Peter Cox is surrounded by more than 100 kids in football uniforms. Most of them are from Bridgeport, some from surrounding areas, and other are visiting family from as far away as Kansas.

It’s a two-week camp that Cox, who works in the resource center and coaches football at Bridgeport Central High School, was able to set up through the National Football League’s Junior Development Program.

The cost for the kids — nothing. And they get to learn about more than football, they’re taught about life skills.

How many of these 12 to 14 year old boys will play football at Central. But the number of kids whose lives Cox will help shape will continue to grow.

In a city where teenage boys from a single-parent home can either walk the straight line or get tempted to join a gang, Cox has spent his last 11 years as a father figure and mentor to many Hilltoppers. The number he has got into college grows each year.

And from the Class of 2008, at least nine will go on to play college football.

“If you’re ever looking for a feel-good story, there’s one right there,” Central head coach Dave Cadelina said a few weeks back at the FCIAC Strongest Man competition.

“He’s not an Xs and Os kind of guy,” adds Central assistant coach John Carolina. “But what he’s done for our kids off the field has been amazing.”

So why does Cox do it? It’s not for the recognition. But he did see a difference almost immediately when he came over to Central from Amity Regional in Woodbridge. And he has his roots in Bridgeport, having gone to Bassick as a teen.

“In the suburban school, you have the parent involved. In the inner city, you become the mentor, the father, and everything else,” Cox said.

Cox said took one of his current players to the doctor Wednesday, with a note from the player’s mother saying he’s the guardian, “or as she said ‘coach/father,’” so the doctor could be release him to play football this season.

“So the doctor at first wasn’t going to do anything, but when he looked at the record and say the letter the mom wrote about me, and with my signature, he was fine’” Cox said.

And Cox does more than that for the student-athletes, much more than trips to the doctors and helping kids with applications and SAT scores. The 69-year-old former drill sergeant also brings the kids on road trips to various colleges so they can experience what campus life is like.

The hope is that they will enjoy the experience, and want to be on campus after four years of high school.

“My car is four years old in December, and I’ve got 146,000 miles on it,” Cox said like it’s no big deal. “That’s my passion — to make sure they do well in school, to make sure they do well in their SAT courses, then get them into college.”

Tomorrow there’s a trip to Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA, where he’s going with recent Central graduate Dewayne Guscott. Coming along for the ride — Rashaad Bass, an Ansonia lineman who will room with Guscott this fall. They are heading out to meet with the coaching staff and fill out some paperwork.

And Guscott is just one of many thankful past and future Hilltoppers who understand what Cox has done to help out.

“Without Coach Cox, I probably wouldn’t even be in college,” Guscott said. “He puts in so much work – I can’t even count how many times we’ve been to McDonalds, driven us to a college, or that he’s called up a college so he’d get our names in a coach’s ear.”

Guscott has estimated Cox’s fuel bill to be around $7,000 since his freshman year. And that’s included trips from South Carolina to Maine.

“When I first met him, he was kind of a hard ass, telling us not to quit on him,” Guscott said. “Now it’s all love. He’s like a father, and I feel like a son to him.”

One of those Central players who Cox convinced not to quit is Trevardo Williams, who has a full ride to UConn waiting on the table after he preps this year at Canterbury School. He’s convinced none of his good fortune would have happened without Cox’s support.

“He’s the one responsible for us going to college,” Williams said. “When we need a ride, he gives it to us. When we need some guidance, we’ll go to him, he’s the one we can rely on.”

Williams said he’s also thankful for Cox, who gave him the advice to do a year of prep school before taking his offer to play at UConn.

“I could have different choices, and what he told me made me think twice about the choice I made,” Williams said. “With him being there, I just feel like I’ve accomplished something, like someone is on my side, guiding me.”

Timmy Reece, who is heading off to play football at American International College, says it’s more than the miles Cox puts on the car that makes his a hero to the football community.

“Not a lot of people go the extra mile,” Reece said. “Coach Cox does. I remember my freshman year, [former running back] Akeem Wright’s grades were so bad that Coach Cox found a school for him all the way out in California. Not a lot of coaches do that.”

Reece, too, will soon be brought to college in Cox’s white van. And when Cox drops him off in Springfield, he says it will be like saying good by to a dad.

“He’s the type of man you’d want in your corner at all times,” Reece said. “I love him like a father because that’s what he is to us.”

