Dayton Daily News
August 6, 2010
Third Belton brother set to start at quarterback for Northmont
By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer
CLAYTON — Years ago, when Northmont High School assistant football coach Mike Schneider was scheduled to tutor a local quarterback and needed an extra participant, the first on his call list was Cameron Belton.
He was in the sixth grade.
“He’d say, ‘Just pick me up,’ ” said Schneider, father of Northmont head coach Lance Schneider. “He was ready every time.”
Those years of preparation will now be tested for the incoming sophomore. Belton, whose older brothers, Clay and Chase, both played quarterback for Northmont before joining college rosters, is slated to begin his first season as the Thunderbolts’ starter when they open with Cincinnati power Colerain on Aug. 28.
Northmont will continue its brutal opening stretch against Cincinnati stalwarts Princeton and Moeller, giving the 15-year-old Belton no easy entry into his first starting season. But coaches and a strong group of receivers say Belton’s commitment to study and experience around the program watching his brothers have prepared him for the opportunity.
“Sometimes, when I forget the route I’m supposed to run, he can tell me,” said Jamal Trammell, a junior receiver. “He knows what happens on every play.”
Belton is six years younger than Clay, who is now at Maryland, and four years younger than Chase, who is at Division III Wabash College, meaning he has been a ball boy at Northmont games for years.
He was expected to compete for the starting job this year, but incoming senior and last season’s starter Robert Sakosky decided not to play football to focus on baseball, giving Belton the position.
He’ll get help from an experienced group of receivers that includes senior Brandon Reaman (a first-team All-Area returner last fall), senior Jordan Taylor (son of former Roth basketball star Chuck Taylor), senior Chris Murray-Townsell and Trammell, a junior.
The Thunderbolts also have Josh McClain, last season’s leading receiver who will play safety and tight end, and Jared Walker, who finished fifth in the state last season in the 100-meter dash and is playing varsity football for the first time.
“Sometimes teams have a go-to guy, but with us, they’re all go-to guys,” said Belton, who has room to grow at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds. “I can rely on anyone.”
Dayton Daily News
August 3, 2010
By Marc Pendleton |
This is another in a series of capsules previewing area high school football for the 2010 season:
NORTHMONT (D-I, Region 4)
League: GWOC Central
Coach: Lance Schneider (12 years)
2009 record: 3-2, 6-4
Key returners:
Cameron Belton, so., QB
Jeremy Campbell, jr., DT
Eric Downing, sr., OL
Chavez Leath, sr., DL
Josh McClain, sr., WR
Brandon Reaman, sr., WR/RET
Kaleb Ringer, jr., LB
Jordan Taylor, sr., WR
Paul Winkler, sr., RB
Extra points:
The Thunderbolts will quickly find out if they’ve dug themselves a deep playoff hole or secured a spot in Week 11 after the first three games vs. Colerain at UC’s Nippert Stadium (in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown), then hosting Princeton and Moeller. That’s easily the toughest opening weeks of a season Northmont has ever put together.
“A part of it is out of necessity because it’s hard to find people to play,” said Schneider, whose Bolts played perennial D-I state title contender Cleveland St. Ignatius the last two seasons.
“We go 0-3 and people will line up to play us.”
Schneider committed Northmont to be a state contender midway through his tenure, and lining up a formidable non-league schedule was only part of the master plan. The other part was ratcheting up the defense and essentially grounding the Air-Schneider offense. And for the most part that has worked, until missing the playoffs for only the second time in nine years last season.
“People think of us as offensive guys, but the last 8-9 years we’ve stacked our guys on defense instead of offense,” Schneider said. “Really, when Elder beat us (33-7) in 2003 in the playoffs, I figured out football then. How are we ever going to get out of Region 4? We needed multiple personnel groupings and formations and playing GCL football, basically.
“That was the epiphany that I got and I’ve stayed true to it since then. Those are the teams that you have to beat. Two years ago we lost 13-10 to Elder and should have won the game. We’ve made great strides.”
