Eric Keppeler '85
Sports Writer
St. Joe’s athletic director Brian Anken always says this is one of the best parts of his job.
On Wednesday afternoon, he got to see 14 student-athletes be rewarded for their years of hard work when they signed commitment letters to further their athletic careers in college.
This year’s group of signees represents eight sports, with athletes attending 13 different institutions in five states. There are seven Division III commits, three D-II athletes and four D-1 players.
This was also the 10th straight year of a 90+ GPA for the athletic department. There are almost 500 students participating in athletics programs, representing more than 80 percent of the total student body. Sixty-five percent are involved in multiple sports.
“The opportunity to be a student‑athlete is the result of the hard work and commitment not only by you, but also your parents, teachers, coaches, and teammates,” Anken said.
“Your time here at St. Joe’s has prepared you for any obstacles that you may face, and although next year you will be surrounded by new faces, voices, and challenges, remember: Your family here at St. Joe’s will always be here to support you. Once a Marauder, always a Marauder!”
The signees include football players David Amuka (Gannon University), Davion Becker (SUNY Erie), Ben Foglia-Albrecht (University at Buffalo), Tyler Harkin (Alfred State) and Stone Rozak (University at Buffalo); baseball players Bryce Cureo (University of South Florida), Ryan Mahoney (John Carroll University) and Eliot Scott (Baldwin Wallace University); track athletes Nick Filice (D’youville University) and Anthony Scarozza (St. Bonaventure); basketball player Jahziel Lanzot (Buffalo State University); lacrosse player Madden Havill (Lander University); volleyball player Alexander Porterfield (SUNY Potsdam); and wrestler Dylan Forant (Brockport University).
“I’m just really excited,” said Rozak. “It’s been a dream of mine forever – I heard about my dad playing college football and other family members and it’s really cool that I’m able to go do that now myself. I never thought about it but I also imagined that this was the next step for me. I put in so much work and effort to get here, so it’s nice to see it come true.”
The football program is extending its current upward trajectory; when Mike Corona took over the program in 2020, he had 38 returning players. This summer, he has 75 freshmen signed up and 105 returners, giving him one of the largest programs in the state.
And the players are making the most of their opportunities.
Winning seasons are great, but we’ve now had 42 guys go on to play college football,” Corona said. “But more importantly, every single senior that has put a helmet on with us has gone on to college. Not 99 percent – every single one. The purpose of this is to send kids to college. The game itself is the same as other schools, but the culture or work here, the culture of how we treat each other is the difference.”
The baseball program continued its strong run of sending athletes to the next level; in the last 14 years, 80 players have earned scholarships to play in college.
The lacrosse program has also been a perennial powerhouse, winning nine straight Monsignor Martin championships, also advancing to the state finals – while the volleyball team won its third straight league championship in the fall.
The cross country and track programs have also been consistently good.
“(SJCI ’24 grad) Sam Tomm, who also went to St. Bonaventure, helped me a lot to figure out where I wanted to go,” said Scarozza. “When I visited the team, they were all really close, and it reminded me a lot of St. Joe’s. They always held me to a higher standard here.”
Wednesday also saw St. Joe’s honor this year’s inductees into the Letterman’s Club – a program that was started in 2022 to recognize senior student athletes who represented multiple Marauder varsity athletic programs and earned at least six varsity letters in the process.
This year’s class included 16 members, including Matthew Armento (nine letters, football, hockey, squash, tennis); Leonardo Balfe (seven letter, lacrosse, squash); Davion Becker (eight letters, football, indoor track, outdoor track and field); Ronan Cummings (six letters, rowing); Benjamin Foglia-Albrecht (six letters, football, lacrosse); Dylan Forant (10 letters, cross country, outdoor track and field, wrestling); Marco Martino (six letters, rowing); William Moore (seven letters, lacrosse, squash); Daniel Piazza Jr. (10 letters, bowling, sailing); William Rapp (six letters, golf, hockey); Andrew Rizzo (eight letters, golf, squash, tennis); Stone Rozak (six letters, football, lacrosse); Anthony Scarozza (eight letters, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track and field); Michael Schraufstetter (six letters, basketball, lacrosse, soccer); Sean Taft (nine letters, basketball, squash, volleyball); and Haydn Wells (eight letters, lacrosse, squash).
“It’s nice to be honored for always doing your best and putting in the work,” Scarozza said.