Wittenberg football adds 68 recruits

2011 Wittenberg recruits

SPRINGFIELD — Four years ago, Wittenberg’s incoming class of football recruits numbered 40, eight of whom lettered last year as juniors. Last year, the Tigers welcomed 94 incoming freshman, and more than 70 of them remain with the program going into the 2011 season.

At the NCAA Division III level, you need quantity, but you want quality. Coach Joe Fincham’s newest class of recruits numbers 68, and he thinks it has both.

“Overall, I think it’s a good group of players,” said Fincham, who’s entering his 16th season as head coach. “There’s a lot of talent, and there are a lot of good students and good kids from good families.”

As always, the class is rich in local talent. That class four years ago included Tecumseh graduate Josh McKee, who is already Wittenberg’s all-time leading receiver entering his senior year. This year’s class includes his brother Mike McKee, who initially committed to the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind., but soon changed his mind and picked the Tigers.

The other incoming freshmen from local high schools are Springfield offensive lineman Tyler Compston, Greenon linebacker Mac Donaldson, Shawnee wide receiver Steve Sarven, Northwestern wide receiver Mason Sherrock and Northwestern running back Eli Worley. Two other local products, Kenton Ridge linebacker Jake Kelly and Tecumseh linebacker Kyle Sanning, join the Tigers after attending Eastern Kentucky and Notre Dame College, respectively, last season.

Another new player, Springfield wide receiver Lamar Davenport, enrolled at Wittenberg last winter after playing last season at Kent State.

Two of the focal points of the Wittenberg recruiting effort were the offensive and defensive lines. The Tigers were hit hard by graduation in those areas. They also went hard after skill players, knowing they will lose their top quarterback, top two wide receivers and top two running backs after this season.

“You’d like your best players in your recruiting class to become starters as sophomores,” Fincham said. “You hope and pray nobody starts as a freshman. If you’re starting a freshman, it’s either due to a lack of talent at a position, or maybe you just got that plum, the guy who’s different, the guy who was shaving in the sixth grade.”

In addition to the local recruits, here are some other potential impact players:

• Nick Gibson, of Milford Center Fairbanks, was the Northwest Central Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Wittenberg lists him as a linebacker, but he also played quarterback.

• Jeremy Krill, of Monroeville, was the offensive lineman of the year in the Firelands Conference.

• Quarterback Matt Britt, of Lafayette High School in Lexington, Ky., threw 18 touchdown passes in 2010.

• Two Kettering Alter grads, bullback Dylan Ames and defensive back Teddy Link, made the All-Greater Catholic League North Division first team.

• Defensive lineman Jake Eckel, of Perrysburg, made the All-Northern Lakes League first team.

• Defensive lineman Joe Germano, of Athens, is the son of Pete Germano, a defensive line coach at Ohio University who earlier in his career was the head coach at Case Western Reserve for two years and an assistant at Wabash for nine years.

• Defensive lineman Haden Howe, of Cincinnati Turpin, is the cousin of Nic Wolfe, who started on the defensive line for the Tigers as a season last season.

• Linebacker Clayton Mattox led Massillon with 64 solo tackles.

• Northmont’s Brandon Reaman was named to the Dayton Daily News Divisions I-II first team as a returner.