McDowell running back/outside linebacker James Conner signs his National Letter of Intent with Pitt Wednesday at McDowell's library. MATT MEAD/Erie Times-News

Today is National Letter of Intent Day, and many area football players and other athletes are set to sign with Division I and Division II schools or commit to program at other levels.

The Erie Times-News took a look at the area football players expected to sign today. Read a short bio on each player. Here’s the list:

Football
Damion Terry, Cathedral Prep – Michigan State
Delton Williams, Cathedral Prep – Michigan State
John Chereson, Cathedral Prep – Notre Dame (walk-on)
Erik Swanson, Cathedral Prep – Pennsylvania
Jake Plonski, Cathedral Prep – Mercyhurst
Nick Dubowski, Cathedral Prep – Indiana (Pa.)
Brendan Klemensic, Cathedral Prep – Gannon
James Conner, McDowell – Pittsburgh
Sean Gallagher, McDowell – Edinboro
Riley Dunbar, McDowell – Mercyhurst
DeShawn Coleman, Hickory – West Virginia
Dionte Pope, Hickory – Edinboro
Artrel Foster, Meadville – Temple
Quinn Thompson, General McLane – Connecticut
Aidan Graham, General McLane – Clarion
Nathan O’Brien, Eisenhower – Lock Haven
Aaron Lundmark, Eisenhower – Grove City
Logan Rickert, Reynolds – IUP

——————–

Following are the athletes from other sports who plan to sign today. Read a short bio on each athlete.

Baseball
Eli Flynn, Cathedral Prep – Concord College (W.Va.)
Scott Hess, Cathedral Prep – Indiana (Pa.)

Cross country
Ethan Louis, Cathedral Prep – Dayton
Austin Pondel, Corry – Penn State
Hunter Johnston, Saegertown – Dayton

Soccer
Cory Kuzilla, Harbor Creek – California (Pa.)
Olivia Augustyniak, Mercyhurst Prep – Duquesne
Sarah Kaiser, Mercyhurst Prep – Cleveland State

Track and field
Jaynee Corbett, Corry – Youngstown State

Volleyball
Maria Peluso, Fort LeBoeuf – Shippensburg

Wrestling
Evan Daley, Fort LeBoeuf – Clarion

Water polo
Michael Squeglia, Cathedral Prep – Gannon

Note: Coaches are encouraged to notify the Times-News if an athlete plans to commit to a college.

Lindsay Stamp

Zhane Brooks

Stephanie Stoicovy

Marie Case

A pair of former teammates at Lakettes Gymnastics Academy recently faced each other in a college meet, and the results were impressive. Marie Case and Stephanie Stoicovy finished first and second, respectively, in the all-around competition.

Read more about them in today’s On Campus college notebook.

Also, check out notes on IUP’s Zhane Brooks and Lindsay Stamp, Mercyhurst’s Luis Leao and Gannon’s Jen Papich, among others.

“I was nervous. I remember smiling back at him, trying to pretend I wasn’t nervous.” — Travis Rearick

Oct. 16, 2010: Mercyhurst 22, Edinboro 21 (OT)

“The rest is history.” — Trevor Kennedy

Quarterback Cody Harris put Edinboro on top in OT, but could only watch Mercyhurst win the game with a two-point conversion pass./ETN

EDINBORO — Two years after winning in dramatic fashion at Edinboro, Mercyhurst was back at Sox Harrison Stadium fresh off a 28-27 thriller at Indiana (Pa.).

On this day, the Lakers forced overtime on an Gerald Anderson 9-yard run with 59 seconds left in regulation.

“We were down like the whole second half,” said Travis Rearick, who was a starting junior quarterback at Mercyhurst in 2010. “So we were finally excited to get back into it.”

In overtime, Edinboro took first possession and scored on an Cody Harris 1-yard run to go up 21-14. The Lakers answered with Rearick finding Terrence Coon for an 11-yard scoring pass.

Mercyhurst lined up for a PAT to force a second overtime.

Then flags flew.

“They were going to kick an extra point,” Edinboro coach Scott Browning said. “We jumped offsides so it moved (the ball) up a yard and a half.”

A yard and a half closer, the Lakers decided to go for two — and the win.

“It was a momentum thing,” Lakers coach Marty Schaetzle. “It wasn’t a matter of that the play was going to be any better from 1-1/2 or three yards out. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”

What?

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Get all the basics in one place — rosters, game notes, season results, videos and more — for the eight teams competing in the Division II Women’s Basketball Atlantic Regional at Edinboro:

No. 3 Edinboro

No. 21 Indiana (Pa.)

No. 22 Gannon

No. 25 Bloomsburg

West Chester

Johnson C. Smith

Shaw

West Virginia Wesleyan

Get live stats from all games, and watch Edinboro games online or listen at WFSE-FM/88.9 FM. Friday’s noon Gannon game is available on WJET-AM/1400

West Chester will have a courtside live chat going Friday at 2:15 p.m.

