Irish's Cadogan narrows choices

Camden Catholic senior tight end/defensive end Sherard Cadogan is among the most highly recruited players in South Jersey, and has had a busy time sorting through his recruiting options.

An Inquirer first-team All-South Jersey selection on defense after recording 14 sacks, Cadogan says he has narrowed down to five the schools he thinks he will make official visits to.

Of course, nothing is etched in stone, but here is his list of five at this moment - Pitt, Michigan State, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

Cadogan will definitely make an official visit to Wisconsin the weekend of Sept. 25, when Camden Catholic has a bye.

Nobody is surprised he will be visiting the Big Ten school. During the summer, Camden Catholic quarterback Joe Brennan made an oral commitment to attend Wisconsin. Cadogan and Brennan are good friends and will be making their visit together.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Cadogan insists that Brennan isn't trying to put the squeeze on him to commit to Wisconsin.

"He told me that I should do what is best for me," Cadogan said. "It will be nice to make my visit with him."

Family coaching rivalry. Dan Mitchell was a standout quarterback at Lenape, guiding the Indians to their last playoff berth during his senior season in 2002.

This season, Mitchell is the new quarterbacks coach at Cherry Hill East, and, as fate has it, the Cougars' opener will be 7 p.m. Friday at Lenape.

Not only will Mitchell be coaching against his alma mater, he will also be matching wits with his father, Bucky.

Bucky Mitchell, the former Lenape head coach, is now an assistant at the school. The father was the head coach when the son was the quarterback.

"It's a little interesting that I will be going back to the high school I went to and coaching against the old man," Dan Mitchell said laughing.

This is actually the second time the Mitchells have tangled as coaches. In 2007, Dan Mitchell was an assistant at Washington Township, and his father was an assistant at Lenape. That year, Township beat Lenape, 28-27.

"When we are coaching against each other it is awkward for that one week," said Dan Mitchell, who was an assistant last season at Ewing.

When the teams aren't getting ready to meet, the younger Mitchell often bounces ideas off his father.

"I got to play for my dad, and that was a blessing, and I wouldn't trade it for the world," Dan Mitchell said. "Coaching against him is also special."

This is a big game for both teams, both of which are coming off 1-9 seasons. Lenape beat East, 40-7, in last year's opener for both teams.

Tough scrimmage. Shawnee was hit hard by graduation from a team that went 12-0 and was ranked No. 1 in South Jersey by The Inquirer.

Still, the feeling persists that the Renegades will be a contender in both the Burlco/Olympic Liberty Division and South Jersey Group 4 after competing in Group 3 last year.

Shawnee coach Tim Gushue didn't ease his team into the preseason. One of the Renegades' scrimmages was against national power Don Bosco Prep, which went 11-1 and won the state Non-Public Group 4 title, arguably the toughest division in New Jersey.

Shawnee lost the scrimmage to Don Bosco, 28-8, but Gushue saw many positives.

"They are an unbelievably talented team, and it was a great experience for our players," Gushue said. "Nobody on our team got banged up, and I think a lot of people were impressed at how we fought."

Johnson visiting Nebraska. Recruting expert Dennis McCarthy lists Egg Harbor Township running back-receiver-defensive back Teejay Johnson as the No. 2 recruit in the state.

This weekend Johnson was making an official visit to Nebraska. Johnson won the Meet of Champions 100 meters in the spring with a time of 10.67 seconds.

Preview Thursday. The Inquirer's South Jersey football preview will be published on Thursday.