HS FOOTBALL: Summer filled with local camps for quarterbacks, youth athletes

High school players aspiring to play quarterback will have a unique opportunity to learn from a former top collegiate coach at a camp set this summer.

Pete Cordelli Jr., a former assistant coach to the late Lou Holtz at the University of Arkansas, the University of Minnesota and the University of Notre Dame, who has local ties, is bringing the Champions Quarterback Camp, which will include classroom instruction, on-field drills and workouts, to the area. The three-day event will be held June 17-19 at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Cordelli, whose father, the late Peter Cordelli Sr., played with the Blakely Bears and George Washington University. He was an assistant coach with John "Papa Bear" Henzes. Cordelli Jr. was born in Blakely. His family moved to Neshaminy, where his father had an outstanding coaching career as an assistant to Old Forge native John Petercuskie and as the head coach, and is a member of the Scranton Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

As a quarterback and receiver coach at Notre Dame from 1986 to 1990, Cordelli Jr. was instrumental in recruiting Wilkes-Barre Meyers star Raghib "The Rocket" Ismail, who went on to be a Heisman Trophy runner-up.

"This is a homecoming for me," Cordelli Jr. said. "It is a dream come true for me to have a camp at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium. Following all those great Blakely Bears teams with my dad is really special. We moved to Neshaminy when I was 6, but I spent time at my grandfather's and grandmother's house.

"With all of the success that Valley View has had through the years, and the number of great players that area has produced, it makes it an outstanding area for football. I am really glad to be coming back."

The quarterback camp is for athletes in grades 9 through 12. There are four sessions each day. Each session is limited to 20 attendees. Sessions 1 and 2 are for athletes in grades 9 and 10. Sessions 3 and 4 are for juniors and seniors.

Registration for Session I is at 8:30 a.m. The session lasts from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Registration for Session II is at 10:35 a.m. The session is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

In the afternoon, registration for Session III is at 12:35 p.m. The session lasts from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Registration for Session IV is at 2:35 p.m., and the session runs from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Each session and player will get half an hour of classroom work and an hour of on-field work.

Coach Cordelli Jr., who has worked with Elite 11 quarterbacks, is also bringing with him West Alabama quarterback Luther Richesson and Georgetown College quarterback Tyler Windau to help with instruction and drills.

"I really appreciate the opportunity to do this camp," Coredelli Jr. said. "I want to thank Paul Bechtel and Ryan Runco, both of whom have been a huge help to me in bringing this camp to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

"We are going to train quarterbacks like when I was in college coaching. We are going to instruct on RPOs and zone reads, reading coverages and stressing fundamentals. We will focus on all of the things that college offenses are doing now and expose them to what they will see at the next level."

The cost of the camp is $175.

Montrose Youth Camp

Montrose football coach Brett Stage announced the program is hosting a youth football camp June 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. for kids in grades K through 6.

The camp will feature two-time Super Bowl champion and multi-time Pro Bowl guard Chris Snee, a Montrose graduate and member of the New York Giants Ring of Honor.

Snee was an all-state defensive lineman at Montrose and later an All-American guard at Boston College. He was a second-round draft choice of the Giants in 2004 and played 10 seasons, earning All-Pro honors in 2008. He was the starting right guard for the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl championship teams.

After his retirement, Snee was a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars and an analyst at Boston College before returning to the Giants as a scout for the 2024 season.

Dippre Youth Camp

New England Patriots tight end and former Lakeland and Alabama standout CJ Dippre will host a Youth Football Camp on June 23 at the Riverfront Sports Complex from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The camp is open to youths ages 8 to 13 and is free. It will run from 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Dippre, an all-state player at Lakeland, started for two seasons at Maryland before transferring to Alabama, where he was a starter for the 2023 SEC Championship team that reached the College Football Playoff and lost in overtime, 27-20, to eventual champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

The 6-foot-5, 256-pounder signed with the AFC champion New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent. He was added to the 53-man roster late last season and saw action in two games.

Big 33

Berwick running back Ty'Meere Wilkerson and Lackawanna Trail coach Steve Jervis were members of the Pennsylvania all-star team that faced the Maryland all-stars in the Big 33 Football Classic on May 24 at Cumberland Valley High School.

Wilkerson, who is headed to the University of New Hampshire, had 4 yards rushing on five attempts in an 18-10 loss.

Jervis guided Lackawanna Trail to the Lackawanna Football Conference Division III and the District 2 Class 1A championships in 2025. The Lions have won seven District 2 Class 1A championships, including four in a row, a District 2 Class 2A title and three straight LFC Division III championships in Jervis' career.

In 17 seasons at Lackawanna Trail, Jervis has a record of 136-64. Overall, he is 159-103, which includes six seasons at Tunkhannock.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 3:06 PM.