12 sign letters of intent
From Staff Reports
There were twelve local football players sign national letters of intent with non-FBS schools as part of National Signing Day Wednesday.
Pleasant Grove had seven players from its state championship team sign letters of intent with Division II football programs. Liberty-Eylau had three signees, and Texas High had a pair to go along with its early signees.
PG had 10 total—two non football—letters of intent.
“All ten of these young men have been chasing dreams since they were little,” PG athletic director/head football coach Josh Gibson said. “Less than four percent of high school players get the chance to play at the Division I or Division II level, so these guys are extremely talented and have made Pleasant Grove a better school.”
Texas High Athletic Director and head coach Gerry Stanford understands the importance of having his athletes sign in his first year at the school.
“Any signing day is always an exciting day to see kids go off and fulfill their dreams,” Stanford said. “Both of these kids have done a tremendous job of doing everything we’ve asked them. Our biggest goal as a staff is to promote kids. Texarkana Independent School District is one of the top school districts in the state at promoting kids.”
TJ Cole, Ouachita Baptist University
Cole inked his letter of intent to be a Tiger and plans to major in Kinesiology.
“I chose academics more because Ouachita Baptist is ranked nationally with its Kinesiology program,” Cole said. “I love the school, and I like the atmosphere, the community and the football team.
“I am looking forward to creating bonds with people and carrying them on into the future.”
Cole’s goal is to graduate college and to just take it one day at a time.
TJ is the son of Tony and Regina Cole.
Caleb Porchia, Ouachita Baptist University
Porchia signed on to become a Tiger and plans to major in Business or Kinesiology.
“I liked the environment at Ouachita Baptist, and the coaches and players made it comfortable for me; that is what pushed me to go there,” Porchia said. “One aspect of college that I am looking forward to is just being on my own and taking care of myself.”
Caleb is the son of Anthony and Angela Porchia.
Drake Fowler, Arkansas Tech University
Fowler is one of the newest additions to the Wonder Boys’ team and plans to major in Optometry.
“All of the facilities at Arkansas Tech are nice, and I like the coaching staff,” Fowler said. “I am looking forward to just being on my own and earning a degree.”
Drake is the son of Bill and Louetta Fowler.
Nick Gavriel, Arkansas Tech University
Gavirel signed on the line to become a Wonder Boy and plans to major in Biology.
“I chose Arkansas Tech because I loved the campus when I visited, and I get to play football with my friend (Drake Fowler),” Gavriel said. “I will be close to my brother and cousin who live in Fayetteville, and I won’t be too far from home.
“I am looking forward to just growing up at college, but I am not looking forward to waking up early each day. My dream is to play in the CFL or NFL if I am lucky enough.”
Nick is the son of Chris and Britany Gavriel.
Chauncey Martin, Texas A&M-Commerce
Martin signed his letter of intent to become a Lion and plans to major in Physical Therapy.
“The school feels like home to me,” Martin said. “I like the coaches and they way they run their program. It is also a good academic school.
“I want to go there and stay focused. I want to make my mark early so that way I can chill later. I enjoy being on my own.”
Chauncey is the son of Michael and Tosha Martin.
Austin Toler, Harding University
Toler signed his letter of intent, joined the Bisons, and plans to major in either Sports Medicine or Computer Engineering.
“As soon as I visited Harding, it felt like home; it felt like there was another Coach Gibson there. I am looking forward to meeting new people and forming bonds with them at college. I hope to make it into the NFL, but if that doesn’t happen, I just want to have a good job.”
Austin is the son of Gerico and Jennifer Toler.
Cameron Wells, Southern Nazarene University
Wells signed to become a Thunder Cat and plans to major in Physical Therapy.
“Throughout the recruiting process, Southern Nazarane felt like home,” Wells said. “As soon as I left Bethany, Oklahoma, I knew I wanted to further my education and play football there.
“I am looking forward to the independence of college life, making decisions on my own, and being responsible.”
Cameron is the son of Stacy and Maranda Wells.
