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Pingree football trio set to play in college

Friday, March, 28 By Mike Grenier
Staff writer

Will Taft arrived at the Pingree School in Hamilton three years ago pretty much convinced that football wouldn't be part of his high school experience.

He would go for Pingree's academics and the opportunity to play multiple sports, but at a school with just 150 boys, the idea of having a football program seemed far-fetched.

"It came down to Masconomet and Pingree for me," said Taft, now 18, recalling his options in eighth grade, "and football was a big part of the decision. I went to Pingree accepting the (possibility) that there wouldn't be football. It was hard, because football was my favorite sport

As it turned out for Taft and other football-loving members of his class, freshman year was the only time they couldn't indulge their passion for the game. After much research, Pingree established a football program in 2005, and head coach Chris Powers and his assistants have already gotten more mileage out of it than they ever could have imagined.

Although the program is still in its embryonic stage, Pingree's first group of football graduates will include three players who will play college ball next year. Taft, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker and tight end, is heading to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Meanwhile, two-way linemen Jason Kramer (6-2, 218 lbs.) of Manchester will play for Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and quarterback/kicker Carlos O'Donnell of Salem will go the local route to Beverly's Endicott College, where he hopes to play both football and basketball.

"You always hope to give kids the opportunity to move up and play in college, but it doesn't always work out," said Powers. "We're just fortunate to have the type of kids that can do it from a team that hasn't been around for very long. These are three solid kids and solid students who had good high school careers | and it opened doors for them."

What helped open those doors was Pingree's affiliation with the Evergreen League the last two seasons. League schools such as Tilton Academy, Kimball Union and Holderness have funneled players to colleges, including Division 1 programs, for years. It didn't take long for Pingree's top players to start making the recruiting lists.

"My surprise comes in the amount of interest and respect the coaches and the colleges gave to our players in just a short period of time," said Powers. "That all comes from getting the exposure in the Evergreen League."

Good vibes

Bates College will be getting an aggressive, opportunistic player in Taft, who made 91<1/2> tackles in eight games last season. Taft, who also excelled in basketball and baseball at Pingree, got the Bates coaching staff's attention last summer when he attended the New England Elite camp in Lexington.

"It was a lot better than I expected," Taft said of his football experience at Pingree. "We started off playing some JV games my sophomore year, then we got into a league and started competing with a lot of those teams. We were going against some kids who'll be playing at Wake Forest and Maryland.

"My sophomore year I wasn't focused on playing sports in college, but my junior year, seeing how competitive we were, I began to think it could happen. I talked to the Bates coach and I got a good vibe. I took an overnight visit there and felt like it was the place for me."

O'Donnell is an intriguing prospect for Endicott College. As a quarterback, he was 102-for-176 passing for 1,554 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He's also an extraordinary kicker who had three field goals in one contest against Portsmouth Abbey, including a school record 43-yarder.

But O'Donnell is hesitant to give up basketball to concentrate solely on football. He was the point guard for the 24-8 Highlanders this past winter and made 75 3-pointers.

"My understanding is that he will kick at the college level," said Powers. "But because of his speed, they may also try him at split end and cornerback, or he could make a run at QB. He's also a four-year basketball player, so we'll see what happens."

O'Donnell never would've believed a couple of years ago that he'd be in this position. He grew up playing soccer and figured he'd also play basketball at Pingree. Football, he said, was just a "big rumor" when he was a freshman.

"I had no football (experience) until I got to Pingree," said O'Donnell. "It was exciting to get that opportunity. For a small school like ours, I thought it would take a few years (to be recognized), but it was pretty good to be able to compete in just two years.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen at Endicott. They've seen me play football and I think I can definitely kick for them. I have to talk to the coaches there and decide about basketball."

Setting the tone

Kramer, a 6-2, 215-pound offensive tackle and defensive end, lived in Germany for three-and-a-half years and entered Pingree just as the football program was getting off the ground.

He viewed football as something different, a new endeavor. Making the adjustment from a foreign country, college football was about the last thing on his mind.

"We looked at all kinds of schools when we moved back here," said Kramer. "I'd played hockey (in Germany), but never football. It was a fresh start, one of those things where I just said, 'Let's see how I do.' I was always the big kid in the group and I really learned to like football."

Kramer attended the showcase camp with Taft at Minuteman Regional in Lexington last summer, and it eventually led to Hamilton College showing an interest in him.

Powers describes him as a disciplined player who has excellent footwork. Kramer projects as an outside linebacker or defensive end in college.

"It just shows you what kind of coaching we got at Pingree," Kramer said of the young program turning out college prospects. "Coach Powers, Rob Van Tuyl and Josh Burns, who is the defensive coordinator ... all our coaches did a great job. And the level of competition is a lot better than people think. The schools we play send players to Division 1 and it's tough playing against those guys. It helps us get better."

Taft, O'Donnell and Kramer are setting the tone for younger teammates who may also get a shot at playing college football. Juniors Derek Pratt and Pat George appear to be next in line if they continue to develop at Pingree. Pratt, a Gloucester resident who accumulated nearly 1,000 yards rushing and receiving last season, is on the radar at Division 1 University of Rhode Island while George, a running back/linebacker, has drawn interest from Cornell.

"We don't have the tradition of other (prep) schools, but we're going after the same kids," said Powers. "We're another viable option for kids and we can play at a very competitive level."