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Published: Sunday, February 11, 2007

ScoutingOhio.com praised by area football prospects

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By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

Soon after Brandon Beachum completed his sophomore season at Poland High, his father, Lock Beachum, approached a videographer with 10 VHS tapes, one for each of his son's games that season. He wanted a highlight tape made to send out to colleges to help Brandon get an early start on college recruiting.

"The guy was going to charge me $300," Lock said. "And I thought that was a deal."

Soon after that, Lock met Mark Porter, who offered to compile the highlight tape for free and put it on his Web site, www.ScoutingOhio.com, for college coaches to view. Soon after that, one of the assistants for Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops watched Beachum's tape.

"He told Bob, 'This is one of the best sophomore tapes I've ever seen,'" said Lock, whose son transferred to Cardinal Mooney after his sophomore year. "Bob watched it and, right after that, Oklahoma offered him a scholarship."

Sound like a dream story?

It is. And it's not the only one.

Last summer, Mooney senior Dom Scarnecchia was preparing for his final high school football season, hoping to help lead the Cardinals back to the state championship game. But he was also hoping to catch the eye of some college scouts.

"I was new to everything like that," said Scarnecchia, a starting defensive back. "Mark had a little bit of tape from my junior year and he said he'd put it on his site. Then he made another tape after my first five games.

"He told me, 'You keep playing and I'll keep getting your videos on there.' "

A few days after his five-game highlight tape appeared, Scarnecchia got a call from a Villanova coach. A week before the playoffs started, the Division I-AA school offered him a scholarship. A few weeks later, he visited the campus and accepted.

"His Web site basically got me my scholarship," Scarnecchia said. "Without him, I wouldn't have gotten noticed as much. And the thing is, he does that for everybody and he does it for free."

Added Scarnecchia's mother, Elaine, "Mark is wonderful."

History lesson

It all started a little more than a year ago. Porter, a freshman football coach at Canfield, had put together a few highlight films for Canfield players.

As a thank you, one of the parents offered to build him a Web site so Porter could put the videos on the Internet. Soon, Porter began adding players from Mooney and Ursuline.

Other schools heard about it, so Porter started adding more players. Over the past year, it's blossomed into one of the biggest recruiting tools in the state, attracting scouts from big-time programs such as Ohio State and Michigan, as well as mid-majors like Cincinnati, Akron and Kent.

Coaches can get stats, photos basic information (such as height, weight and grade point average) and, most notably, videos.

Porter also provides DVDs to coaches and is developing a section that allows coaches to log in and download videos to their desktop.

The site now includes players from all over Ohio — his emphasis is still on the Mahoning Valley — and while it obviously helps the major programs, it's been a godsend for non-Division I programs such as Mount Union and John Carroll, who don't have a big recruiting budget and are looking to find talented players they haven't heard about.

"Mount Union just [plunders] the site," Porter said, laughing. "There's probably only 40-50 Division I players on the site, but there's a talent pool of 600 players on there. In fact, a lot of the coaches were waiting for [Wednesday] to end so they could see who's available.

"There's a lot of guys who just missed getting Div. I scholarships. The smaller schools go after those guys."

Attracting attention

The site has also been good for high schools who aren't yet known for producing Division I recruits. Last fall, Rayen senior wideout Tomaz Hilton was struggling to attract attention. He had good size (6-2) and speed, but the Tigers' program hadn't produced a Division I recruit in nearly 10 years. It was difficult for a player like Hilton to break through.

Then Porter put Hilton's highlights on his site. Two days later, Bowling Green offered him a scholarship. A few other schools followed and Hilton ended up signing with Cincinnati last week.

"Tomaz and Dom were off the map and they went from zero to scholarship," Porter said. "They told me, 'We got scholarships' and I was like, 'What? Huh? Already?' "

Hilton said he visits the site several times a week, not just to see his own video but to also watch videos of other top recruits. He's not the only one.

Both Scarnecchia and Canfield senior Sean Baker (a Ball State recruit) do the same thing.

"You hear about all the big-time players and you want to see them, or you want to watch video of your friends from other schools," Baker said. "I looked at it almost every day during the season and I still go there once a week. It's a great site and it really helps out athletes."

Helps coaches

It also makes life easier for high school coaches, who must deal with their program's day-to-day needs (practices, game plans, etc.) while also making sure their players get exposure.

When Mooney assistant Chris Amil was a player at Mooney in the early 1990s, he sometimes got frustrated with the recruiting process, but he now realizes how difficult it is to find time for everything.

"A lot of times, when you're a player, you think you're better than you are," said Amil, who played at Kent State. "When I was playing, I wanted everyone to get my tape so I could go to a big school. As I got older, I began to understand how time-consuming it is to be a coach."

Because Mooney has advanced to the state championship the past three years, Cardinal coaches spend five extra weeks working on game plans and practices, leaving less time to help with recruiting.

