HS FOOTBALL: Montgomery set for official visit to Penn State; LFC athletes being recruited

Jun. 16—London Montgomery's recruiting process is heating up.

This weekend, the dynamic Scranton Prep running back takes his official visit to Penn State University, which is one of the 23 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs that have offered him an athletic scholarship.

His tour of State College comes a week after he made an official visit to Virginia Tech.

"I have already been (to Penn State) four times on my unofficial visits, so what I want to see is what Penn State has to offer at an official visit with tours and everything," Montgomery, 17, said. "It is a great school and I am very excited to go and spend time with coach James Franklin and build some more relationships, and then we will go from there.

"Virginia Tech was fun. I got to see the whole picture, and I got to spend some time with the players and talk to them about what they liked about Virginia Tech."

Montgomery is a highly sought-after athlete.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound standout who earned last season's Times-Tribune Offensive Player of the Year honor and was a Class 3A all-state player, is ranked as the No. 9 recruit in Pennsylvania according to 247sports.com and the No. 14 player in the state by Rivals.com.

As a junior, the speedster who recently won a seventh-place medal in the PIAA Class 2A 100-meter dash ran for 2,356 yards and scored 36 touchdowns, added one reception for a 53-yard touchdown and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in 10 games for the District 2 Class 3A champions.

In addition to Penn State and Virginia Tech, Montgomery has scheduled an official visit to Boston College on June 24.

He also has scholarship offers from Akron, Arizona State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Iowa, James Madison, Louisville, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio, Old Dominion, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Western Michigan.

"Now that I figured out my official visits and set them, I can enjoy this process," Montgomery said. "I am going to do the visits, compare the schools, really look at them all closely, and go from there. This is all about taking it all in."

A three-sport athlete at Scranton Prep, Montgomery expects to make a decision before his senior season.

Scranton Prep opens heat acclimatization practice Aug. 8. The Cavaliers open the 2022 schedule at Lakeland on Aug. 26.

"I am sticking to my workout program and I am lifting because I want to get bigger and stronger," Montgomery said. "I am just trying to be a leader for the young kids coming up and trying to get this team right for the year. I am preparing myself mentally and physically while balancing the recruiting."

College prospects

Lakeland defensive end/tight end Lacota Dippre and Abington Heights tight end/defensive end Nico Bossi are also on the radar of FBS and Football Championship Subdivision schools this summer.

Dippre, an All-Region selection on defense, has offers from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Colgate, Fordham, Monmouth, Saint Francis, Albany, Lehigh, Kent State, Bowling Green, Holy Cross, New Hampshire, Dartmouth, Brown, Long Island University, North Carolina A&T, and added Stony Brook last week.

The 6-3, 240-pound three-year starter, who also earned All-Region honors in track and field for the discus, had 73 total tackles with 26 for loss and nine sacks, and had 49 receptions for 541 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Bossi, who had an outstanding season in volleyball, has scholarship offers from the Air Force Academy and the United States Military Academy, which are both Football Bowl Subdivision programs.

He has also received offers from Brown, Long Island University and Central Connecticut State, which are Football Championship Subdivision programs.

Valley View quarterback Adam Howanitz, who is recovering from a torn ACL and is being recruited as a tight end prospect, has scholarship offers from New Hampshire, also an FCS program, and Long Island University.

Other recruits

Valley View all-state running back Connor Hilling and Lakeland All-Region defensive back Jon Seamans attended the United States Military Academy at West Point Football Camp last weekend.

The two invitees are also coming off All-Region seasons in track and field.

Hilling led Valley View to the District 2 Class 4A championship in football last fall. The 5-9, 165-pound senior ran for 1,524 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns and had 570 yards and nine touchdowns in four postseason games, including a season-high 176 yards against Bishop Shanahan in the PIAA quarterfinals.

Seamans, who won a pair of PIAA Class 2A medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, is a two-time all-star defensive back but is also earning interest as an offensive weapon. The 5-11, 175-pound safety/wide receiver had 76 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery and contributed 30 receptions for 467 yards and seven touchdowns on offense last season.

Both Hilling and Seamans will also attend a prospect camp at Lafayette College on Thursday.

Lakeland lineman Adam Wormuth, a 6-5, 295-pound emerging recruit, attended a prospect camp at Penn State University last weekend and has a 40-yard dash time of 5.09.

Last season, in his first year playing football, Wormuth did not allow a sack.

Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter