Pair of Hopewell Valley LBs earn football scholarships

By Rich Fisher

There must have been something good in the air during the winter of 2004-05.

Declan MacCabe and David Ellis were born 26 days apart, with MacCabe arriving on Christmas Day of 2004 and Ellis following on Jan. 20. It’s only fitting they came into the world so close together, as their high school football and academic careers are also bound tightly — by excellence.

Both are linebackers, both play lacrosse and both are shining beacons for their school.

Ellis, a Pennington resident, was Hopewell Valley Central High’s honoree at this year’s 61st Annual George Wah Scholar-Leader-Athlete Awards Dinner, hosted by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame on March 12 at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal. MacCabe, who hails from Titusville, received the same recognition for Notre Dame. Each received a $1,000 scholarship, which is awarded to all who are recognized; MacCabe received the additional Ed Cook $1,500 scholarship. Their awards are for their excellence on the football field and in the classroom and community, and both take those roles seriously.

“The DelVal scholarship meant a lot to me,” Ellis said. “For my coaches to choose me as the player on their team that they felt was most deserving of this award is something that I am extremely appreciative of.”

MacCabe felt it was validation that he’s doing something right.

“Winning the Scholar-Athlete award meant so much to me because it exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete at the high school level,” he said. “Winning this prestigious award is so meaningful to me because it shows me that my work on and off the field is paying off and that I should continue what I am doing.”

MacCabe will continue doing it at Franklin and Marshall University in Lancaster, where he will play football and study political science and economics. Ellis’ career on the gridiron is over, but he’s going to a football school and will major in health policy administration at

Penn State.

Both young men have left an indelible imprint on their high schools.

“Declan reminds me of Sen. (Bill) Bradley (a former Princeton/NBA star) whom I have had the pleasure to meet and hear speak on a number of occasions,” said ND coach Sean Clancy, whose senior linebacker led the team with 98 tackles and 12 tackles for losses. “Declan Brody is a truly remarkable young man who commits fully to all that he does because he is driven to be a success. Humble, kind and fiercely competitive — these are not often adjectives that can be strung together, but they describe Declan. He is destined to achieve at the highest level.”

Bulldogs coach Dave Caldwell said he saw something special in Ellis when his family moved to Pennington from the Pittsburgh suburb of Mars, Pa., prior to his freshman year. Despite coming from football-crazed Western Pennsylvania, that was his first year playing football and he caught on quickly and made impacts

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