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Amill, Ricottilli commit to a legendary college rivalry
By Ryan Buck
They have both played in two of the area’s fiercest and tradition-rich high school football rivalries.
Next season Cardinal Mooney running back CJ Amill and Poland offensive-defensive lineman Liborio Ricottilli will take part in college football’s most-played rivalry.
Amill is headed to Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., and Ricottilli will be down the road at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The two schools have played a record 150 times.
Amill, who led the Cardinals to victories over archival Ursuline in his two years as Mooney’s starting running back, said it was a factor in his decision to attend Lafayette.
“It’s exciting having a big rivalry like that in college and having a similar rivalry like that in high school,” Amill said. “It’s a very big rivalry and I can’t wait to play in a game like that.
“I watched it on ESPN when it was at Yankee Stadium [for the first time in November]. That was nice to watch.”
Ricottilli and Amill were teammates in middle school in the East Catholic football program. No more for the future Football Championship Series and Patriot League foes.
“It’s really cool to experience it,” Ricottilli said of the rivalry, he himself having been a contributor in four straight wins over Canfield in their annual clash. “It’s 40,000-plus fans in a packed house [Yankee Stadium] and they always get 20,000 normally. The stuff leading up to the game every week is an awesome experience. It’s very much like the Canfield game. We have a big week here at school and practicing hard and you always want to beat your rival.
“I get to play [Amill] so it kind of heats that rivalry up again.”
Said Amill: “I found that out yesterday actually that he’s going to Lehigh, so that’s exciting.”
Ricottilli says the plan for him is to compete at the offensive guard position for the Mountain Hawks, who were once nicknamed the Engineers.
How appropriate.
“It’s a great school,” Ricottilli said. “I went there and visited a couple times over the summer and I just really like it it. I also wanted to be an engineer, so the school’s a great fit engineering-wise and athletically they compete very high in the Patriot League.”
Amill, who says the campus sold him on the school, says he will be utilized in a variety of ways at his new home, from a true running back spot to a slot receiver situationally to an H-back to a returner on special teams.
“The coaches and the players, just how easy they were to talk to and the education, you can’t beat that,” he said. “To get a great education and play Division I football, you can’t beat it.”
Mooney senior D.J. Anderson committed to attend Youngstown State, where he will initially be a walk-on.
Ricottilli was joined at Poland’s signing day event Wednesday morning by teammates and classmates Adam Wollet (Robert Morris University) and Tate Duarte (Saint Francis University).
Wollet, a linebacker, watched his older brother, Luke, navigate the college recruiting landscape when he finally decided on Kent State in 2010.
Luke Wollet went on to a decorated career as a safety.
“It was a big tool for me,” Adam Wollet said. “Anyone who’s been through the process knows what it’s like and it helped me base all my decisions.
“It’s a mad science. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
“I’m glad it’s over and happy to know where I’m going and to have a set plan and not be getting 5-10 phone calls from coaches trying to know what I’m doing.”