Leonard Presentation Makes Petty Award Extra Special For Morrow
CANTON - OFA Football Coach Matt Tessmer considers himself extremely fortunate to have coached Blue Devil quarterback Jared Morrow, who graduated on Saturday, and Cincinnati Bengals running back and special teams performer Brian Leonard in the early stages of Leonard's career at Gouverneur Central.
"Brian Leonard was the most dominant player in the history of Section 10 football and Jared Morrow is the most dominant player since Brian Leonard," said Coach Tessmer on Thursday at the 10th annual Don Petty Memorial Re-Open Golf Tournament where Morrow was honored as the winner of the 2010 Don Petty Memorial Award as Section 10's Outstanding Football Player.
"Jared Morrow was a four-year All-Northern Conference selection and three-year team captain at OFA and he is the standard for which future quarterbacks will be judged in Section 10."
Leonard took a break from the opening activities at the Brian Leonard Football Camp at SUNY Potsdam to make a brief appearance at awards ceremony and present Morrow with an autographed NFL football.
"Brian Leonard is my idol and to get a chance to meet him, talk to him and receive a football from him was just awesome," said Morrow who will attend Hartwick University and begin his NCAA Division III college football career in the fall.
He hopes to approach to effectiveness which Leonard enjoyed at the Division I level at Rutgers University (2003-2006) which propelled into the NFL ranks. After playing for the St. Louis Rams for one season and for the Bengals in 2008, 2009 and 2010 Leonard is hopeful that a new contract can be worked out between the players union and team owners very soon.
"I am feeling great and I really like playing for the Bengals because they know how to use me very well," said Leonard.
"But until the new agreement is reached there is no communication between the players and the teams."
The Don Petty Memorial Re-Open was founded 10 years ago in the summer following the unexpected death of Don Petty who officiated football, basketball and baseball for many years. His love of high school sports and support for Section 10 athletes was unbridled.
Each year the tournament raises money to fund scholarships to the Brian Leonard Football Camp for a young football player from every Section 10 Program. Attending the Brian Leonard camp this weekend are the following scholarship recipients: Levi Tessier of Tupper Lake, Rory Corcoran of Massena, Jesse Green of St. Lawrence Central, Jordan McCormick of OFA, Andy Weidener of Canton, Mitch Gallagher of Malone, Mark Horne of Gouverneur and Jesse Bradish of Potsdam.
"We have all watched Brian Leonard run over, run around and even jump over defenders," said Don Petty Memorial Re-Open Co-Director Jerry Smilgin.
"He is a real role model for young athletes. Jared Morrow became a role model in his career at OFA and we are all looking forward to following his college career."
Smilgin and fellow Co-Director Rick Bearor also presented the 2011 Don Petty Memorial Service Awards To Section 10. Honored were longtime official and athletic organizer Ken Cring of Malone and longtime "Journal-Advance News" Sports Editor Dave Shea of Ogdensburg.
The tournament also serves as a gathering of coaches, officials, administrators, teachers and supporters of student-athletes to mark the end of another successful high school year. The post-tournament activities open with the toast to "absent friends" who passed away since the last tournament.
Remembered on Thursday were: Stephanie Putney of Heuvelton, Patti Farmer of Saranac Lake, Anthony "Gunny" Crupi of Canton and Fraser Sturgeon of Saranac Lake.
The P2 Crew II of Tupper Lake took tournament honors with a 16-under par 57. Team Bardeschewski and Team Gotch tied for second place at 60.
