Guest RTN Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 AkronInsider reports that Joseph Tuzze, a 5'11" 220 FB/LB has verballed to the Zips for 2005. Junior stats included 24 TD's and 1196 rushing yards. He hails from Jermyn, PA. Go Zips!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentZip Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Here's the link. Thought I had beaten everyone to this. http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=333&p=8&c=1&nid=1200449 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Tuzze story from 2002. Looks like we'll have a nice successor to Dan Basch in 2005! Joe Tuzze's uniform looked dirty after a football game played on artificial turf. Typical Tuzze. Typical Lakeland. The Chiefs linebacker romped all over Lackawanna County Stadium on Friday night, taking no prisoners, leaving it all on the field, living out whatever clich high school football players utter before football games to get pumped up. It almost wasn't enough, though. Because, down seven points with just under 2 minutes to play in the District 2 Class AA championship battle, the Hanover Hawkeyes stormed down the field. Starting at his team's 15, quarterback Jeff Shook hit receiver Joe Cefalo for 20 yards. Then, Shook found Joe Ruane, who scampered 44 more yards to the Lakeland 24. Shook followed with a 4-yard run of his own, and with 1:10 left, the Hawkeyes were on the verge of the upset. How many times does it happen in football, though? The best teams don't always play the best. But they always seem to make the best play. The key play. And they always seem to win. Lakeland needed a play at a time great teams can muster something from the far reaches of their soul, or maybe their past, to get one. Shook dropped back. Fired a bullet over the middle. Off Tuzze's hand. Into the air. Finally, it landed in Lakeland cornerback Nate Hosie's sure hands. "I tipped it, and I was thinking, 'Oh no, I tipped it up instead of down,'" Tuzze said. "Then I looked back and saw Nate Hosie came down with it." "I was filled with joy." Ballgame over. Lakeland wins again. What, the Chiefs worry? No chance. They've been there before, and it shows. In their last three seasons, the Chiefs are 33-3. They are the dominant high school football program in this area, as good a team as local fans have seen in many, many years. They are this high school football-crazy corner of the state's answer to Berwick, to Mount Carmel, to Allentown Central Catholic. Hanover Area found out the hard way Friday night. They outgained Lakeland and, it could be argued, outplayed them, too. The Hawkeyes outgained the high-powered Chiefs offense by 129 yards. Shook attacked Lakeland's vaunted secondary and came away with an impressive 251 passing yards on 10 completions. Lakeland lost one of its key players, receiver John Wormuth, to a shoulder injury on the opening kickoff and then proceeded to fumble away possessions on its first two plays from scrimmage. Still, the Chiefs never trailed. They can thank players like Hosie, who intercepted three of Shook's passes and returned one for an 82-yard touchdown in the first quarter. They can thank senior Jake Rogowski, who surrendered his post as the league's leading receiver to help guide a run-oriented offense. And they can thank Tuzze, who harassed Shook all over the field. Lakeland has been here before. They've succeeded in the district playoffs before. With experience like that, it almost seemed like nothing that went wrong would prevent them from winning. "It helps a lot," said Rogowski, who came away with a key fourth-quarter interception of his own. "Especially late in the game, when you need to keep everybody under control." Still, Lakeland didn't have everybody. Starting tailback Brian Hilling played sparingly in the first half because of a leg injury, and there were so many bumps and bruises that coach Dan Case likened the Chiefs' locker room at halftime to a MASH unit. Nothing -- not injuries, not turnovers, not a precise Hanover Area passing attack -- could prevent Lakeland from its apparent destiny. The team's second District 2 championship in the last three years. "It's just the heart. It's just their heart," Case said. "We knew they weren't going to quit. (Hanover) had the hearts of champions." Very true. Lakeland, though, had the pedigree. dcollins ©Scranton Times Tribune 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Here's another one (Tuzze article). Damn I like this kid...and I've never seen him play a down! Here's to a great start to the 2005 class! Congrats to JD, the Staff and the players that recruited him! November 25, 2003 Tuzze too much for Line Mountain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Todd Hummel For The Daily Item -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCRANTON — As Lakeland finally got by the District 4 champion Friday night at Scranton Memorial Stadium, earning the school’s first state playoff win in history, a lot of the Chiefs’ fans were wearing Tuzze Trucking hats. Line Mountain fans weren’t sure if the hats promoted a real firm, or were just to recognize Lakeland’s senior fullback Joe Tuzze talents and style on the football field. It’s hard to pinpoint where Tuzze’s talents were most on display, on offense or defense. On offense, Tuzze, who looks bigger than his listed 5-foot-10, 210-pound frame, rushed for 186 yards and a touchdown. "They really opened some holes for him," Line Mountain linebacker Dustin Heintzelman said. "He’s quick for his size. He’s a great runner." On defense, Tuzze was intstrumental in stopping the Line Mountain option attack from his middle linebacker spot, holding the Eagles to just 126 yards on the ground. "Their linebackers did a great job of fulling holes," Heintzelman