CB East seniors select colleges

Playing collegiate football has been Dean Blackwell’s plan since he was a youngster.

The recent Central Bucks East graduate will be heading across the border to the University of Toronto where he will continue his football career and major in computer science.

“I value academics, and academically, it’s a great school,” said Blackwell, who also considered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Ithaca. “Also, I wanted a school I really could grow as a player.

“One of my goals was to go to the CFL (Canadian Football League), and they’ve sent a lot of people there. They have a really clear path for that. I really like the coaches, the facilities are great, and I think it’s a place where I could thrive academically and athletically.”

Blackwell was one of 13 East seniors recognized Monday, May 20, for committing to compete in collegiate sports. Seven of them will be playing football.

Jack Donnelly – a two-time first team All-SOL selection and son of East coach John Donnelly – will be taking his talents to the University of Pennsylvania where he will be enrolled in the Wharton School of Business.

“Honestly, there’s such a great culture within the team,” said Donnelly, who also considered Maine and Brown. “A lot of coaches have been there for a long time, there’s stability on the staff, also it was a fit offensively as a tight end.”

Jack Corrigan and Jake Maggio will both continue their football careers at Moravian University. Corrigan, the Patriots’ placekicker, also considered Catholic University.

“The coaches – we didn’t talk much when I went to Moravian, but they came up to me, shook my hand, and they knew my name,” Corrigan said. “That was definitely the selling point.

“Freshman year was my first year playing football, and when coach Donnelly asked me to play on varsity as a freshman, that was when I thought – I could definitely do this.”

Maggio, who also considered Ursinus, will major in education with his sights on one day being a teacher and coach.

“I chose Moravian more on the academics,” Maggio said. “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 late, and I had a chance to prove myself against some of the starters. I ended up doing good, and I thought I could make a career of it.”

Dan Voglesong, a first team linebacker, will continue his football career at West Chester University where he will major in criminal justice.

“When I went there in May of junior year, instantly, when I got on campus, I was like ‘This is where I want to be,’” said Voglesong, who also considered Kutztown. “West Chester had the perfect balance of school life, and also I can play football at a high level that’s close enough to my house that it’s not too much of a trek.”

Joe Collins, a first team All-SOL selection on the O-line, will continue his football career at East Stroudsburg where he will pursue a physical therapy track. He also considered Kutztown, Ithaca and West Chester.

“When I got there for my official visit, just the way I was accepted into the team,” said Collins of selecting ESU. “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 out of this.”

Chris Poulson will continue his football career at Colby College where he will major in one of the biological sciences.

“The coaches were amazing to talk to, and they emphasized maintaining a strong relationship with their athletes, which goes a long way for me,” Poulson said. “I started thinking about playing in college right after my sophomore season ended. That’s when it really started to kick in as something I wanted to get into.”

Jacob Cummiskey will continue his basketball career at Catholic University where he will major in business. His final list also included Millersville, Jefferson, Holy Family, Randolph-Macon, Babson, Lafayette and Penn.

“It was the first school I ever truly visited,” Cummiskey said of Catholic. “I liked the campus, it was right next to D.C., so I liked that I could have my campus life and then I could literally walk outside and D.C. is right there.

“I’ve always wanted to play college basketball since first or second grade. My whole life is pretty much basketball. If I’m not hanging out with friends or doing schoolwork, I’m playing basketball.”

Luke Lehmann will continue his rowing career at the University of Wisconsin where he will enroll in the business school. He also considered Purdue, Clemson, Indiana and Delaware.

“Rowing drew me in, but also, I went out and visited, and I just loved the campus,” Lehmann said. “Their business school is a top business school, and I want to get a good education while I’m there.

“I stopped playing soccer and started rowing fall of my junior year. It was a completely foreign sport, so why not give it a shot. I tried it and loved it my first practice.”

Theo Miksa will continue his swimming career at Kutztown University where he will major in finance and supply chain management. He also considered Mary Washington, St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Wilkes.

“They had the major of finance and supply chain management, which is what I want to study, so that was really important to make sure I picked a school where there was a major I would enjoy studying,” Miksa said. “Also, coach (Tim) Flannery is super supportive and was always reaching out. You could tell he was really interested in swimming as a sport and also showed interest in me, which I really appreciated.”

Lucas McNeil will continue his volleyball career at Immaculata University where he will major in information technology.

“The people were really nice and welcoming,” said McNeil, who also considered Arcadia. “Junior year once I saw everyone I was going up against, I thought (playing in college) might be something interesting. I got a few calls, and I thought – maybe I’ll look into this more, and it fell into place.”

Reagan McCullough and Luke Wilson will continue their wrestling careers at the collegiate level. McCullough will wrestle at Bellarmine, choosing the Kentucky school from a final list that included Long Island University and NYU.

“The other schools that I really liked – when I went on the visits there, I could tell there were things about them I really liked, but when I went to Bellarmine, everything just felt right,” McCullough said. “Getting to know the coaching staff it really felt like they actually believed in me, and I can tell just with the program they’re building, there’s a really strong culture.”

Wilson, who will major in elementary education, chose Roanoke College from a final list that also included Gardner-Webb, King’s and Wilkes.

“The environment was really nice, and I liked the campus a lot,” Wilson said of Roanoke. “They have really good athletics, and I have a lot of faith in the future of their wrestling program.

“I wasn’t too sure (I wanted to wrestle in college) coming into my senior year, but then I got injured. I only got two matches in this year, so I was still hungry for more after that.”

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