LEFT: Kearny ace pitcher Corey Sawyer (seated) signs his national letter of intent to attend Seton Hall next September. Seated with Sawyer is his mother Colleen Johnson. Standing, from l., are Kearny athletic director John Millar, interim principal Linda Rocco and head baseball coach Frank Bifulco. . RIGHT: Nutley standout athletes Blair Watson (l.) and Anthony Condito are all smiles, holding the hats of the schools of their choice, Watson to Maryland and Condito to
Rutgers.
Other than winning a championship, the absolute pinnacle that a high school student/athlete can achieve is a scholarship to college.
Last week, at schools like Nutley and Kearny, some top scholar-athletes were rewarded by signing National Letters of Intent to their respective NCAA Division I schools, prestigious institutions that they will attend next fall.
At Kearny High, senior Corey Sawyer signed a national letter of intent to attend Seton Hall and play baseball for the Pirates next year.
The left-handed pitcher, who exploded onto the scene two years ago by throwing three no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game, won six games and saved two last spring for the Kardinals, catching the eye of the coaching staff at Seton Hall.
When Sawyer was first approached by head coach Rob Sheppard and pitching coach Phil Cundari last summer, he couldn’t believe it.
“I was in shock,” Sawyer said. “I knew that they looked at me, but I never knew they would make an offer.”
Incredibly, Sawyer had to go to a talent showcase in Georgia with his Full Count travel team last summer to get noticed by the Division I institution 15 miles away.
“There were more than 200 teams there, teams from all over,” Sawyer said. “I pitched well there and didn’t allow any runs in seven innings. I went there with the hope of getting something. When school started in September, I was getting a little worried, because I didn’t have any offers.”
Sawyer said that Iona showed some interest early on, but backed off.
But when Seton Hall called Kearny head baseball coach Frank Bifulco and presented the package for Sawyer, it was a no-brainer.
“It was perfect for both academics and athletics,” said Sawyer, who plans on majoring in broadcast communications at Seton Hall. “I’ll be able to find a good job after school. The location is excellent. The coaches were nice and showed the most interest.”
Bifulco was overjoyed to see his ace pitcher put his signature to a scholarship letter.
“As a coach, you have aspirations for all of your players to go to college, but that doesn’t always happen. To have one of our kids go Division I is just a great thing. Corey worked so hard. A lot of this was done on his own. He worked hard on his own in the offseason. He ran a lot. He put himself out there.”
Sawyer had some interest from Quinnipiac, Villanova, Wagner and St. Peter’s University, but nothing like the package that Seton Hall offered.
Bifulco said that Sawyer benefitted by playing for the Lyndhurst Post 139 American Legion program, headed by coach Mike Voza.
“He gave me an opportunity to have the Seton Hall coaches see me pitch,” Sawyer said of Voza.
Sawyer becomes Kearny’s first NCAA Division I prospect since Chris Mayo went to St. Peter’s in 2001.
“It’s an honor to be the first,” Sawyer said. “It’s really a dream come true. I’m just blessed.”
Sawyer’s mother, Colleen Johnson, was overjoyed at Sawyer’s signing.
“I’m so ecstatic,” Johnson said. “I’m so happy for him. Ever since he was a little kid, he always said he was going to be something. He’s getting a chance to go to a great school and get a great degree.”
Bifulco knows that Sawyer’s reputation is escalated as a Division I scholarship player.
“He’s our ace,” Bifulco said. “He has to pitch all the big games for us. He has to do his thing now and prepare as a big-time college player. He has to handle things differently and elevate his game. He doesn’t have to do anything differently, just Corey being Corey. I use that line a lot.”
Sawyer thinks he has improved.
“My curveball got better and I throw harder than I did,” Sawyer said. “I know I still have to work harder to get better.”
At Nutley, there was a dual celebration, as girls’ basketball standout Blair Watson and baseball star Anthony Condito both signed their respective letters of intent.
Watson, the All-State performer who almost singlehandedly led the Maroon Raiders to the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group III championship last winter, officially sealed her deal with the University of Maryland.
Condito, whose football career unfortunately came to an end with the Maroon Raiders’ loss to West Essex in the first round of the state playoffs, signed his letter to attend Rutgers.
Watson gave Maryland a verbal commitment almost a year ago, so there was no real drama with her letter signing. But it makes Watson’s deal with one of the nation’s top women’s basketball programs official.
In fact, Watson is part of a recruiting class of six players that is considered the top group in the nation.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Watson said. “I’m finally able to call myself a D-I athlete. It’s a great feeling. It’s a big deal for me to be part of the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.”
Maryland showed its appreciation for Watson by posting a picture of Watson in a Maryland uniform on the school’s website.
“That was really cool,” Watson said. “I didn’t know that they were going to do that. I’m just happy to represent the town of Nutley the best way I can. It was definitely a day of celebration.”
Nutley head girls’ basketball coach Larry Mitschow was overjoyed that Watson signed her letter of intent.
“I tell what it does,” Mitschow said. “It helps to put Nutley, New Jersey on the national map. It gives Nutley statewide recognition. For me to be involved in Blair’s recruiting has been a pleasure. It’s perfect timing now, because she has her mind made up before the season starts. Now, she can have a great senior year and lead us back to where we went last year.”
“It does make things a little easier,” Watson said. “It just lets me keep going and building on what we were able to do last year.”
Watson’s classmate Condito wanted to stay close to home so that his octogenarian grandfather Jimmy Mangino, Condito’s biggest fan, could watch his grandson play college ball.
“It means a lot to me,” Condito said. “It shows that anyone can reach their dreams, even coming from a small town like Nutley. If you have talent, you’ll get a shot. Rutgers is probably the best baseball school I could go to.”
Condito will major in public safety management at Rutgers. His father, Phil, is a retired Essex County Sheriff’s Officer.
“This does take the pressure off me a little,” Condito said. “I can just relax and play the game of baseball. I love playing. I play baseball because I love it.”
Nutley head baseball coach Bob Harbison believes that it was the best of all worlds for Condito.
“I think it’s great,” Harbison said. “It’s everything that Anthony wanted. He’s close to home. His grandfather gets a chance to see him play. Rutgers is a good school in the Big 10 Conference. There are good coaches and good people there. He couldn’t have done any better than this.”
And there’s reason for major pride at both schools.
Learn more about the writer ...
Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”