Ian Solomon (left) and Jeremy Kurz (right) were named Play It Smart National Co-Captains for December 2007

When the time to make the monthly selection for Play It Smart National Co-Captain arrives, the selection committee knows that it will always be difficult to determine a winner. Making a selection for the December honor was even more challenging than usual. “Each month we have to choose one student-athlete from an impressive pool, this month was especially difficult because from the 46 student-athletes we had several outstanding young people,” said Charles Gomes, Chief Operating Officer of Play It Smart.

The December voting was so close, that for the first time ever, two students have been honored. For the month of December Ian Solomon of New Rochelle HS (New Rochelle, NY) and Jeremy Kurz of East HS (Cheyenne, WY) were selected as the National Co-Captains. Both Ian and Jeremy will receive a plaque commemorating the honor.

Ian Solomon

In his junior year of high school, Ian Solomon is an AP student who enjoys both American History and Chemistry. A member of the varsity football team since his sophomore year, Solomon is an offensive tackle for New Rochelle High School. Under the guidance and direction of Academic Coach Andy Capellan and Head Coach Lou DiRienzo, Ian is described as having truly come into his own over the past couple of years.

“As a freshmen student-athlete, Ian received solid grades and showed potential both on and off the field,” said DiRienzo. “During his sophomore year his grades began to suffer. and it became apparent that Ian was going to become a lost cause academically.” Coach Capellan also noted “Ian earned plenty of ’D’s and few ’C’s in his high school career, but what was most frustrating was that he was taking Honors classes and was not working up to his potential,”..

Coach “Cap” encouraged Ian to use his junior year to play catch up and make up for his poor grades. Ian realized that if he did not turn his grades around, he would not only be sacrificing a chance to play collegiate football, but also an opportunity to further his education. With the support of his academic coach, coaching staff, and two upperclassmen on the frontline, Ian worked diligently to turn his academic life around. Attending study hall daily, completing homework on- time and practicing for the SAT’s allowed him to make High Honor Roll for the first time in his high school career. Ian maintains that it really helped him to have two of his fellow lineman as role models, “Both CJ Smith and Michael Zuckerman, set the example for me to follow their lead on the field, but especially in the classroom with their averages over 90.”

Ian is really thankful for the support that he has received from his family, “My family has been there with me every step of the way pushing me to do my best,” said Ian of his family.

When asked what he liked about Play It Smart, Ian remarked, “I was impressed with the way the program was run. In reading articles about Play It Smart and how it has helped so many people, I think it makes sense to encourage student-athletes who are having trouble with grades to be better students. Now I look forward to school, because my grades are so much better. I did not enjoy it when I was behind.”

Not only has Ian turned his grades around, but he also manages to play highly competitive football with a disability. Completely blind in one eye, Ian has literally tackled adversity with strength and pride in leading his team to the state semi-finals and an 11-1 record for the season. Ian has aspirations of becoming an elite student-athlete, and is looking at several major colleges such as Penn, UConn, Syracuse, and Duke. “He certainly has the size (6’ 4” and 320),” says Coach ‘Cap’, “Now he also has the grades.”.

Jeremy Kurz

Jeremy has been a member of the East HS Play It Smart program since his freshman year in high school. “I was the only freshman in the Play It Smart program, the upper classmen really took me under their wings and helped me grow as a student and an athlete,” says Jeremy recalling his early years in the program.

Now Jeremy is one of those leaders who is helping younger teammates in the program become better students and athletes. This along with the guidance of his academic coach is what Jeremy says has helped him become a better leader.

Wayne Korhonen, the East High School Academic Coach, is very proud of his All-State kicker. Jeremy had similar sentiments toward his Academic Coach, “Mr. Korhonen has gone above and beyond his duties as the academic coach, he has really helped us grow as student-athletes.”

Jeremy remembers when Play It Smart first came to East HS. “A lot of guys were ineligible week to week, but once Play It Smart got going guys were becoming eligible. This season, we didn’t lose any guys to ineligibility. This program helps keep guys on the field.”

East High School won their first ever state championship game, thanks in part to Jeremy’s 47 -yard field goal to seal the game. A day after the winning the state championship game, Jeremy found out that he would be kicking for a new team in the fall. Jeremy has been accepted to United States Air Force Academy where he will play football for the Falcons next season.

“Play It Smart has helped me keep a constant focus on the importance of being a student as well as an athlete. It balances me out and it is helps a lot in our community,” says Jeremy of the effects Play It Smart had on him.

So what does the future fighter pilot have left to do now that he’s won a state championship and is ranked number one in his class of 462? “Mr. Korhonen has brought a new community service project…we are going to be gathering school supplies and sending them to children in Iraq,” says Jeremy who will continue to be an active part of the Play It Smart program at East.

“The National Football Foundation is pleased to congratulate both Ian and Jeremy on being named Play It Smart National Co-Captains,” said Len Stachitas, Executive Director of Play It Smart and NFF Vice President. “We will continue to watch your future accomplishments with a great deal of pride.”

Play It Smart would also like to congratulate the following student-athletes who were recognized as Student-Athletes of the Month for December 2007. To read more about the impressive accomplishments please go to: December 2007 Student-Athletes of the Month

Student-Athletes of the Month for December and Finalist for the
Play It Smart National Co-Captain Award.

