By William Bowman
SELINSGROVE -- Like most parents, Cory Briggs said his mother and father never pushed him in one direction or another when it came time for the Selinsgrove quarterback to make his college decision. Instead, they let the senior make up his own mind, although Briggs said his mother would certainly throw hints out there now and then.
Fortunately for Susquehanna coach Steve Briggs and his wife Christina, their favorite was also their son's favorite. The younger Briggs, in the midst of leading one of the best two-year stretches in Selinsgrove history, verbally committed to Harvard last week, just in time for Briggs and his teammates to focus in on the playoffs, which begin this week.
"It's definitely a big weight off my shoulders," said Briggs, who has thrown for 22 scores and just three interceptions this year. "Some coaches are still calling, just to remind me about them if I change my mind. But it is a big relief to have it done with."
One of the earliest to show interest, Harvard got in early with Briggs and never left, eventually landing his services after offering him a grant-in-aid for athletics package in the summer. Briggs visited a lot of schools, ranging from Big East schools like Syracuse, Rutgers and Connecticut to Ivy Leagues like Penn, Princeton and Holy Cross in the Patriot League.
Holy Cross was the only school Briggs officially visited and was the other to offer along with Harvard.
In the end, there were just too many things pulling Briggs toward Harvard.
"I loved the area, I love Boston and I have family up there," said Briggs, whose 53 career TD passes is one away from tying Derek Pope as tops in school history. "Then there's the education, the prestige. Graduate from Harvard and there's a very good chance you're going to get a very good job."
That was one of the draws for his parents too, Briggs said.
"They let me make my own decision, but once in a while, my mom would say, Cory, you know, it's Harvard. Harvard?'"'' he said. "But they were great through the entire process."
While a lot of local players go through the similar process Briggs did over the past year or so, not many get the kind of guidance he did at home.
His father, whose SU Crusaders will play for the Liberty League title on Saturday, knows coaches all around the country and was able to offer as much expert advice as any recruit could hope to get.
"It was a huge help," Cory said. "He could talk to the coaches he knew to find out what they really thought, what they were really looking for."