And while Cox does see himself as a father figure to many of Central’s players, he also feels he’s helping to do God’s work.

“It’s like God sent him down here, and he says that’s why he does it. He’s such a devout Christian,” Guscott said. “He thinks this is his way of paying back God for all he has given, and he wants to give back to people. He’s just a nice person.”

Though Cox’s work has been appreciated by the community, it may be he doesn’t think he’s done anything to help out just yet. Or that he’s found his life’s calling.

“It’s worth it, 100%,” Cox said. “If I can help one kid, it’s worth it.”

Not a lot of people outside the Staples locker room heard of Jeff Frusciante before the beginning of the 2007 season. Heck, playing in an offense that ran a lot more than it passed, not a lot of people heard of Frusciante after catching six touchdown passes for the Wreckers.

But Catholic University head coach Dave Dunn knew enough about Frusciante to make him a part of his 2008 recruiting class. And Frusciante knew enough about Catholic that he wanted to spend his next four years there.

“The system fits me perfect down there. I’ll be playing wide receiver, and they throw a lot,” Frusciante said before a practice session on Monday for tonight’s Hall of Fame Classic in West Haven. “The coach, I thought he was great, and everything just clicked there.”

Frusciante hopes to represent Staples well, too, as its lone representative tonight on the Fairfield County team, which is hoping to snap its five game losing streak against New Haven. Though he was more known as a wide receiver, he will be in the defensive backfield tonight.

“It feels real good to play in it, even to just get picked,” Frusciante said. “And even if I didn’t get to play, it’s nice to be a part of it.”

Frusciante and the Wreckers went a perfect 8-0 int he regular season before before stumbling in the FCIAC championship game against Greenwich and in the first round of the CIAC playoffs against Bunnell.

But it’s that final regular season win that sticks in Frusciante’s mind. That was an overtime win over New Canaan in the same stadium he was standing in on media day.

“We thought we tied. We were kind of annoyed, and then we found out about the Kansas City shootout,” Frusciante said. “Watching that in college football and getting to play in a game like that was awesome to play in. It was something you dream about being a part of. I’m just glad it worked out in our favor.”

Video bonus footage of Frusciante:

And though the Chargers won’t take the field until 2009, Wallace said his first year as a football player will be a busy one. They will compete as a pseudo-junior varsity program in 2008.

“We’re going to be playing quality teams like Yale and have a chance to build some camaraderie before the real season starts in 2009,” Wallace said.

Wallace was a captain this past season for the Green Wave, and had 105 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, six sacks, and four forced fumbles. He was also first team all-state and all-SWC.

And as much as he is looking forward to being a student athlete at New Haven, he wants to prove his worth to his Fairfield County teammates tonight.

“It means a lot for me to be chosen to play for this team, I am proud to represent my town,” Wallace said. “I can’t wait to prove why I belong on this team when game time comes around and I knock some heads around.”

Former Wilton lineman Joe Smith was told to dislike people only because of the color of their football uniform. But he’s become good friends with someone who wears the red and black on New Canaan, former Ram Kyle Duncan.

And that has nothing to do with the Hall of Fame Classic, which has Smith (left) and Duncan as teammates on the Fairfield County team which will play New Haven County at West Haven High School tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Smith and Duncan will take their games - and their personal belongings - to Bowdoin in a just a few weeks.

“I feel pretty fortunate to be able to go up to Maine with someone I already know, and that he’s a nice kid, and we have some similarities,” Smith said.

That includes postseason accolades. Both were CHSCA All-State offensive linemen in their respective divisions. Both started on the defensive line, too.

“I kind of get a preview of what the next four years are going to be like, even though I’m going to be on the defensive side of the ball and he’ll be on offense,” said Duncan (left). “I really think [Bowdoin] should be getting two quality football players.”

Smith chose Bowdoin over several NESCAC and Ivy League schools, and says he was very close to heading to Cornell. But he knew Bowdoin was the school for him when he set foot on campus for the first time.

“I know I’m not going to play in the NFL,” Smith said. “I wanted to balance the academics and the athletics.”

But right now, Smith is taking a crash course in New Canaan’s spread offense. After four years of starting in the three-point stance, Smith is adjusting to a two-point stance.

But Duncan, who went through the adjustment two seasons ago, has helped mentor his new friend - and his Fairfield County teammates.

“Going to the two point stance, it’s kind of weird and you are back on your heels a little bit, but the kids here have really started to pick it up well,” Duncan said. “He’s a great offensive lineman. If he was in this spread system for even a year of so, he would have just been great.”

