web1_TTL020319Wrestling5.jpeg.jpg

H.S. Wrestling: Lake-Lehman defeats Tunkhannock for D2-2A title

web1_Stempien-PASNAP.jpg

Opinions split on whether nursing-ratio mandate would improve care

<p>While Penn State was busy trying to sway Maryland&#8217;s top-ranked senior prospect this weekend, the Nittany Lions managed to land two of the state&#8217;s top juniors. And they even added a sophomore for good measure.</p><p>James Franklin got three memorable gifts on his 47th birthday, as Maryland&#8217;s <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Curtis-Jacobs-46047374/" target="_blank">Curtis Jacobs</a>, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Joshuah-Moten-46041296/" target="_blank">Joshuah Moten</a> and <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Donte-Thornton-46056489/" target="_blank">Dont&#8217;e Thornton</a> all pledged in person to the Lions coach on Saturday.</p><p>Jacobs, a four-star athlete, and Moten, a four-star defensive back, join Penn State&#8217;s 2020 recruiting class, which doubled in size to four players. Thornton, a wide receiver, becomes the first commitment for the 2021 &#8212; yes, 2021 &#8212; class, which is far enough out that he doesn&#8217;t have a rating yet in the 247Sports Composite rankings.</p><p>The Lions are hoping there will be more good news coming out of Maryland in the coming days. Penn State was hosting four-star senior safety <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Nick-Cross-46041611/" target="_blank">Nick Cross</a> on an official visit this weekend, looking to flip him from Florida State before national signing day rolls around on Wednesday.</p><p>Cross is rated as Maryland&#8217;s No. 1 recruit for 2019 in the Composite and No. 55 overall in the nation. Earlier in the week, he wrote on Twitter that he would pick between Florida State, Georgia, Maryland and Penn State on Wednesday.</p><p>Regardless of how that shakes out, the Lions are happy with their weekend haul, which began with the rare verbal commitment from a sophomore in Thornton. According to the 247Sports database, Penn State is just the seventh FBS school to have any 2021 pledges at this point.</p><p>Thornton went public with his choice first, posting a picture of himself from Saturday with Franklin and most of the Lions&#8217; offensive coaching staff.</p><p>&#8220;Blessed to announce that I am committed to Penn State University!&#8221; he wrote.</p><p>Of course, it will be nearly two full years until he can officially join the program. The earliest he&#8217;ll be able to sign is Dec. 16, 2020, plenty of time for other schools to try and change his mind.</p><p>Already at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, as a 16-year-old, Thornton caught 40 passes for 860 yards and 10 touchdowns for Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore on his way to all-state honors.</p><p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9158277/5b9d8351bd6a440f081b4689" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p><p>Though he doesn&#8217;t have an official rating yet, the fact that he has collected scholarship offers from Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State, among others, suggests that he&#8217;ll be high on some lists.</p><p>That&#8217;s the case for Jacobs and Moten, who check in at No. 8 and No. 10 overall in Maryland for 2020 as the state&#8217;s No. 1 athlete and cornerback prospects, respectively.</p><p>Jacobs was the second to announce on Saturday, writing, &#8220;After careful consideration, and a conversation with all the people around me, I am proud to announce that I am committed to the Pennsylvania State University!&#8221;</p><p>Florida, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin were among Jacobs&#8217; other top offers.</p><p>The pledge continued an impressive run for Penn State at the McDonogh School, as Jacobs is set to send its best prospect to Happy Valley for three straight years. PJ Mustipher played extensively as a true freshman in 2018 and fellow defensive tackle D&#8217;Von Ellies just signed on in the 2019 class.</p><p>For Jacobs, the big question is where he&#8217;ll play in college. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Thornton has ratings as both a wide receiver and a linebacker from different services.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m most likely going to play outside linebacker for them, but right now I&#8217;m with them as an athlete,&#8221; Jacobs told 247Sports.</p><p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/7870696/5ba4eff166554b07484cbb33" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p><p>The Composite currently lists him as the No. 30 outside linebacker in the nation for 2020 and the No. 159 overall recruit.</p><p>Just behind Jacobs is Moten, who is listed as the country&#8217;s No. 19 cornerback prospect for next year and No. 229 overall nationally after recording eight interceptions over the last two seasons.</p><p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8246683/5ba91c6bda51550de03c4373" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p><p>It&#8217;s been a busy stretch for the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder from National Christian Academy. This week alone, he reported scholarship offers from Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas A&amp;M and West Virginia to add to a list of around two dozen schools, including Michigan, Oklahoma and Oregon.</p><p>But on Saturday night he was in State College putting a cap on the festivities with his announcement.</p><p>&#8220;God sat me down and talked to me. I listened,&#8221; he wrote along with a video that ended with him picking Penn State. &#8220;102% committed!&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_thornton-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Baltimore wide receiver Dont&#8217;e Thornton (center) became the first of three recruits from Maryland to commit to Penn State on Saturday, posting this photo with Nittany Lions coaches on his Twitter account. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_thornton-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Baltimore wide receiver Dont&#8217;e Thornton (center) became the first of three recruits from Maryland to commit to Penn State on Saturday, posting this photo with Nittany Lions coaches on his Twitter account. </caption0><photoCredit0>Twitter.com </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Nittany Lions add three Maryland recruits for future classes