Porter's site has fixed that. And while the site helped someone like Scarnecchia, it's also helping big-time recruits such as juniors Dan McCarthy (who has an offer from Ohio State), Michael Zordich (who just got an offer from LSU) and Beachum (who has offers from 10 schools, including Oklahoma, Nebraska and Wisconsin).

"Ohio State's going to come see a kid like Danny or Zordich, but LSU? No coach from LSU is going to drive to Youngstown to watch a game," Amil said. "So it even benefits those guys."

And it helps the player — and the player's parents — know he's got a fair chance at a scholarship.

"Brandon's a national recruit and I feel blessed as a parent to be in this situation," Lock said. "But it wasn't until Mark made those tapes that his name really got out there. That got the ball rolling and I appreciate everything he's done for my son."

Obviously, most players aren't going to sign with a school like Ohio State, but at least they'll know it's because they weren't good enough, not because they didn't get enough exposure.

"I'm never going to tell a kid he's not good enough," Porter said. "This is a place for them to go and dream."

Specific searches

But if a player knows he's not good enough to play at Ohio State and still wants to play college football, the site may soon be able to really help him.

Porter is thinking about providing coaches with specific searches so recruiters can save time.

Let's say a player wants to play at the Division III level, he can tell Porter to help him find a school. Porter will then provide that info to Div. III schools.

He may even include preferred majors, so if a kid wants to major in computer science, colleges can use that information as a recruiting tool.

"It's a maturity issue," Porter said. "If you're a great running back, but you're 5-6, you need to be realistic. So you can say, 'I'd like to be a doctor, so I want to go to a school that will help me do that.' And I can package that to schools."

The most amazing part? Porter does this for free, spending countless hours at the computer while also paying for the site out of his own pocket.

Ideally, that will end soon. Porter is hoping to alleviate some of the costs through sponsorships, allowing businesses to advertise on the site and, possibly, for the first few seconds of each videos. He probably won't ever make a profit, but it will allow him to hire interns to produce the videos and keep the site free for the athletes.

"If we can nickel and dime those ideas, and keep it free for the kids, then we just had a win for the area," Porter said.

Amil, for one, thinks it's time for Youngstown-area businesses to get involved.

"What he's doing is a great thing," Amil said. "These kids are going to end up becoming better adults and they're going to give back to the community.

"So if folks from Burger King or Wendy's or the Mahoning Valley Thunder or the [Youngstown] SteelHounds could help him out, that's good for everybody," Amil said.

"It's good advertising and it's good for the city. I'd like to see some folks step up to the plate. He deserves it."

scalzo@vindy.com

Sunday, February 11, 2007

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

Soon after Brandon Beachum completed his sophomore season at Poland High, his father, Lock Beachum, approached a videographer with 10 VHS tapes, one for each of his son's games that season. He wanted a highlight tape made to send out to colleges to help Brandon get an early start on college recruiting.

"The guy was going to charge me $300," Lock said. "And I thought that was a deal."

Soon after that, Lock met Mark Porter, who offered to compile the highlight tape for free and put it on his Web site, www.ScoutingOhio.com, for college coaches to view. Soon after that, one of the assistants for Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops watched Beachum's tape.

"He told Bob, 'This is one of the best sophomore tapes I've ever seen,'" said Lock, whose son transferred to Cardinal Mooney after his sophomore year. "Bob watched it and, right after that, Oklahoma offered him a scholarship."

Sound like a dream story?

It is. And it's not the only one.

Last summer, Mooney senior Dom Scarnecchia was preparing for his final high school football season, hoping to help lead the Cardinals back to the state championship game. But he was also hoping to catch the eye of some college scouts.

"I was new to everything like that," said Scarnecchia, a starting defensive back. "Mark had a little bit of tape from my junior year and he said he'd put it on his site. Then he made another tape after my first five games.

"He told me, 'You keep playing and I'll keep getting your videos on there.' "

A few days after his five-game highlight tape appeared, Scarnecchia got a call from a Villanova coach. A week before the playoffs started, the Division I-AA school offered him a scholarship. A few weeks later, he visited the campus and accepted.

"His Web site basically got me my scholarship," Scarnecchia said. "Without him, I wouldn't have gotten noticed as much. And the thing is, he does that for everybody and he does it for free."

Added Scarnecchia's mother, Elaine, "Mark is wonderful."

History lesson

It all started a little more than a year ago. Porter, a freshman football coach at Canfield, had put together a few highlight films for Canfield players.

As a thank you, one of the parents offered to build him a Web site so Porter could put the videos on the Internet. Soon, Porter began adding players from Mooney and Ursuline.

Other schools heard about it, so Porter started adding more players. Over the past year, it's blossomed into one of the biggest recruiting tools in the state, attracting scouts from big-time programs such as Ohio State and Michigan, as well as mid-majors like Cincinnati, Akron and Kent.

Coaches can get stats, photos basic information (such as height, weight and grade point average) and, most notably, videos.

Porter also provides DVDs to coaches and is developing a section that allows coaches to log in and download videos to their desktop.