If Northmont is to return to the postseason, it’ll have to get big-time play from Ringer, the third of four brothers and a nephew of former CJ standout and current Titans RB Javon Ringer. An outstanding LB prospect, he’s destined to be Northmont’s next national recruit.
Besides Ringer, the defense is loaded with proven returnees, including the entire front seven. The down side is the entire secondary is new.
The offense has been turned over to sophomore QB Cameron Belton, the youngest brother of former Northmont standouts and DDN D-I players of the year Clay and Chase Belton. Schneider likens Cameron to the best of both, inheriting Clay’s ability to pass and Chase’s off-tackle presence and running back speed.
The Bolts are solidly entrenched - with Centerville and Wayne - among the area’s best three D-I programs and there’s no reason - after the first three weeks - that the Bolts should deviate. In the past 12 years more than 100 former Bolts have played college ball, including 25 at the D-I level. Defensive back CJ Barnett is a redshirt freshman at OSU, the most high profile of 23 former Bolts playing at the next level this fall.
“If you want to count (rookie) Kurt Coleman with the (Philadelphia) Eagles, that’s 24,” said Schneider.
It was just two seasons ago that Northmont was 10-2 and lost only to D-I state winner St. Ignatius and D-I state runner-up Elder.
“Football is a big deal here, as it should be,” Schneider said.
“We’re not just playing football at a high level locally, we’re playing on a national scale when we play these kinds of teams like St. Ignatius and our first three games this year.”
Dayton Daily News Blog
June 12, 2010
CLAYTON — Mike Schneider attributed to being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award during Friday’s MVFCA Pigskin Classic to home-field advantage.
That probably didn’t hurt. But more likely, 35 years of coaching area high school football was the deciding factor.
“I think I had the home-field advantage,” Schneider said following the South’s 31-12 defeat of the North at Northmont High School’s Good Samaritan Stadium/Matt Dudon Field on Friday, June 11.
“Plenty of other coaches could have got the same award. … I’ve been lucky. I got to work with a lot of great coaches and a lot of great kids.”
Schneider, a Miamisburg grad and standout QB, resurrected the Vikings football program from 1976-80. Then it was on to Wayne, where he turned the Warriors into an area big-school heavyweight. Ironically, his first seasons at both programs came off 0-10 years.
Since 1999 he’s been at Northmont as the offensive coordinator for his son, head coach Lance Schneider. Together, they have helped mold the Thunderbolts into annual D-I playoff contenders, won seven league titles and advance to the playoffs seven times.
“(Coaching with Lance) is great,” he said. “I’m having as much fun now as I’ve ever had.
“I had a great situation at Wayne and we’ve got another great situation here.”
Lance is a third-generation head coach. Mike’s father, Hank, also was a long-time influence throughout the area, serving as head coach at Miamisburg, Chaminade, Waynesville and Stebbins. Hank, deceased, was inducted into the Ohio Coaches Hall of Fame in 1992.
“Dad helped me love the game,” Mike said.
“I started going to games when I was 3 years old. That’s all I’ve ever known on Friday night. He’s probably checking this out and I’m sure he’s very happy.”
WWW.Philly.com
June 3, 2010
The Eagles and rookie safety Kurt Coleman agreed to terms on a four-year contract, the team announced this evening.
Coleman, who hasn't been at OTAs because of a league rule which forbids players still enrolled in school from participating, was selected in the seventh round of the draft. He was the last of the Eagles' 13 picks. The team inked running back Charles Scott, who was taken in the sixth round, to a contract earlier this week.
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Coleman was a standout at Ohio State. He has a steep hill to climb, however, if he hopes to make the team. Even with this week's season-ending injury to Marlin Jackson , Coleman still has Quintin Mikell , Nate Allen , Quintin Demps and Macho Harris ahead of him on the depth chart. Harris was recently moved to cornerback, so that may open up a slot for the rookie.
Coleman reportedly signed a 4 year, $1.83 million contract, with a $43,000 signing bonus
