10 Rogers athletes sign letters of intent

ROGERS — Finding the right fit for an athlete in college goes beyond just on the court or the field. That’s why staying close to home was important for Rex Krout.

The 6-foot-3 Krout will continue his college basketball career just down the road a few miles as he signed with the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Krout was one of 10 Rogers High School athletes who signed letters of intent at a ceremony Friday morning in Mountie Arena. He was joined by Brian Reyes for cheer (Arkansas-Fort Smith); Carlos Chicas (Drury), Omar Peralta (Oklahoma Wesleyan) and Erick Calderon (Laramie County Community College) for boys soccer ; Ashten Holloway for girls soccer (Missouri Southern State); Breley Head and Emma Kate James for dance (Arkansas State) and Isaac Chapman and Landon Proctor for track and field (Ouachita Baptist).

Staying close to home was important for Krout because he’s close with his family. That was apparent with the large group surrounding him at the ceremony. Five of his six brothers were present along with other family members.

“That was one of the biggest things for me,” said Krout, who earned all-conference honors and averaged 12 points per game for his career. “I’ve got a lot of little siblings that are pursuing their own basketball and athletic careers, and I want to be a part of that. I’m really close to my family so I want to be within striking distance of them.”

Rogers boys basketball Coach Lamont Frazier said Krout should be good for UAFS on the court, too.

“He’s a guy that’s going to come in every day and do the work,” Frazier said. “He’s gonna out-work a lot of them just because of what he knows to do. You’re talking about a young man that every day after he got out of class he was here two hours before practice started working on his game.”

The duo of Chapman and Proctor will stay together to attend OBU and run track. Chapman will compete in the decathlon. Rogers boys’ track Coach Carlton Efurd said he’s gradually shown off his versatility in the multi-events.

“At first, he was just a good shot putter,” Efurd said. “He won state last year. And he’s working on hurdles. And then how well can he pole vault? I don’t know. He picks up the pole vault, and now he’s our best pole vaulter. He cleared 13-6 this year.

“His worst events are probably the mile and 800 and I said ‘we’ve got to get you in shape for the longer races.’ He’s so talented. But the thing I love most about Isaac is just his character. He makes our team better. If he’s not competing, he’s cheering for his teammates. His work ethic’s unbelievable.”

Proctor is a hurdles specialist that has steadily improved, Efurd said. He’s close to hitting the qualifying mark for the state meet in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, Efurd said.