Northeast Football Celebrates College-Bound Athletes

Posted

Northeast High School and the Eagle football program celebrated three high-achieving student-athletes with a college commitment ceremony and luncheon at the Greene Turtle in Pasadena on May 1.

Graduating Eagle seniors Matt Wukitch, Aiden Barnhardt and Jan Michael Finch were joined by Northeast head coach Brian Baublitz, friends, family members, assistant coaches and Pasadena Bucs youth coaches to celebrate the occasion.

“Northeast Football prides ourselves on preparing our student-athletes with the tools and mindset to succeed both on and off the field at the collegiate level,” said Baublitz. “Our staff challenged this year’s senior class to ‘Raise the Bar’ of Northeast Football, and these three student-athletes went above and beyond our expectations.”

Baublitz created a press-conference-style event for the occasion, broadcasting a brief question-and-answer session with the players over Facebook live. The players separately spoke about their overall experience at Northeast, their enjoyment playing football for the Eagles, the support they received from teachers at the high school and their goals for college and beyond.

Wukitch will continue his football career at McDaniel College. Wukitch is a four-year varsity player and three-year starter for the Eagles who achieved All-County First-Team distinction as a defensive tackle in 2018. He represented Northeast at the Crab Bowl Senior All-Star game and is a Northeast Scholar-Athlete Award recipient with a cumulative GPA of 3.6.

Barnhart will attend and play football at Bridgewater College. A 2019 team captain and three-year varsity starter for Northeast, Barnhart was a Baltimore Touchdown Club All-Star in 2019 and a Second-Team All-County offensive tackle.

Finch will attend and play at Stevenson University. Finch, a team captain last fall, was a two-year starter on both offense and defense for the Eagles and was named an Eastern Shore All-Star in 2019. He was also named to Second Team All-County as a defensive end.

Baublitz noted this is the second consecutive year that three Eagle graduates have committed to continue their football careers in college. In 2018, Northeast grads Anthony Vallinotti (Stevenson), Christian Torres (Lycoming) and Demontay Snowden (Bowie State) all went on to play collegiately.

Baublitz said the success of the 2019 team, which made the playoffs for the first time in decades, is a continuation of the program’s ongoing renaissance and a credit to the hard work of the players.

“Not only did they lead our football team to a 7-3 record and its first playoff appearance in over 20 years, but they also elevated their performance in the classroom,” said Baublitz. “We are extremely proud of these young men and wish them nothing but success in their future endeavors.”

Photos courtesy of Northeast Athletics

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here