Riley Russell, Trinity Valley Community College
Riley Russell signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Trinity Valley Community College as a quarterback. Russell completed 103 passes on 161 attempts for 1,694 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Russell was also named the Week 12 Texas Football Player of the Week for his performance against Highland Park in the postseason. Russell threw for 371 yards, six touchdowns and ran for 125 yards and a score.
“It’s awesome, not very many people are given this opportunity,” Russell said. “I plan to make the best of it. It feels great because this is what I’ve practiced so hard for. I’m excited to get to Trinity Valley and get it started. I plan to go there and see what I can make of it.
At the first of the season, I wasn’t even thinking about playing college ball until i started playing and it all started rolling for me.”
Russell is the son of Toni and Brandon Pounds.
Jaqualen Brown, Fort Hays State University
Jaqualen Brown inked his NLI to attend Fort Hays State University as a defensive back. Brown finished his year with 15 catches for 248 yards with two touchdowns as a receiver and also had an interception on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’m excited to be given this opportunity,” Brown said. “I was committed to Northeastern State, I was just trying to have another change to be on the field again. I’ve always wanted to play college football, so this is like a dream come true for me. I’m just excited I get a chance to play another football game.”
Brown is the son of Darnesha Burks and Charleston Brown.
Mahleik Darty, Southern Arkansas University
Darty lead the Leopards in receiving this fall.
“Mahleik started for us as a junior and a senior,” Wells said. “He did a great job of catching balls and had a heckuva senior year. He worked extremely hard between his junior and senior years to improve, and it was phenomonal what he was able to do.”
Darty likes that SAU is close to home and the atmosphere around the campus.
“I like how the classrooms are set up; my mom has talked heavy to me about working on school and school comes first and football comes next,” Darty said. “The classrooms are too big; they’re very calm and collected, so I like that aspect. It’s down the street from home.
“I have to thank all my coaches the most, Coach Bay (Michael Baysinger) the most because he grinded on me since I was a freshman. I always wanted to be a kid who wanted to succeed, I owe a lot to my family and I also have to thank Coach (Trey) Norman. He taught me a lot about how to further my career in football.”
Darty plans to study mechanical engineering.
Mahleik is the son of Elizabeth Gardner and Robert Darty.
Decorian Phillips, Tyler Junior College
Phillips rewrote the record books for Leopard passers this fall, helping L-E win the district title and play three rounds deep in the postseason.
“Decorian is a two-year starter at quarterback, broke the school record for passing yards, and helped lead us three rounds deep in the playoffs,” Wells said. “We’re extremely excited that he will continue his education at Tyler Junior College.”
Phillips, who is also a standout basketball player, is excited about being able to play immediately.
“Coach (Danny Palmer) told me I’ll get the opportunity to further my career and continue my education at Tyler, and it feels like home,” Phillips said. “I like the campus and I like the coaches. I’ll work on my Associate’s degree in general studies. The teachers (at Liberty-Eylau) played a big role in getting me ready for college, my coaches prepared me very well, and I’m excited about this opportunity.”
Decorian is the son of Tiffany Rankins and Cory Phillips.
Orion Williams, Southeastern Oklahoma State Univ.
Williams was a three-year starter who missed half of his junior and seniors years to injuries.
“Orion started as a sophomore, his junior year tore his Achilles’ (tendon) and battled back from that, and battled through another injury his senior year,” Wells said. “The Achilles’ is a very difficult injury to come back from, and he has made a phenomenal recovery from both his injuries. We’re expecting big things from him at Southeastern Oklahoma (State University).”
Williams never thought about giving up his dream of playing at the college level.
“I like Southeastern Oklahoma because it will be a challenge; they’re a lot more strict than other schools,” Williams said. “It will be a good fit for me because I can develop as a man and a player there. I like the program and the way they teach their kids. I watched one of their games, and I liked the way their players carried themselves.
“My mom taught me to never quit and keep moving forward. I thought, ‘if I can’t do this (work back from the injuries), I won’t be able to do anything else in life.’ So I just kept going and knew it was going to get better over time.”
Williams plans to study kinesiology and work to be a trainer. He is the son of Aleita Johnson.