kristofic (Notre Dame) and Michael Katic (Indiana), North Allegheny defensive back Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State), Norwin defensive back Jayvon Thrift (West Virginia), Gateway wide receiver Courtney Jackson (Syracuse) and Shady Side Academy wide receiver Dino Tomlin (Maryland).