Another plus for Duncan and the Fairfield County team - three of the five offensive linemen from the Class MM state champion Rams will be protecting former Rams quarterback Charlie Westfal.

“It’s absolutely awesome. I never thought I’d get a chance to play again with Mike Glass and Charley Donnelly ever again,” Duncan said. “Especially when we’ll be protecting Charlie Westfal. It’s like old times, it’s great.”

Smith plans to major in psychology, while Duncan is looking at a major in government and legal studies.

He’s packing his bags for Elon University where he’ll be headed in the fall, but New Canaan hasn’t said goodbye to this Fairfield County All-Star football player yet. Former Ram Ryan Kilbane is gearing up for this Friday’s Hall of Fame Classic against New Haven County.

When Kilbane isn’t working out at the gym or earning college money from his job at the New Canaan Toy Store, his mind is set on football.

“When I step onto the football field it’s like a tranquil place,” Kilbane said. “I don’t know what [would] fill that void if I didn’t play football.”

But after coming out of a wrist injury (which kept him on the bench for about six weeks) and catching the game-winning touchdown against Daniel Hand High School in the CIAC Class MM championship game, who wouldn’t be eager to play more football?

“It was hard watching the team go on without me. I was sitting their knowing I could help the team in so many ways,” he said.

Kilbane’s wrist was injured on the first day of full-pad practice, just three weeks and two days before the first game of the season.

“Everyone was really supportive,” Kilbane said. “The coaches called the house to check up on me and my friends brought me balloons.”

Kilbane’s injury helped strengthen his values in the behind-the-scenes routines of football.

“When you’re out and you’re not playing, like when you sit back and watch, you begin to appreciate the little things,” he said, “Like the warm-ups and the jumping jacks that they make you do.”

Kilbane was one of several male athletes to be presented with the CIAC Sportsmanship Award at the annual New Canaan senior awards ceremony in June. But his sportsmanship doesn’t end with football.

“I’ve played pretty much every sport imaginable,” he said, naming baseball and basketball as major aspects of his athletic career.

Looking forward to his first semester at Elon, Kilbane sees an exciting future ahead.

“They have a great semester program for going abroad.” Australia, Spain and Italy are among Kilbane’s list of places he would like to visit. He also plans to join the practice squad of the university’s Division I football team and participate in intramural basketball and flag football. “I just love the place,” Kilbane said.

2007 should have been “The Year of The Bus” at Harding.

Coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season, and with the Presidents faring very well in a local 7-on-7 passing league, Byron Jackson was going to be one of the top players to watch in the FCIAC.

But The Bus, as he’s been called since his Bridgeport Raiders Pop Warner days, never got out of the garage. He was hampered by injuries, the team was in turmoil, and Harding ended its season winless - including a loss to Bassick that ended that school’s six-season long winless streak.

So the Hall of Fame Classic, which will be played Friday at 7:30 at West Haven High School, will be his chance to show the state what could have been.

It’ll also be Jackson’s going away party. Jackson was accepted at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and was invited to walk on to the Golden Lions football team.

“They wrote and told me I qualified to be a walk-on prospect, so I’m going to walk on and see what happens,” Jackson said. “Hopefully I’ll get a spot down there, hopefully they’ll like me.”

And even if they don’t, Jackson says he likes where he’s heading, and thinks the school is the perfect fit for him.

“It’s a good school for what I want to study, accounting,” Jackson said. “It’s a good move for me, and hopefully it will be big.”

At 5-foot-8, 185-pounds, Jackson certainly won;t be the biggest back on the field. But what he lacks in height he makes up for with breakaway speed.

Recent Wilton graduate Joe Smith, who will also play for the Fairfield County team in the game Friday, can attest to that. Though the Warriors defeated Harding on homecoming in 2006, Jackson put on quite a show. He ran for 195 yards on 21 carries, including a 65-yard touchdown.

“When you see speed like that, and you aren’t really used to it, it sneaks up on you,” said Smith, who will play at Bowdoin. “He broke away real quickly.”

Did the time fly by for Jackson as fast as one of his long-distance scoring romps? Jackson laughs and agrees that his four years as a starter at Harding went by real quick.

“It went by real fast, I still remember my first day being up there as a freshman,” Jackson said. “As a matter of fact I remember being up there as an eighth grader and wanting to play.”

