Five PAC-10 standouts sign letters of intent

by Don Seeley, Pottstown Mercury Sports Editor

Posted on February 8, 2007

Boyertown’s Keith Schauder and Upper Perkiomen’s Dan Jones went head-to-head on the front line in last Thanksgiving morning’s Pioneer Athletic Conference showdown. Schauder broke his leg in the first half, but he still managed a pain-free smile afterwards when the Bears won the game and the PAC-10 title.

Despite the disheartening setback, Jones was one of the first to traipse through the mud to shake Schauder’s hand and wish him a speedy recovery.

So it was a bit ironic Wednesday when Schauder’s and Jones’ paths crossed again -- albeit on a piece of paper -- when the two rivals signed letters of intent with Lehigh University.

And it wasn’t at all surprising that three other key players in that Thanksgiving morning mud-bowl brawl -- Boyertown’s Justin Giles and Chris McGee as well as Upper Perkiomen’s John Fieger -- were also signing on the dotted line Wednesday. Giles accepted a scholarship from La Salle University, while Fieger, one of the nation’s top offensive lineman recruits who verbally committed to Pitt prior to last season, made it official by signing on with the Panthers.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Schauder will line up as a quick tackle or center for the Mountain Hawks, who shared the Patriot League title a year ago with a 5-0 mark (6-5 overall). Schauder was a center throughout his football career until his junior year under Boyertown head coach Ron Zeiber, who switched him out to the tackle spot.

"(Lehigh) lost a lot of senior linemen, so I’ll definitely have tons of opportunities," said Schauder, who was also recruited by Villanova and Yale. "The coaches have said out of necessity they’re going to need four freshmen in their two-deep (lineup). But my first goal is to make the traveling team. I feel I can make that a reality."

Schauder will not only be teaming up with Jones, but with Boyertown graduate and cousin Jimmy Kehs, a starter on the offensive line for Lehigh.

"The biggest (adjustment) for me will be strength and the mental aspect (of college football) because you’ll have a bigger playbook that is a lot more complex," Schauder said. "They’ll be my biggest hurdles."

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Jones, meanwhile, is being looked at as an offensive tackle as well by the Mountain Hawks and head coach Andy Coen. Jones was a tight end and defensive tackle for the Indians this past season.

"I was told (Lehigh) had eight returning defensive linemen, which is a good thing because I’ll be able to go up there and participate in spring practices," said Jones, also recruited by Brown and Lehigh’s bitter-rival Lafayette. "I can’t get into their lifting program until the summer, though. But I do want to make the traveling team, and I would love to see some snaps, too.

"But I know I’m going to have to step my game up. I’m going to have to work that much harder."

Schauder and Jones will also team up at Lehigh with Boyertown graduate Jon Warren, a junior to be defensive lineman who saw extensive playing time for the Mountain Hawks last season.

Down at La Salle, the Explorers have told the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Giles they’d like to use him at center, but there is a "real need at defensive tackle."

"A lot will depend on how I do at camp," Giles explained. "I’d prefer defense because I’ve played defense in my 10 years of football. It’s part of me."

The Explorers, who were 1-3 in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (3-7 overall), won the recruiting battle for Giles over Iona and Division II powers East Stroudsburg and West Chester.

"The coaches told me I could definitely get some playing time as a freshman," Giles said. "So I hope to go down there, have a great camp and get a chance to start or, at worse, get some playing time,

"But it’s good to be part of a class that plans on turning things around down there. They had some good years before, so I want to be part of that group that brings it back. I won at Boyertown this past year, so I’d love to win another championship. That’s my goal."

McGee, who made it known that Thanksgiving’s win over Upper Perkiomen for the PAC-10 title was his first championship in any sport, could make a significant impact at Kutztown, where the Golden Bears were 2-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division and 4-6 overall.

The PAC-10 and Mercury Player of the Year in 2006, McGee was being recruited by, among others, Villanova and a number of PSAC schools. At Kutztown, he’ll join former Boyertown teammate Brent Howard and Pottstown graduate Justin Gibbs in the defensive backfield. Howard, who’ll be a junior, and Gibbs, who’ll be a senior, anchored Kutztown’s secondary last season.

Fieger, meanwhile, took a lot of the pressure off himself before last season even kicked off by committing to Pitt. The 6-6, 280-pound standout was one of four offensive linemen signed by Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt, whose recruiting class was considered among the finest in the Division I-A ranks.

The three other offensive linemen recruited alongside Fieger are all from Pennsylvania: Greg Gaskins (6-4, 280) of William Penn in York ; Chris Jacobson (6-3, 285) of Keystone Oaks; and Dan Matha (606, 310) of Erie McDowell.

Fieger, the anchor of Upper Perkiomen’s line the past two seasons, was listed among the Top 100 prospects by several recruiting services. He hopes to help get the Panthers back on a winning track after they ended last season with five consecutive losses to finish 6-6 overall.

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