By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

Tyler Kroft started talking about his affinity for Pennsylvania high school football Monday as fullback Michael Burton, from Long Valley, N.J., interrupts.

"P.A.?" Burton asks, before jokingly dismissing Kroft's claim.

Tight end Tyler Kroft is one of four starters
in 2013 from Pennsylvania. (AP photo)

It is part of a friendly rivalry in Rutgers' locker room between its home-grown talent and its emerging contingent of Pennsylvania-born players.

Part of it is the proximity of the neighboring states. Another is the growing success of the Scarlet Knights' four starters from the Keystone State — 25 of their 38 combined careers starts have come in 2013.

You can access the Trentonian print story here, but here's what some players said that didn't make the cut:

Kroft: "I always love my P.A. boys. Of course (Kevin) Snyder's one of my good friends, Paul (Carrezola) of course. P.A. boys for life. I like representing for P.A. of course."

Snyder: "You get all the athletes and stuff from Jersey, but I think if you tap into certain states — you tap into Pennsylvania a little bit, you tap into Maryland obviously — there are a lot of players, too."
"If you look into Philadelphia, I think there are a lot of great athletes in Philadelphia. Then once you start moving more west, you start getting more of the big dudes that are kind of like the country boys."

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