said. "They were where they were supposed to be." Tuzze got the Chiefs on the board in the first quarter to tie the game at 6. Tuzze broke through the middle on a dive play, skirted to the outside and outraced the Line Mountain secondary for a 39-yard touchdown scamper. Tuzze would have a hand in Lakeland’s second touchdown of the first half, breaking a 46-yard run before being chased down by Gary Maurer at the Line Mountain 26. "We had some injuries up front that hurt us," Line Mountain coach Sam Stroh said. "And he was an outstanding back." Tuzze was instrumental in holding the Line Mountain option game in check. Hentzelman had 74 yards on 18 carries, but 39 of those yards came on three carries, on his other 15 carries, Heintzelman had just 35 yards. Tuzze also had the biggest hit of the game, knocking Line Mountain taiback Gary Mauer out in the fourth quarter after a 12-yard run. "We knew we could wear them down," Tuzze said. "We believed the whole time. We knew we could win." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Tuzze SPARQ Stats...click here Tuzze's local paper talks about his verbal to Akron (see below) Lakeland's Tuzze To Continue Career at Akron BY JOBY FAWCETT THE SCRANTON TIMES 07/12/2004 Rather than rest and relax, Lakeland's Joe Tuzze spent the early part of the summer showing off his talents to college recruiters at football camps. That diligence paid off in a big way. Tuzze, who will be a senior at Lakeland this fall, verbally accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Akron. The decision came after impressing the coaching staff at the camp at the Mid-American Conference school. "They had a coach follow me everywhere," the 17-year-old Tuzze said. "They called me with my results from the testing and offered me a full ride. "I guess that's not too bad. I wasn't expecting that." At the camp, the two-time Times-Tribune All-Region performer ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds and broad jumped 8-feet, 11-inches. That mobility, combined with strength -- he bench pressed 185 pounds 38 times at the Nike Camp -- made the 226-pound linebacker/fullback a top recruit heading into this fall. Last season, Tuzze earned the Times-Tribune Male Athlete of the Year award and was the Defensive Player of the Year after leading Lakeland to the District 2 Class AA championship and a 13-1 record. From his middle linebacker position, Tuzze compiled a school-record 132 solo tackles. He also had five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Associated Press named him a first-team Class AA all-state linebacker Offensively, he rushed for 1,196 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. Tuzze joins an Akron program that finished 7-5 overall last season and 5-3 in the MAC. The school is getting ready to cut the ribbon on its new Lee Jackson Field athletic complex and will play at Penn State to open the 2004 season. "They have everything new there," Tuzze said. "They invested a lot of money into the football program. I'm extremely excited about this opportunity." As a senior, Tuzze begins his fourth season as a starter at Lakeland. During his career, the Chiefs have posted an overall record of 34-4 and have won back-to-back District 2 Class AA championships. "This is a big weight lifted off my shoulders," Tuzze said. "I didn't want to go out and try to play knowing there would be scouts watching. I'm happy to have made this decision before the season." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 Just wanted to bring this thread to the top and drop the "Lost a Kid to WVA" down the board a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RTN Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 All the articles I found spoke very impressively of this young man. What a tough kid- sort of makes you want to go to on a road trip some Friday night (apparently near Scranton, PA) and watch him dominate a game in his senior year. Wonder how many verbals we'll have early, as I hope this can become a trend. The new facilities and apparently the hard work of the staff have (and will continue) to pay dividends to the program. Go Zips!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipsrifle Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 The thing isn't even done yet and we've already chalked one up to the facilities. He specifically mentioned it. Bet we'll get a lot more from it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 All the articles I found spoke very impressively of this young man. What a tough kid- sort of makes you want to go to on a road trip some Friday night (apparently near Scranton, PA) and watch him dominate a game in his senior year. Wonder how many verbals we'll have early, as I hope this can become a trend. The new facilities and apparently the hard work of the staff have (and will continue) to pay dividends to the program. Go Zips!! His team was one step away from the Pa State finals last year, so maybe they make it in 2004? The Pa HS State championship games are always on Fox Sports Pittsburg, which I get on Direct TV, so maybe we can get a Zips preview? Beyond that, he seems to have the credentials to be in the Big 33 game (FOX OH and Pitt)? Both those viewing options are better than going to Scranton...is't that something like a $26.00 toll on the Pa Turnpike!! I agree that this is a major step in recruiting. I can't ever remember a kid of any caliber committing so early to the program? Maybe little Greskowiak(sic) a few years ago, but he wanted to play with his brother, and was local, so that is a bit misleading. If we get a few more verbals like this in the next few months, I'm really stoked for the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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