The site now includes players from all over Ohio — his emphasis is still on the Mahoning Valley — and while it obviously helps the major programs, it's been a godsend for non-Division I programs such as Mount Union and John Carroll, who don't have a big recruiting budget and are looking to find talented players they haven't heard about.

"Mount Union just [plunders] the site," Porter said, laughing. "There's probably only 40-50 Division I players on the site, but there's a talent pool of 600 players on there. In fact, a lot of the coaches were waiting for [Wednesday] to end so they could see who's available.

"There's a lot of guys who just missed getting Div. I scholarships. The smaller schools go after those guys."

Attracting attention

The site has also been good for high schools who aren't yet known for producing Division I recruits. Last fall, Rayen senior wideout Tomaz Hilton was struggling to attract attention. He had good size (6-2) and speed, but the Tigers' program hadn't produced a Division I recruit in nearly 10 years. It was difficult for a player like Hilton to break through.

Then Porter put Hilton's highlights on his site. Two days later, Bowling Green offered him a scholarship. A few other schools followed and Hilton ended up signing with Cincinnati last week.

"Tomaz and Dom were off the map and they went from zero to scholarship," Porter said. "They told me, 'We got scholarships' and I was like, 'What? Huh? Already?' "

Hilton said he visits the site several times a week, not just to see his own video but to also watch videos of other top recruits. He's not the only one.

Both Scarnecchia and Canfield senior Sean Baker (a Ball State recruit) do the same thing.

"You hear about all the big-time players and you want to see them, or you want to watch video of your friends from other schools," Baker said. "I looked at it almost every day during the season and I still go there once a week. It's a great site and it really helps out athletes."

Helps coaches

It also makes life easier for high school coaches, who must deal with their program's day-to-day needs (practices, game plans, etc.) while also making sure their players get exposure.

When Mooney assistant Chris Amil was a player at Mooney in the early 1990s, he sometimes got frustrated with the recruiting process, but he now realizes how difficult it is to find time for everything.

"A lot of times, when you're a player, you think you're better than you are," said Amil, who played at Kent State. "When I was playing, I wanted everyone to get my tape so I could go to a big school. As I got older, I began to understand how time-consuming it is to be a coach."

Because Mooney has advanced to the state championship the past three years, Cardinal coaches spend five extra weeks working on game plans and practices, leaving less time to help with recruiting.

Porter's site has fixed that. And while the site helped someone like Scarnecchia, it's also helping big-time recruits such as juniors Dan McCarthy (who has an offer from Ohio State), Michael Zordich (who just got an offer from LSU) and Beachum (who has offers from 10 schools, including Oklahoma, Nebraska and Wisconsin).

"Ohio State's going to come see a kid like Danny or Zordich, but LSU? No coach from LSU is going to drive to Youngstown to watch a game," Amil said. "So it even benefits those guys."

And it helps the player — and the player's parents — know he's got a fair chance at a scholarship.

"Brandon's a national recruit and I feel blessed as a parent to be in this situation," Lock said. "But it wasn't until Mark made those tapes that his name really got out there. That got the ball rolling and I appreciate everything he's done for my son."

Obviously, most players aren't going to sign with a school like Ohio State, but at least they'll know it's because they weren't good enough, not because they didn't get enough exposure.

"I'm never going to tell a kid he's not good enough," Porter said. "This is a place for them to go and dream."

Specific searches

But if a player knows he's not good enough to play at Ohio State and still wants to play college football, the site may soon be able to really help him.

Porter is thinking about providing coaches with specific searches so recruiters can save time.

Let's say a player wants to play at the Division III level, he can tell Porter to help him find a school. Porter will then provide that info to Div. III schools.

He may even include preferred majors, so if a kid wants to major in computer science, colleges can use that information as a recruiting tool.

"It's a maturity issue," Porter said. "If you're a great running back, but you're 5-6, you need to be realistic. So you can say, 'I'd like to be a doctor, so I want to go to a school that will help me do that.' And I can package that to schools."

The most amazing part? Porter does this for free, spending countless hours at the computer while also paying for the site out of his own pocket.

Ideally, that will end soon. Porter is hoping to alleviate some of the costs through sponsorships, allowing businesses to advertise on the site and, possibly, for the first few seconds of each videos. He probably won't ever make a profit, but it will allow him to hire interns to produce the videos and keep the site free for the athletes.

"If we can nickel and dime those ideas, and keep it free for the kids, then we just had a win for the area," Porter said.

Amil, for one, thinks it's time for Youngstown-area businesses to get involved.

"What he's doing is a great thing," Amil said. "These kids are going to end up becoming better adults and they're going to give back to the community.

"So if folks from Burger King or Wendy's or the Mahoning Valley Thunder or the [Youngstown] SteelHounds could help him out, that's good for everybody," Amil said.

"It's good advertising and it's good for the city. I'd like to see some folks step up to the plate. He deserves it."

scalzo@vindy.com

Sunday, February 11, 2007
his emphasis is still on the Mahoning Valley — and while it obviously helps the major programs, it's been a godsend...

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