And the nickname?

“One of my Pop Warner coaches told me when I was 9 or 10 that I looked like Jerome Bettis and that I kind of ran like him,” Jackson said. “And I used to wear those leather sleeves on my arm, so he just gave me the nickname ‘Bus’ and it stuck.”

Even if Fairfield County head coach Lou Marinelli has to tell the team to quiet down and pay attention on the sidelines.

Just ask Bridgeport Central offensive guard Dewayne Guscott, who was a manager on the sidelines to watch last year’s Fairfield County team get blown out by New Haven County 31-6, and doesn’t want to have to deal with that kind of losing feeling again.

“It’s a chance to help represent what football in Fairfield County is all about,” said Guscott, who will reunite this fall with former Central teammate Keith Carlos - Fairfield County’s MVP in last season’s game - at Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania. “I think its time for us to take it this year.”

Guscott will be part of a big and quick offensive line that will be charged with protecting New Canaan quarterback Charlie Westfal, who was the New Haven Register’s All-State quarterback and is heading to Washington & Lee this fall.

His targets include Ridgefield’s Sean O’Dea and St. Josephs’ Ryan Carino, who are both deep threats with the ability to come up with acrobatic catches. Inside, receivers include converted running backs Anthony Biasetti of Immaculate and Mike Leonetti of Pomperaug.

Plenty of players will be in the backfield rotation, including Byron “The Bus” Jackson of Harding, Coderol Williams of Bullard-Havens, and Ramon Mignott of Central.

And what about the defense?

Several Team Connecticut coaches said Danbury defensive back Mike Escobar was the best defensive player in their camp. And that’s high praise, considering he was a teammate then and now of Bridgeport Central and UConn-bound defensive end Trevardo Williams.

Look for them to be joined by linebackers like Sly Accettullo of Notre Dame, Hopeton Quarrie of Bunnell, Ryan Cicchese of Ridgefield, Kevin Joy of Darien, and Chike Madu of Warde.

The game will be played 7 p.m. Friday, July 1, at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven. New Haven County holds an 8-3 series lead.

Fairfield County roster:
Mike Glass, OL, New Canaan
Byron Jackson, RB, Harding
John Midy, LB, Westhill
Ramon Mignott, RB, Central
Jamie Goodwick, DB, Newtown
Mike Escobar, Athlete, Danbury
Charlie Westfal, QB, New Canaan
John Honey Fitzpatrick, QB, KLHT
Andrew Mastriani, TE, Pomperaug
Kevin Joy, RB/LB, Darien
Bob Lapple, WR, Newtown
Mike Loenetti, WR, Pomperaug
Sean O’Dea, WR, Ridgefield
Jason Vasquez, DB, Stratford
Chike Madu, LB, Warde
Ryan Kilbane, WR, New Canaan
Coderol Williams, RB, Bullard-Havens
Jeff Frusciante, DB, Staples
Stenson Jean-Baptiste, DB, Stratford
Sly Accettullo, LB, Notre Dame-Fairfield
Trevardo Williams, DE, Central
Eric Zavadsky, TE, St. Joseph
Dylan Hannum, LB, Weston
Ken Cobb, DL, Central
Tim Reece, OL, Central
Cody Wallace, LB, New Milford
Christian Garcia, K/P, Norwalk
Ryan Cicchese, LB, Ridgefield
Kyle Duncan, OL, New Canaan
Alex Testani, C, Trumbull
Hopeton Quarrie, DL, Bunnell
Joe Smith, OL, Wilton
Ron Thompson, LB, Westhill
Steven Lesperance, OL, Wright Tech
Charlie Donnelly, OL, New Canaan
Jeff Farrell, DL, Bunnell
Dwayne Guscott, OL/DL, Central
Dave Wowk, OL, Trumbull
Pat Cassidy, TE/DE, New Fairfield
Ryan Carino, WR/DB, St. Joseph
Steve Johnson, OL, New Canaan
Anthony Biasetti, DB, Immaculate

And Price responded well, leading the Dragons to a 77-63 wild-card upset over the Dallas Desperados and earning the Arena Football league’s Ironman of the Week honors.

Against Dallas on June 27, Price recorded three tackles and one hurry on defense, and added four rushes for two yards and two touchdowns on offense.

But playing both ways is not a new thing for Price. last season, his fourth year in the AFL and first as a member of the Philadelphia Soul, Price earned All-Ironman honors.

