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Croton's Brennan signs with Marist
Croton-Harmon's John Brennan had one of the most successful high school careers in Croton history. He won three Section 1 titles, was named all-section, and twice played in Syracuse's famed Carrier Dome for a state championship.
On Monday, Brennan took the next step in his football career, signing a letter of intent to play Division 1 AA football at Marist next season. The 6-foot-4 defensive-lineman chose Marist over Towson, the University of Rhode Island and Fordham, and cited Marist's great education and financial package as the main reasons for his decision.
"It's definitely a relief," said Brennan. "I've been talking to Marist since last year, but sent a lot of my tapes late so I wasn't sure if it would work out. Their d-line coach really liked me a lot, so I was able to get the visit in and it felt like the a great fit right away. I blended in well and it just felt like the right place for me."
Brennan is the second Croton-Harmon player to sign with Marist this season, joining Jesse Mainiero who signed last week. Brennan and Mainiero should transition into the program well as Marist already has three former Croton-Harmon players on the roster; Jesse's older brother Nick Mainiero, and wide-receivers Joe and Matt Tralli.
Brennan says the relationship between Croton-Harmon and Marist was definitely a big part of his decision, but not the main reason.
"It was in the back of my mind, but I wanted to choose a school for me," said Brennan. "I wanted a clean slate. After I made the decision and signed, I got really excited about joining up with those other guys, especially Jesse. We've been best friends since forever and it will be something special to continue our careers together in college... When I made the decision, Jesse was the first to call me, then my mom, and then Jesse's mom. We're all really excited."
Brennan says he is not sure what he will study yet, but is leaning towards something to do with history. He also says he is very excited to continue to represent Croton-Harmon at the next level and give back to the program that made him the player he is.
"My time here has been really special; it has been an amazing ride," Brennan said. "I mean, I have six losses in my high school career. My worst season we were 7-2 and had a Section 1 championship appearance. Who else can say that?"
Next season there will be seven former Croton-Harmon football players at the Division I-AA level or higher. Along with the five Marist players, Kevin Soares plays at Fordham and Kyle Ricciardi recently signed to play for Army.
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