Football players embark on summer camp season

For serious high school football players like Manny Stocker and Matt Johns, the offseason is a time to improve skills. And summer camps sprout like gridiron grass to accommodate them.

The problem for many is: which one to choose?

Stocker, a senior at Coatesville, and Johns, a senior at Central Bucks South, didn't have that problem. They and 23 other quarterbacks didn't have to choose because they were chosen. All have been invited to the East Coast Elite Top 25 Showcase Camp on Sunday at the University of Maryland.

Other area signal-callers selected were Williamstown's Dan Collins, Methacton's Brandon Bossard, Downingtown East's Kyle Lauletta, Bishop Shanahan's Ryan Egolf, Great Valley's Chris Geiss, and Episcopal Academy's Nick Maras, a seventh grader.

"I'm excited," said Stocker, a three-year starter who has made an oral commitment to North Carolina State. "I've never been to a camp where I can compete against elite quarterbacks. I want to see where I stand."

Jim Cantafio, director of Susquehanna Valley Sports, which started the camp five years ago, said this would be the first time that the quarterbacks will measure their skills against each other. Those in grades 11-12, 9-10, and 6-8 will be tested for accuracy, distance, and their ability to overcome obstacles.

Cantafio and his staff will pick the top signal-callers in each group. They selected the top 25 from a field of nearly 600 quarterbacks who attended the Elite camps since January.

"I'm excited because you'll see what level you're at, and it'll be fun," said Johns, who made an oral commitment to the University of Virginia. "Last year I played AAU basketball, so no [football] camps.

"After junior year I knew football was what I wanted so I went to a lot of camps: Temple, UVA, Elite, and the Nike Camp at Penn State.

"At the Elite Camp on May 24 I thought the coaches knew what they were talking about. They helped make you better. They didn't try to change your footwork and other things."

Top Gun is also a well- known football camp, and from July 21 to 23 the best performers at every position from across the nation have been invited to compete at the Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg, Va.

Ridley running back Jawson Jay and Abington wide receiver Joshua Lee are among 10 area players invited.

The Top Gun and the East Coast Elite camps are selective and offer good instruction, while other camps are not so reputable, according to some high school coaches.

"In general, you have to be careful because a lot [of camps] will sell you a bag of nonsense," said Lauletta's coach, Mike Matta. "[Susquehanna Valley Sports] has been in business a long time, and you get exposure [to college coaches], and you learn a skill. That sets the camp aside from a million-and-a-half other quarterback camps."

Contact staff writer Bill Iezzi

at 856-779-3826

or biezzi@phillynews.com.