Three members of the Christian Brothers Academy football team announced their college choices on National Letter Intent Signing Day Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Safety Josh Wynn is joining his older brother, Cameron, at the University at Albany in the fall, while offensive and defensive lineman Patrick Pastore is going to Washington, D.C., to play NCAA Division I FCS football at Georgetown University. Another lineman, John Smith, signed with NCAA Division II school Merrimack College.
“I love it there,” Wynn said of UAlbany. “The atmosphere, the coaching staff, the players … everything is awesome.”
“Just the academics there are outstanding,” said Pastore of Georgetown, which plays in the Patriot League. “That impacted my decision greatly.”
At 5 feet, 9 inches and 210 pounds, Smith was one of the smaller offensive linemen at CBA, but he said he’s prepared to compete for a role at Merrimack.
“You can say I’m undersized, but I’m going to put my speed and agility to good use,” said Smith.
Smith and Pastore were part of an offensive line that helped CBA reach two consecutive Section 2 Class AA finals and win a Sectional title in 2013. They also helped the Brothers’ offense gain more than 8,000 yards over the past two seasons with their blocking skills.
“It’s a testament to all the work the coaches have done with the offensive linemen,” said CBA head coach Joe Burke. “It’s great that two of them are signing NLIs … but the other linemen did a great job for us, too.”
“Just to be part of that unit was awesome,” said Pastore. “I know we don’t get that much credit, but just to be part of that group … means a lot to me.”
Pastore won’t be playing offensive line at Georgetown. Rather, he’s hoping to gain a spot on the Hoyas’ defensive line and potentially follow in the footsteps of CBA graduate Joe Vellano, who played in the AFC Championship game for the New England Patriots in the NFL playoffs.
“I’ve actually looked up to Vellano for a while,” said Pastore. “I remember when I was little watching Vellano play at (the University of) Maryland. Seeing him have the success he’s had reminds me that anything is possible, if I put my mind to it.”
Wynn anchored CBA’s defensive secondary the past two seasons. He recorded 152 tackles and 10 interceptions over 25 games for the Brothers. His next goal is to contribute to UAlbany’s defense.
“His older brother, Cameron, is already at UAlbany, so they’ll be playing together,” said Burke. “That’s nice for Josh and his family.”