Previews:

Seniors power Edinboro

Edinboro photo gallery

Regional quarterfinal game previews

Gannon light on postseason experience, but not talent

Gannon photo gallery

Division II national bracket

Chad Noce/SRU

In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing area college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Slippery Rock senior tight end Chad Noce to talk about several topics.

Noce and the No. 24-ranked Rock (8-2, 6-1 PSAC West) are preparing for Saturday’s PSAC title game at Kutztown against the No. 8 Golden Bears (9-1, 6-1 PSAC East). Noce, who played defense his year at Slippery Rock in 2008, is known for his run blocking ability at tight end.

A McDowell High graduate, Noce has just two career catches for 10 yards. Both grabs came last season against Gannon, which ironically upset the Rock last week, 33-27, in Erie. With the Rock trying to rebound from that loss, Rankin caught up with Noce to talk about their playoff hopes and the chance to win a championship.

You’re coming off a tough loss, but can make amends in the PSAC championship game. How are you guys feeling right now heading into that game? We’re feeling good. We know we made a mistake. I feel like we overlooked Gannon a little bit. I feel like we were looking toward the next week. We had the Gannon game. We knew we were in the PSAC championship already so I think that played a little part in that loss. Underestimating them a little bit, we’re feeling good. We should be ready to go.”

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Defensive tackle Randy Colling isn't happy with how his senior year at Gannon is going. The Knights are 3-5./ETN file photo.

Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling and junior linebacker Will Giles chose not to discuss the off-field situations involving Gannon assistant coaches Michael Smith, Darren Paige and graduate assistant coach Anthony Ferla.

“I don’t want to get involved in any of that,” Colling said earlier today.

Ferla was dismissed after he urinated near two marked police cars (with police officers in them) less than 12 hours before Gannon played at Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday. He was dismissed today by the university.

Smith and Paige were charged with disorderly conduct after getting involved in a fight with former Gannon player Kendall Brown hours after Gannon beat Lock Haven last week.

Paige and Smith didn’t coach in the IUP game, but are still on the coaching staff.

However, Colling and Giles had plenty to say about what Gannon is doing on the field.

With three games left, the Knights (3-5, 2-3 PSAC West) are a loss away from having a losing season. They’ve gone 6-5 the last two seasons.

“It’s not what we expected,” Colling said. “We all expected to come out and improve from last year. We have a lot of young guys doing good things. It’s just a consistency thing.”

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Sophomore Cody Harris threw two touchdowns and ran for another as Edinboro upended Clarion, 21-10, tonight at Sox Harrison Stadium.

No scoring at all in the second half, but here’s the deal.

With a 3-2 record in the PSAC West, Edinboro (6-2)  is two games behind Slippery Rock (7-1, 5-0) and a game back of IUP (5-2, 4-1) and Cal (6-2, 4-1).

The Scots have already lost to IUP and Slippery Rock, but do get a crack at Cal on Nov. 5. In between that, they face Lock Haven next week.

So for the Scots, it’s about trying to make the playoffs.

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Mercyhurst College has now lost its last four games after falling in overtime, 32-26, at California (Pa.) today.

In a game that had missed PATs, blocked kicks, the biggest play seems to have happened in overtime when Mercyhurst third-year sophomore quarterback Anthony Vendemia threw an interception in the end zone on a 1st-and-10 play from the Cal 10-yard line.

Cal (6-2, 4-1) took possession and scored as Jeff Knox punched it in from four yards out. The Vulcans can still win the PSAC West if they beat IUP and Edinboro and Slippery Rock losses its last two games.

Slippery Rock (7-1, 5-0) plays Mercyhurst at home next week and ends PSAC West play at Gannon, which lost by 28 points at IUP today.

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Gannon dropped to 3-5 after losing, 35-7, at Indiana (Pa.) today.

The Knights had beaten the Crimson Hawks the past two seasons. Gannon (3-5, 2-3 PSAC West) has already matched its loss total from a season.

Gannon has finished 6-5 the last two seasons. Next week, the Knights play at Clarion before closing out PSAC West play at home against PSAC West leader Slippery Rock.

Cathedral Prep graduate Javon Rowan had four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown for IUP (5-2, 4-1) today. The senior receiver has had a touchdown catch in each of his last two games.

Rowan also had four punt returns for 39 yards against Gannon.

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In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing area college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Indiana (Pa.) senior strong safety Andre Henderson to talk about several topics.

A Strong Vincent graduate, Henderson has returned from a serious right arm injury that cost him the 2010 season and is having a big senior year for IUP (4-2, 3-1), which faces Gannon (3-4, 2-2) in a 1 p.m. PSAC West game at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Henderson returned a blocked field goal 83 yards for a touchdown in IUP’s 38-7 win against Clarion last week. This season, Henderson has 34 total tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. Talking to Henderson on the phone this week, Rankin asked the playmaking safety about his 83-yard return, coming back from injury and new IUP coach Curt Cignetti

When was the last time you ran 83 yards for a touchdown? Ah man. I had to have been in a uniform playing for Strong Vincent. Against Thomas Jefferson in the Western finals. It’s been that long. Back in 2005.”

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