Ryan Manna has the talent to play football at a high level in college. Manna’s skills drew interest from Division I programs before the coronavirus pandemic.
But the Burke Catholic senior’s recruitment has been on hold ever since, as the NCAA continues to extend the recruiting dead period, which prohibits coaches from meeting face-to-face with a player off campus or conducting in-person scouting.
The recent news that Section 9 is moving fall sports to spring adds another obstacle to recruiting Manna and other aspiring local athletes.
While athletes across the country, including neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania, create new highlight videos, Manna and New Yorkers are left behind, creating a huge recruiting imbalance.
“It’s going to be tough, especially for players who want to play soccer in college,” said Manna, a midfielder on the 2019 Varsity 845 first team. “If you look at it, New Jersey is already playing. They are starting their season. We are a small part of it that does not play.
“It stinks. I feel like if we don’t play high school, our clubs (teams) won’t play, and once we get to March, it will already be too late for the recruiting process.
No football
Manna was hit twice by the postponement of fall sports. He is also the kicker for the Burke Catholic football team. Manna finished ninth out of more than 500 hopefuls at the Kohl’s Kicking National Scholarship Camp kickoff in July in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
“It was another part of me that wanted to play (football) and have a backup plan if football didn’t work out,” Manna said.
Recruiting is a topic that can be overlooked during the process of returning to high school athletics. Section 9 football is scheduled to begin in March following the current Division I signing days in December 2020 and February 2021. Division I football teams are on track to be working on 2022 classes by March.
Class of 2022 quarterbacks Kai Colon and Aidan Semo transferred from Section 9 to schools in New Jersey and Georgia, respectively, where football games are being played to increase their visibility and highlight clips. Mike Baloga, a first-team Varsity 845 kicker for state champion Cornwall last fall, is playing his senior season at Marian Catholic High School in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Quarterback Keegan Streimer transferred from Tri-Valley to Manalapan (NJ) for his senior season. .
“Kai Colon is a top player,” Minisink Valley football coach Kevin Gallagher said. “If he was there and he hadn’t done that, who knows (what would have happened)? It’s important, it’s really important.
“I think being pushed back (to the spring), a lot of colleges are in the same place. They are recruiting a lot compared to last year but… things change in a year. Children grow and change. The colleges will be scrambling. They’re going to do a lot of things the year before.
New Jersey option
About a half hour from Burke Catholic, Manna shows New Jersey fall teams, like Don Bosco Prep, practicing and preparing for games. Don Bosco is a short drive from Warwick.
Manna briefly considered transferring, but chose to stay at Burke Catholic, one of the only high schools in the area returning to full classroom learning.
“It’s hard because I want to play sports, but I’m also happy where I am,” Manna said.
Manna could have another big choice this spring: Will he play high school or club football?
“When that time comes, it’s going to be hard to choose,” Manna said. “For me, my club team does more recruiting than my high school team. It will be a difficult decision.
Twitter: @Varsity845
