Some high school athletes don't fit the prototypical mold of what an FBS-level prospect entails, physically, yet they have the football IQ and overall athletic ability to play big-time football on the next level. That is the case with St. Joseph Regional middle linebacker and Mr. do-it-all, Mark Fossati, who at 5-10 and 200 pounds, is on the cusp of receiving consistent FBS attention.
Today, Fossati corresponded with Rutgers recruiting coordinator, Tariq Ahmad, for the first time, developing a relationship with one of his favorite potential collegiate destinations: Rutgers.
"It went well," said Fossati about the interaction. "He told me he wanted me to come up in the spring and they were pretty interested in me after watching me on film. He asked me how my grades were, and said he had heard a lot of good things about me."
Fossati discussed the origin of where his high opinion for the Scarlet Knights came from. Apparently, he has followed the Rutgers program for a long time, now.
"I have always loved Rutgers since I was little. My brother got me into Rutgers when I was a kid so it would be awesome if I could go there," Fossati said. "I like how it's New Jersey's state school. I have always rooted for them because they are local and have really come on, especially over the past few years."
Fossati, a junior, contributed to his team from just about every position except offensive or defensive line in 2012. He can do it all, whether it be running the football, catching it, kicking it, punting it, making defensive stops from both the safety and linebacker positions or making huge plays from every facet of special teams. What more could you ask from the state's most versatile high school football player?
Fossati's exploits led to a 10-2 record and a 2012 Non-public, Group III sectional championship. Defensively, he accumulated 154 tackles, three forced forced fumbles, and two and a half sacks while also taking over in a big way at fullback for injured teammate, Jeff Farina.
Numbers certainly don't do justice the type season Fossati is coming off of. There was no bigger playmaker in the state as evidenced by his junior season highlights.
"He's at the point of every piece of action," St. Joseph defensive coordinator Brendan Gebert told the Star Ledger. "He loves to play football and doesn't complain about anything. He just loves to be in the center of the action."
Fossati left the Star Ledger no choice but to award him defensive player of the year honors.
"It's pretty awesome being named the best defensive player in the whole state, that's quite an incredible thing," Fossati said. "It kind of hit me by surprise because I know how many great players are out there. And I don't know much about the teams from South Jersey, but it's just extraordinary to come out on top."
Fossati carries a 93 average at St. Joes and is being recruited by multiple schools in the Ivy League. Old Dominion was the first FBS program to show interest in Fossati.
In recent years, many would-be West Coast cheese makers have taken a four-day course in artisan cheese making at California Poly in San Luis Obispo. The curriculum includes classroom instruction, hands-on production and enough cheese chemistry to scare off the dabblers.
I took the course a few years ago to help me understand the process better, and on occasion I cross paths with some of my former classmates. One in particular, Sarah Marcus, impressed me with her drive, and I had no doubt that eventually I would see her name on some good cheese.
While she put her plans and financing together, Marcus methodically built her skills and learned the business. A San Rafael native, she worked behind the counter at Cowgirl Creamery's shop in San Francisco as well as in the creamery itself. She traveled to England to apprentice with Robin Congdon, the acclaimed producer of Ticklemore, and also spent time at a goat dairy in North Carolina.
Priced out of California, Marcus and her husband bought property in Dundee, in Oregon's wine country, and begin building their dream creamery. On a trip to Oregon last fall, I stopped into her Briar Rose Creamery for a brief visit.
Using purchased goat's milk, Marcus makes mostly fresh, spreadable goat cheeses, many of them flavored with herbs and spices. These are cash-flow cheeses, quick to make and easy to sell.
But I'm more intrigued by aged cheese, so I was thrilled to spot an aged goat cheese from Briar Rose in a Bay Area shop recently. Seven years after we "graduated" from Cal Poly, I was sampling Freya's Wheel, Marcus' first commercial aged cheese, which she named for a Norse goddess of love and beauty.
It reminded me instantly of Ticklemore, a sublime aged goat cheese rarely available here, although Bi-Rite Market sometimes has it. But Marcus says her recipe is closer to the method for Garrotxa, a Spanish goat cheese she admires.
All three cheeses rely on the technique known as curd washing, which drains some of the whey and replaces it with water to make a sweeter, less acidic cheese.
Made with pasteurized milk, the fresh curds are drained in plastic colanders, which make deep impressions on the rind. Matured for two to three months, the roughly 2 1/2-pound wheels develop an external bloom of white mold that looks as if a thick dusting of flour had settled into the crevices.
The interior resembles Ticklemore or Caerphilly, with two distinct layers: a firm, dryish, brittle core surrounded by a darker, creamier band, about a half-inch wide, just under the rind.
Pause to enjoy this cheese's aroma before you taste it. The scent is unusual, mingling mushrooms, yeast and warm butter with a floury or bready note. Acidity balances the sweetness, and the salt is just right. Freya's Wheel delivers the layered and enduring flavors that I expect from aged cheese.
Marcus makes only about 40 wheels every other week, but expects to boost production this year. In the meantime, supply is tight. Look for Freya's Wheel at Cowgirl Creamery and Salumeria in San Francisco and at Sunshine Foods in St. Helena.
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