Atif	Ali	Abraham Lincoln HS Brooklyn, NY	Sophomore	DE/OL
Brandon	Allen	Wenonah HS Birmingham, AL	Sophomore	QB/CB
James	Bateman	South Shore HS Chicago, IL	Sophomore	Safety
Dwayne	Beckford	Irvington HS Irvington, NJ	Senior	LB/TE
Squire	Bovo	South Bend Clay HS South Bend, IN	Junior	FS/WR
Ronald	Bucci	Sleepy Hollow HS Sleepy Hollow, NY	Senior	WR/CB
Cory	Calhoun	Southside HS Atlanta, GA	Senior
Nihad	Cekovic	Christopher Columbus HS Bronx, NY	Sophomore	Center/LB
Wacey	Cochise	Mescalero Apache HS Mescalero, NM	Junior	FB/LB
Anthony	Curry	William M. Raines HS Jacksonville, FL	Senior	CB
Christopher	Deluca	New Dorp HS Staten Island, NY	Junior	WR/OLB
Webster	Foreman	South Atlanta HS Atlanta, GA	Junior	Safety
William	Francois	O’Bryant School of Math and Science Roxbury, MA	Senior	RB
Maceo	Freeman	Woodlawn HS Birmingham, AL	Senior
Brandon	Green	HS of Science and Technology Springfield	Senior	WR/RB/S
Francisco	Grisolia	Long Beach Poly Long Beach, CA	Senior	LB
Antwan	Hamilton	Fulton HS Knoxville, TN	Junior	TE/DE
Jonathan	Harris	Roosevelt HS Long Island, NY	Senior	DL/OL
Brandon	Harris	Broad Ripple HS Indianapolis, IN	Senior	DB
Jamone	Harris	Southside HS Atlanta, GA	Senior
Gerald	Holland	Ben Davis HS Indianapolis, IN	Senior	FB
Kenny	Jones	Austin East HS Knoxville, TN	Senior	LB/RB
Mohammad	Kromah	East Side HS Newark, NJ	Sophomore	LB/WR
Jeremy Robert	Kurz	Cheyenne East HS Cheyenne, WY	Senior	K/WR/DB
Dominick	LeGrande	Curtis HS Staten Island, NY	Senior	QB/CB
Lamar	Mady	Topeka HS Topeka, KS	Junior	C/DE/DT
Donovan	Masline	William M. Raines HS Jacksonville, Fl	Senior	DB
Kaeshon	McMillian	Asbury Park HS Asbury Park, NJ	Senior	RB/LB
James	Miller	Holmes HS Covington, KY	Senior	QB
Kaleb	Morey	George Washington HS Denver, CO	Senior	FB/LB
Ernest	Norris, Jr.	Park Center HS Nashville, TN	Junior	RB/OLB
Catherine	Russell	Miller Career Academy St. Louis, MO	Senior	Forward
Milan	Sands	Commerce HS Springfield, MA	Senior	OG
Stephen	Schmidt	South Bend Clay HS South Bend, IN	Junior	OL
Stevie	Shelton	Stratford HS Nashville, TN	Senior	RB
Lubbock	Smith	Carter HS Dallas, TX	Senior	Safety
Ian	Solomon	New Rochelle HS New Rochelle, NY	Junior	OT
Todd	Taylor	John Adams HS South Bend, IN	Senior	LB
Phillip	Teamer	William M. Raines HS Jacksonville, FL	Senior	RB
Damone	West	South Bend Clay HS South Bend, IN	Junior	LB/DT/OL
Houston	White	West Mecklenburg Charlotte, NC	Senior	QB
Dwayne	White	Huguenot HS Richmond, VA	Senior	LB/FB
Eddie	Wiggins	William M. Raines HS Jacksonville, FL	Senior	LB
Forrest	Williams	Fowler HS Syracuse, NY	Senior	DL
Damien	Wilmer	George Washington HS Philadelphia, PA	Senior	TE/LB
John	Zorbas	Bayside HS Queens, NY	Senior	QB/RB/P

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With major financial support from a broad-coalition of corporations, communities, individuals and organizations, including the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the Play It Smart program has quickly become one of the most comprehensive and effective youth development programs in the country, achieving dramatic results that include:

• 95% of seniors graduating high school, compared to 85% of their peers;



• 80% of seniors enrolling in college compared to 62% of their peers;



• Participants taking the SAT or ACT at twice the rate of their peers;



• Participants completing more than 67,000 hours of community service annually;



• Rosters increasing by 35% for teams with fewer than 40 players;



• Participants earning more than $6 million a year in scholarships; and



• 200-plus graduates earning places among the elite collegiate ranks during the 2007 season on Football Bowl Subdivision rosters.

Play It Smart builds on the positive peer influences of team sports and a participant's interest in football. The program's academic coaches are trained in a set of guiding principles and a variety of tactics, which are designed to make academic achievement the norm. Working closely with the direct support of a team's head coach and others in the community, academic coaches hold one-on-one goal setting meetings, career and life skills sessions, mandatory study halls, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service projects and other team building events.

ABOUT PLAY IT SMART
Play It Smart is an educational program established in 1998 by The National Football Foundation. The program's mission is to help student-athletes take responsibility for their futures through lessons learned on the playing field, in the classroom, and in service to others. At the heart of the program is a year-round academic coach, an official member of a team's staff, who serves as a direct link to the classroom by helping players and the team set and achieve their academic and personal development goals during the entire school year. Learn more at www.PlayItSmart.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME:
With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.

NFF