Earlier this season, Price captured the league’s Defensive Player of the Week honors.

With the game tied at 7, Stratford grad Octavias McKoy returned a kickoff 64 years, and two plays later, Bunnell receiver Michael Easley caught a 34-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to regain the lead.

And Connecticut would not look back, as it rolled to a 31-10 win over neighboring Rhode Island at Rentschler Field.

McKoy, who will play at Garden City Community College, and Easley, who is heading to Central Connecticut, were not the only stars from Fairfield County to shine.

• Offensive guards Kyle Duncan (New Canaan) and Dewayne Guscott helped anchor an offensive line that did not allow a sack, and paved the way for a phenomenal rushing attack led by Sacred Heart University-bound Tim McNeil (Ledyard).
• Mike Escobar (Danbury) had a few defended passes, and one coach mentioned that the Southern Connecticut-bound corner was arguably the top defensive player for Connecticut.
• Though he doesn’t live in Fairfield County (but plays for an SWC team), Pomperaug lineman Matt Walker may have been the defensive star of the game. He forced a fumble that led to Shelton’s Geoff Schultz’s 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and recovered a fumble that led to Connecticut’s opening score.

Bridgeport Central’s Trevardo Williams started for Connecticut as a defensive end on the field he will be playing on regularly starting in 2009. Williams has signed a letter of intent to play for UConn, but will do a year at Canterbury School first.

“It’s just great to be a part of this win,” Williams said. “I had some great teammates, some great coaches, and they all deserve some credit. I’m looking forward to the chance to play here again.”

Escobar played sparingly on defense as a senior, since he moved to the Hatters’ starting quarterback role, but is slated to play defense at Southern.

“I feel these two weeks (of practice) really helped me get ready for college ball,” Escobar. “Getting to play in this game will hopefully give me an advantage at Southern.”

And for Duncan, who will play at Division III Bowdoin, it was a chance to play in a Division I facility.

“I’m not going to get a chance to play in a stadium like this,” Duncan said. “I’m glad I got to, and that we beat up on Rhode Island.”

Other locals on the Connecticut roster included:

• Josh Maignon, a Stamford receiver who will be teammates with Guscott at Lackawanna College.
• Jonathan Jackson, Bunnell, who has a slight MCL injury that kept him sidelined. He will be a part of New Haven’s revived team in 2009.
• Andrew Mastrioni, Pomperaug, who will play at Western New England
• Torrey Mack, Stratford, the Virginia-bound star who saw a few snaps at running back.
• Mike Mainiero, Shelton, who anchored the Connecticut defensive line. He will attend Curry.
• Timothy Reece, Central, a late edition to the roster who will play at American International.

See photos from the 2008 Governors’ Cup here.

In 2007, Catherine Nathans became the most decorated women’s soccer player to ever put on a Colonials’ uniform. In her second season at WestConn, after transferring from Iona College, she helped lead her team to the Little East Conference regular-season and tournament titles, the NCAA New England Region Championship and Western’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Final Four at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

This past fall, Nathans, of New Fairfield, led the team in scoring with 17 goals, seven assists, for 41 total points. Eight of her 17 goals were game-winning goals. In two seasons, she has the same amount of game-winning goals as the number she wears proudly on her back each game, 14.

And she’ll be back for her senior season this fall.

Her long list of post-season honors are quite impressive. She was named to:

• D3 soccer.com’s All-American First Team and All-New England First Team
• Little East Conference First-team (and Offensive Player of the Year)
• New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association’s First Team
• National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-New England First Team
• National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American First Team

Like Nathans, McDonald was the first player at Western in a particular sport to be named to an All-America team. And he recently completed his playing career as one of the top left tackles the WestConn football team has ever had.

Game in and game out over the past four seasons, McDonald was the last line of defense on the Colonial quarterback’s blind side.

This past fall, not only his coaching staff, but nearly every coach in the nation recognized him among the elite at his position. The New Jersey Athletic Conference coaches named him to their Offensive All-Star First Team. And the coaches in the Eastern College Athletic Conference named Tom to the Southeast Region All-Star First Team.

In college football, the National Football Coaches Association Division III All-America Team is widely recognized as the pinnacle of football All-America team. There isn’t a Second, Third or Honorable Mention category… Since 1945 the NFCA has recognized the top players nationally and since 1965 if you were not one of the top 11 offensive or defensive players in the United States, you weren’t a true All-American.